The Rock Garden of Chandigarh

Rock Garden is the ne plus ultra of ingenuity in all sense of interpretation of the word. Its founder Nek Chand, a government official started the garden in his spare time by collecting materials from demolition sites around the city. He started recycling all those scraps and different kinds of wastes for example - bottles, glasses, bangles, tiles, ceramic pots, sinks, electrical waste, broken pipes etc and conjured up this exquisite garden from this scrap of leftovers. It consists of man-made interlinked waterfalls and many other sculptures completely built of industrial and home waste and thrown-away items.

                 

Photographs of sculptures made of scraps, home and industrial waste or other throw-away items.

                 

Another interesting fact about the place is that the whole work was illegal, but Chand was able to hide it for 18 years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975 since it was a government-designated no-build zone, classified as a conservation area since 1902. There were chances of its demolition but he received the backing of the public sentiments and the place was inaugurated as a public space in the year 1976.

The Rock Garden is still made out of those recycled materials and is definitely a feast for the eyes. It is visited by over 5,000 people daily, with more than 12 million visitors since its inception. 

This garden manifests an exemplary form of art and certainly the place is unique of its kind. Visit to the place was an incredible experience !

©Both the text and photographs are protected works of the author Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra. They can not be published, reproduced, adapted or otherwise dealt with without the prior permission of the author.