Le Corbusier Museum Chandigarh

We belong to a village which is a part of the union territory of Chandigarh. The city called the “City beautiful” is unique in the sense it serves as the capital of two states namely Punjab and Haryana and in itself is an independent union territory.

I studied in the Chandigarh from government college and Panjab University. We cycled almost 12 kilometers daily from our home to the university. Our route was Madhya Marg which means the Middle road. On the both sides sectors run. As soon as you encounter a roundabout, it is the beginning of consecutive sectors into which the whole city has been divided.

Anyway we passed sector 19 on the way. It is here now the Le Corbusier Museum is located. Le Corbusier was the architect who designed the city. After partition of Punjab, Lahore, the old capital of joint Punjab fell in Pakistan Punjab. Indian Punjab has no capital. Nehru decided to give Punjab a city which shall be a modern city with straight geometrical pattern.

Site of the city is in the lap of Shivalik hills. The city is divided into sectors which are independent units with all the public amenities within. The main shopping center is in Sector 17 where the famous logo of the city the hand is erected.

We visited the museum which houses the documents like plans, correspondences and the furniture from the time of the planning of the city. There are some sketches made by Le Corbusier. Lots of pictures of Nehru and other politicians. There are also pieces of the red pottery belonging to Indus Valley Civilization period indicating that the Civilization was spread over this area also. The name of the city itself is derived from Indian Hindu Goddess called Chandi whose temple is located nearby.

There is a shop also which sells the souvenirs related to the city. The prices are a bit high.