Chandigarh Rock Garden is a sculpture garden in Chandigarh, completely built of industrial and home discarded items like bottles, ceramic pots, bangles, broken pipes etc. It is located between the Capitol Complex and Sukhna Lake. It spreads over an area of 40 acres. The Rock Garden is the second most visited tourist attraction in Chandigarh after Sukhna Lake.
ALSO READ: CHANDIGARH TRAVEL GUIDE
Table of Contents
History
Chandigarh Rock Garden was constructed by Nek Chand Saini, who recycled the scrap and other waste material to build it. He was managed to keep this place in hiding for 18 years before its discovery. Since his work was illegal, the Rock Garden was in danger of getting demolished. But due to strong public opinion in his favour, the park was officially opened to the public in 1976.
As you enter through the unassuming entrance of the Chandigarh Rock Garden, you will see many sculptures made of rocks placed on the sidewalls of the trail. The sidewall is adorned by the broken pieces of the ceramic pots.
Chandigarh Rock Garden is designed on the fantasy of a lost kingdom. It has a couple of artificial waterfalls, small houses, palaces, and many different doorways and pathways, each opening to different varieties of exhibits. The entrance and exit gates are parallel to each other and one has to follow the trail to explore the garden.
The Rock Garden is divided into three phases.
First Phase
Continue walking on the trail and you will see the first artificial waterfall. As you continue on your trail, you will get to see bridges, small houses, structure decorated with ceramic pots and tiles, artificial plants and many other things.
Soon, you will reach the second artificial waterfall. This waterfall is bigger with a greater flow rate than the first one. You can’t go near this waterfall as opposed to the case with the first waterfall. The artificial canal formed by this waterfall meets the first waterfall. Both the waterfalls are the most photographic spots in the garden.
Move past the waterfall and you will be at crossroads. The left path goes towards the third phase and then to exit, and the right path goes to the second phase which has a doll museum. Even if you go right, you will have to retrace your path and take the left path to exit the garden.
Second Phase
If you chose the right path and continue the further exploration of the Rock Garden, you will be welcomed with a huge open courtyard. There are lots of entertainment options for kids. Multiple numbers of swings cover most of the courtyard area. There are distorted mirrors and aquarium section on the side of the courtyard.
If you get tired and feel the need to give your legs some rest, you can sit under big trees with a circular seating area or on the stairs built using ceramic wastes. There is also a small cafeteria to satiate your hunger with light snacks. Although the menu has many items written, only a few of them are sold along with tea, coffee and ice-cream.
There is a doll museum located next to the cafeteria. The museum is given a village setting with the use of more than hundreds of rag dolls created from waste cloth. The dolls are used to display the daily activities of the village. The artificial camel, trees, and huts are also used to make the setting more realistic. You can see that many parts of village life are enacted there.
Next to the doll museum lies a room displaying the old photographs of the Chandigarh Rock Garden. This room, from ceiling to roof, is built and decorated using recycled discarded items. The room also has many photographs of Nek Chand, some of them with prominent personalities of India.
Third Phase
Retrace your steps to reach the crossroad from where you took the right towards the second phase. This time you have to take the other path which goes to the third and final phase. This phase displays the sculptures of man and animals from all walks of life. The sculptures are mostly created using ceramic pots and tiles, cement and broken bangles. This phase is the most famous phase of the garden. If you have seen one photograph of the Chandigarh Rock Garden either on print media or electronic media or internet, most likely it is of the sculpture of the third phase.
Continue on the trail to exit the garden.
Where to Eat at Chandigarh Rock Garden
As already mentioned above, there is a small cafeteria in the second phase, next to the doll museum. There are also many street food vendors outside the Rock Garden, all selling the same dishes like Chole Tikki and Chole Kulche.
If you feel the need to have a full meal, there is a small food court having 3-4 small restaurants around a kilometre away at Sukhna Lake.
