Time to spend some time within Chandigarh; a city we are all immensely proud of. Time to ponder over the ones who sacrificed their lives so that future generations can live in honour, peace and prosperity. Time to walk hand in hand with the ones who are working tirelessly to attain the coveted UNESCO Heritage Status for our City Beautiful. We are stringing the heritage of our city with the history of our nation during the Chandigarh Heritage Walk. Would you like to join us?
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage, are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Europe and Latin America make up our world’s heritage. Could Chandigarh be next on the list?
Located in sector 1 within the Capitol Complex, Open hand, Chandigarh’s official emblem is one of the most significant monuments of the city. Designed by Le Corbusier in the form of a hand made from metal sheets that rotate like a weathercock, it also indicates the wind direction. This giant hand is 14 metres high and weighs around 50 tonnes. It conveys the social message of peace and unity that is "open to give & open to receive." Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, consists of three main edifices; the Secretariat, the Legislative Assembly and the High Court stand majestically representing themselves as the temples of democracy of free India. There was a plan to build a fourth building also, which was to be the Raj Bhavan, as in the Governor's Palace but later changed to the Museum of Knowledge. However, it has not come into existence as yet.
A unique citizens’ initiative led by The Indian Express and set up by Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh War Memorial is dedicated to those who laid down their lives defending the country since independence. The names of about 8,500 martyrs from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force belonging to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh are inscribed on its black granite plaques. The memorial, designed by students of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, at the Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3 is the largest in the country recording the names of post-Independence martyrs. The memorial is semi-circular and has a 22-ft high central sculpture. Unlike other memorials, which are constructed by the armed forces or the government, the Chandigarh War Memorial has been funded entirely through contributions from schoolchildren, housewives to NRIs, corporates etc.
Covering a total area of 20 acres, Chandigarh Bougainvillea Park is located in sector 3. This garden exhibits different varieties of bougainvillea flowers. Set up in 1976, you can spot about 65 distinctive varieties of Bougainvillea shrubs planted there. The park contains creepers that cover a large collection of bowers, arches, pavilions and arcades alongside the fitness tracks and pathways.
Where else, but in Chandigarh, could you and your children just stroll past your City’s heritage and your Nation’s history through a lovely garden in 15 minutes?
Trek Code
004/chd
Name of the Trek
Chandigarh Heritage Walk (Open Hand Monument-War Memorial)
Date of Trekking
Sunday, 07th of Oct’07
Trek
Easy Peasy
Terrain
Flat City Roads
Maximum Height
365mtrs from sea level
Total Trekking Distance
2kms return journey on metalled road
Experience Required
None
Equipment Required
None
Minimum Age
Anyone who can walk 2kms
Period
Dawn or Dusk preferred
Duration
15-20minutes each way at the most
Minimum no. of people
10
Maximum no. of people
100
Distance from Chandigarh
0 Kms
Permissions
Chandigarh Tourism has taken special permission from Chandigarh Police to allow parking facility for everyone who wishes to join the Heritage walk. CATS must ensure that they park their vehicles at appropriate/designated parking around the Open Hand Monument.
Accommodation
n/a
Sustenance on Trek
As part of the Chandigarh Heritage Walk, refreshments would be provided at the War Memorial.
Civil Amenities
Not available at either the starting point or the finishing point.
Activities
None as such, apart from walk around the Bougainvillea Gardens after due respects have been paid at the War Memorial.
Cut-off to join the trek
5pm on Friday, 05th of Oct’07.
Joining Instructions
Send your request by email to CATS.chd@gmail.com, confirming precise number of your family and/or friends joining the walk by the cut-off date. LAST MINUTE WALK-INs would not be entertained by CATS.
Punctuality of time
Adhere to the given times since we would not wait for late arrivals
Cost
None.
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