Discover some astonishing facts about Rock Garden, Chandigarh

Panchali DeyPanchali Dey/Times Travel Editor/TRAVEL TRENDS, CHANDIGARH/ Created : Nov 22, 2018, 17:47 IST

Discover some astonishing facts about Rock Garden, Chandigarh

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Discover some astonishing facts about Rock Garden, Chandigarh

Rock Garden of Chandigarh has been alluring its visitors since its inception due to its sheer brilliance and beauty. It is no small wonder, and people from far and near visit this place to experience the fantasyland up close and personal. The credit for creating this garden goes to Nek Chand, who gave life to his imagination and fantasy. In fact, the very story of how this Rock Garden was formed is more fascinating than the garden itself.

This beautiful garden was established in 1957. Spread across an area of 40 ac, this garden is also famous for being one of the most eco-friendly gardens in the country, as it is has been built solely by home-waste and other industrial items. Also, the sculptures in this place are being created by using items such as bangles, ceramic pots, tiles, bottles, and electrical waste. It won’t be a exaggeration to state that the brilliantly crafted sculptures in the Rock Garden of Chandigarh are a delight. Apart from these gorgeous sculptures, this spot also boasts of man-made waterfalls. And not just these, there are other facts about this garden that makes it stand out among other wonders of our country.

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Read on and check if you are aware of all the below facts all the while.

The Rock Garden of Chandigarh was started as a small activity in the 1950s, which now has hundreds of sculptures made from waste, and discarded materials. Millions of tourists from around the world visit this place every year.

Nek Chand, the founder of Rock Garden, started creating this garden secretly during his spare time in 1957. He used to work as a Road Inspector with the Public Works Department, and spent almost 20 years to create this beautiful place. He started by collecting stones, discarded junk, stones from nearby villages, and gathering them in a small forest patch near Sukhana Lake.

Nek Chand then used his artistic genius to give wings to his passion. He started making sculptures with those discarded materials and gradually turned the barren patch of land into a fantasyland.

You will be surprised to know that people were not aware of this artistic side of Nek Chand as he used to work during the midnight hours, without anyone’s knowledge, and also managed to hide his wonderland and creations from people for more than a decade. Over time, there were more than 2000 sculptures created by him.
However, when his secret was discovered, it was not welcomed by open arms by the authorities. They threatened to demolish the place. But when the public got the opportunity to witness the wonderland, they were taken aback and came in support of Nek Chand. And the rest is history.As the public stood by him, the government was left with no other choice, but to support him and also give him a salary, so that he is able to work in this project full-time. The government also provided him with extra workforce.
The sculptures of Nek Chand have been part of several prestigious exhibitions held around the world. In fact, they have found their way into famous museums across the world.
What started as a small activity by a self-taught artistic genius, now holds a prestigious position as being one of the best heritage sites of Chandigarh.

Make sure you visit this beautiful garden during your next trip to Chandigarh, because the mysticism needs to be experienced and felt, and not just read. The garden is visited by almost 5000 people every day, make it to the count some day.