How to Reach Chandigarh Rock Garden
Chandigarh Rock Garden is sandwiched between Capitol Complex buildings and Sukhna Lake. You can take Uber/Ola/auto-rickshaw to reach there.
Address – Rock Garden, Sector 1, Chandigarh, 160001
Phone – +91 172 274 0645
Official Website – http://nekchand.com/
Opening Hours – 9 AM to 7 PM (April to September), 9 AM to 6 PM (October to March)
Suggested Duration – 3 hours
Ticket Cost – Rs 30 (Adult), Rs 10 (Child)
Rock Garden is beautiful. I have been there once and loved every corner of it. Sukhna Lake is also a fun place to be in Chandigarh.
This looks very interesting, I’ve never heard of this park before. It’s a bit sad to see that despite how beautiful it is, people still leave their garbage in the street (photo inHistory section).
Garbage on the street is sadly you will find everywhere in India. Indians, unfortunately, don’t consider keeping the surroundings clean as their civic duty.
This is such a fun place–my kids would love it! Why was it illegal at first? And after it opened to the public, did he continue to work on it? When was it completed?
It was illegal because the garden was built on forest buffer which was government land. Nek Chand built everything in secrecy and the government only came to know about it some 18 years later.
After it was opened to the public, Nek Chand was given a salary, a title (“Sub-Divisional Engineer, Rock Garden”) so that he could work full-time. Modification in Rock Garden is a continuous process. Today also, many new things are created there using recycled items.
It’s sooo cool that they made off of this with discarded items! I mean, what a fantastic way to recycle (and to make money from rubbish!) It’s a great artwork to explore!!
Wow ! This is amazing ! The waterfall itself is a big task to complete on his own ! Glad that he managed to keep it secret for 18 years, only then was he able to do so much ! And so happy that it was demolished ! Hope to visit this some day ! =)
I think you meant “not demolished !” 🙂
What a great way to use discarded items. It looks like they have been put together very creatively. A very interesting visit 🙂
All I can say is Wow! What great artists and I admire his creativity and taking risks to work on it! He deserved the support of the public especially he makes used and recycled kinds of stuff and create something ordinary is a blessing to the community! Thanks for sharing!
This kind of selfless work needs to be supported and not discouraged. Closing down the garden would have sent the wrong message to the community.
Thanks for sharing this place – we have pinned it and would love to visit one day. The history behind this rock garden is awesome – thank goodness for public opinion, it would be a tragedy if it was demolished. We think it’s amazing how people can make art with recycled materials.
Thanks, Matt & Lorna for sharing the article. Nek Chand’s work was both artistic and visionary.
Looks interesting. I’ve visited India once but probably won’t return. Looks like they put a lot of effort into the ceramic statues.
Why won’t you return, Ann? Was your not experience good in India?
Definitively a memorable place. It looks like a great choice for a family visit to teach and inspire children about finding new creative uses for discarded things.
Absolutely, it would be a fun and education visit for the kids.
How great that are can be created from used and discarded items. Always amazing to see the power of public opinion to keep something like this open. I love the tile artwork and the waterfalls. Looks like a great spot to stroll.
It would have been a shame if the rock garden had got closed at that time. These kinds of work which are done without an ounce of selfishness but just purely for the love of the country and environment should be encouraged and supported.
What a lovely and unique attraction to visit. I have to say that those artificial waterfalls are pretty impressive! I’ve yet to visit India, so this was an interesting place to read about.
The waterfalls were truly impressive especially the big one.
This looks stunning and such an interesting concept. Reminds me of Gaudi’s work in Barcelona.
I have heard a lot about Gaudi’s work. I hope I get to see those artistic buldings in person very soon.
Wow this place looks incredible. It is amazing how one person could see such art and beauty in rubbish. I will be certainly adding this place to the list of pleases to see in India. Thank you 😊
Yes, who could have thought that something so beautiful and artistic can be created from dump,