Chandigarh, one of the seven union territories of India and the first planned city of our country is graphically located at the foothills of majestic Shivalik Mountain Ranges of the Himalayas. Furnishing as the conjoint capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is the harbinger of the modern architectural era in India. Envisaged by Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, this city was designed by the renowned French architect named Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret.

Pundit Nehru had remarketed about Chandigarh, “Let this be a new town, symbolic of the freedom of India, unfettered by the traditions of the past….. An expression of the nation’s faith in the future.”

Mumbai is the city where historical monuments and modern day architecture rub shoulders in harmony. While the contemporary architectures and mammoth skyscrapers give the feeling of a spectacular urban ethos, the cityscape is also adorned with living examples of the greatest Indo-Saracenic and Gothic architecture that are symbolic of the legacies of the bygone Colonial Raj.

Chandigarh, the spic and span, clean and green city, is rightly honored by the title, ‘The City Beautiful’. Divided into several self contained sectors, Chandigarh is often referred to as ‘Paean to the urban planning’. The word Chandigarh means ‘the fort of Chandi’. This word has been coined from an ancient shrine of Hindu Goddess Chandi which is located about15 kilometers from the center of the city.

In terms of Human Development Index, Chandigarh is regarded to be the top most ranking city in India. It is also reckoned as the 6th most prosperous city in terms of family wealth and the wealthiest town of our country. To top all these honors, Chandigarh is considered to be one of the safest Indian cities as it records the lowest crime rates in the whole country.

Chandigarh, the dream come true of India’s first Prime Minister Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, bears an engaging pre –historic background. The modest slops of Shivalik Ranges which are today occupied by Chandigarh megalopolis were originally covered by a wide lake frilled with marshland. The fossils found at these terrains that indicate the existence of varied caecilian and aquatic life stand in the support of aforementioned testimony. The evidences even suggest that the plateau was inhabited by Harappans some 8000 years ago. In the medieval and the modern times, this region belonged to Punjab Province.

The partition of 1947 resulted into Punjab Province being divided into two, east Punjab and West Punjab. Lahore, which served as the headquarters of Punjab before partition, was incorporated with new born Pakistan, while east Punjab still belonged to India. This part of Punjab was now sans capital. At the end of many speculations and discussions a decision was made that a new city must be constructed. The gentle slopes of Shivalik Mountain Ranges were picked as the location of this new endeavor. Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru showed special interest in this venture and so the work received a powerful promotion and spurring.

Original master plan of this city was designed by an American Architect - Albert Mayer along with Matthew Nowicki. Later, the charge was handed over to Le Corbusier - a prolific French architect. Le Corbusier along with his architect cousin Pierre Jeanneret worked on this mission from 1950. Chandigarh was planned proportionately dividing it into several self contained sectors.

November 1st, 1966 saw a reorganization of East Punjab into three states - Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The area where Punjabi speaking people chiefly resided was made Punjab State and Hindi speaking population was granted the State of Haryana. Chandigarh was established on the boarder of the two. Instead of merging Chandigarh in one of the states and creating a new complication about another capital, Chandigarh itself was rendered a Union Territory of India and anointed as a conjoint capital of both Punjab and Haryana states.