Leisure
Valley
A continuum of various theme gardens to take care of the body
and spirit of the city. Le Corbusier retained the eroded valley
of a seasonal rivulet on the original site of the City and sculptured
it into a Linear park now over 8km long .It starts from Sector
1 in the north and leaves Chandigarh at its southernn
most edge in sector 53.
RAJENDRA PARK, Sector 1
The Leisure Valley starts from the Rajendra Park. The park
is a vast stretch of land of about 400 acres abutting the
Secretariat building on its eastern side. Le Corbusier himself
designed the landscape scheme of this park .Trees with round
canopies and evergreen foliage have been planted here. It
was started in 1954 and is used for long walks, learning to
drive and horse riding.
SMRITI UPAVAN, Sector 1
This space has been set aside to allow people to plant trees
in the memory of the departed. This is a garden where every
tree commemorate someone who is no more. It was formally inaugurated
on 14.11.1998 by planting a banyan tree in the memory of the
first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. It
is situated between Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake. People can
plant trees in the memory of their near and dear ones.
BOUGAINVILLEA GARDEN, Sector-3
It
spreads over an area of 20 acres. The natural choe running
through the valley starts from here. The garden is devoted
to hundreds of varieties of bougainvillea. A few flowering
trees have also been planted to give colourful effect during
the intervening period of bougainvillea flowering time. It
was opened in 1976.
FITNESS
TRAILS, Sector 10
The Physical Fitness Trails have been developed with a view
to enjoying physical exercises amidst the beauty of Nature.
It is an ideal place for long walks and physical workouts.
To the south of Fitness Trails is located the Flower Garden
where seasonal flowers have been planted in one portion and
the remaining portion is punctuated with sculptures by renowned
artists. Some area has been left vacant for organizing various
cultural activities.
BOTANICAL GARDEN, Sector 14
There
are two Botanical Gardens in the city – one between
Rock Garden and lake and the other in Panjab University. Another
Botanical Garden is being developed to about 110 acres of
land in Sarangpur which will be a major tourist attraction
in the near future.
ROSE GARDEN, Sector 16
Named
after India’s former President Dr. Zakir Hussain, the
garden was established in 1967 under the guidance of Chandigarh’s
first Chief Commissioner, Late Dr. M.S. Randhawa.
The largest Rose Garden in Asia, is spread over an area of
27 acres and has more than 17000 plants representing some
1600 varieties of roses. Along with the roses, emphasis was
also given to the trees of medicinal value and some unique
species of trees to enhance the beauty of the garden. The
annual “Festival of Gardens” is organized in the
Rose Garden in the month of February and is listed in the
“National Calendar of Events”.
SHANTI KUNJ, Sector16
Shanti
Kunj is situated between Rose Garden and Cricket in Sector
16. This is a completely noise-free area with natural undulations.
The natural stream running through this garden divides the
park into five areas. The five parts of the garden depict
different kinds of trees such as medicinal plants, vertical
shaped trees, flowering trees, trees for shade and environmentally
suitable areas.
TERRACED GARDEN, Sector 33
A
small valley running through the length of the sector has
been developed into a Terraced Garden. Its main attraction
is an illuminated musical fountain. The garden is the venue
for the annual Chrysanthemum Show. It is spread over 10 acres
and was opened in 1979.
TOPIARY PARK, Sector 35
It
was opened to the public in 1987. Many animal shapes created
out of creepers and bushes attract children to this park.
A large variety of ornamental plants add to the park’s
charm.
Other than these Gardens, Chandigarh has beautifully landscaped
roundabouts and wherever you may be in the city, you are surrounded
by Natures beauty and freshness.
HIBISCUS GARDEN, Sector 36
It covers an area of 8 acres and about 40 different varieties
of Hibiscus shrubs have been planted to provide colour throughout
the year.
GARDEN OF FRAGRANCE, Sector 36
Situated to the south of the Hibiscus Garden, it is very
popular for different varieties of aromatic and fragrant plants.
The flower plants like Raat ki Rani, Motia, varieties of Jasmine,
Demask Rose, Mehndi, Champa, Haar Shingar and many others
cast a pervading aroma in this part of the Leisure Valley.
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