Nek Chand was a self taught artist who managed to create a wonderful garden by recycling waste.

Rock Garden of Chandigarh is one of the Most Visited Places in Chandigarh, with an average of 5000 people visiting daily it is one of a kind in the world.

The garden is located in the foothills of shivalik range near sukhna lake and chandigarh High court. Spread over an area of around 40 acres, the garden also has some man made waterfalls and open spaces. Main attractions in Rock Garden are the sculptures of various animals, birds, dancers and Musicians. These Figures are made with all kinds of waste like Glasses, Bangles, tiles, ceramic and other electrical scrap.

Garden also has a doll house, mirror illusions, auditorium and play area for kids. Dolls in doll houses are made of old clothes and cotton showcasing culture and living in Indian villages. The museum has around  200 dolls made from waste cloth. These dolls were made by Nek Chand in the 1970. The doll museum was inaugurated on the second death anniversary of Nek Chand Saini.

In 1957 a government employee started secretly building sculptures with waste and scrap in his spare time. The place where Nek Chand was building this garden was a reserved forest area and any kind of construction was illegal on this land. In 1976 the administration came to know about the place But till then Nek Chand managed to cover around 12 acres of area with his marvellous creations.

As the construction was illegal it was decided to demolish the entire creation over the protected land. but due to his efforts Nek Chand was able to get support from the public and some NGO’s and was able to save the Rock garden. Later Chandigarh administration declared the rock garden as a public place and Nek Chand was made in charge of this Garden and was provided support so that he can work full time and develop his amazing concept into a reality.

Nek Chand with the help of the government also succeeded in setting up waste collection centres to cater the need of scrap to expand the garden further. The garden is named after the founder as Nek Chand Saini’s Rock Garden. 

Rock garden is named after its creator Nek Chand saini. Nek Chand was born in shakar garh in pakistan and after partition his family moved to india and then to chandigarh. That time Chandigarh was in its early stages of development as designed by architect Le Corbusier. Nek Chand got a job in the public works department as a road Inspector. During that time he started to build sculptures with waste and scrap in a forest reserved area in spare time. His passion for creation was so high that when the administration discovered his fantasy world he managed to construct interlinked courtyards in a 12 acre area.

Nek Chand was a self taught artist who managed to create a wonderful garden by recycling waste and scraps. In 1984 Nek Chand was Honoured by Padam Shri for his amazing efforts by the government of India. Nek Chand died in 2015 at the age of 90 but his creations are still visited and admired by millions.

Rock garden timing is 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM during October to March and 9:00 AM to 7: PM during April to September. Entry fees for adults is 30 Rupees and For Children It’s 10 Rupees. Best time to visit Rock Garden is September to March as you have to walk a lot and the bit cooler weather is helpful. You will need at least 3 to 4 hours to discover the complete area. There is no restriction on photography and Garden also has few food outlets inside.

You can Take a Local CTU Bus, Auto Rickshaw or taxi to reach Rock Garden as these are easily available all over Chandigarh. Its Ok If you choose to take your car also. But if you are not from Chandigarh make sure you follow all the traffic rules. As Chandigarh police is very strict and all the city is monitored by CCTV cameras. 

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