Rose Garden – Chandigarh

Location: Sector-16                         Photo Gallery

Roses are perhaps the most beautiful and, thus, the most important of all the flowers. They have had a great place in the history of mankind and have adorned many important and beautiful ladies at almost every point of time. Today, the flower is still considered to be the queen of all the flowers almost universally.

To have a garden full of roses has always been a dream for not just emperors of yesterday, but also for the rich and the famous of today. The rose garden of Chandigarh satisfied and satisfies this dream of the inhabitants of the city of Chandigarh, and of course the numerous tourists who flock into this beautiful city.

The city is full of greenery and has a rich collection of gardens. There are also many other places of interest for a visitor that would raise the eyebrows of anyone. In this city, which has been blessed with perhaps the best of aesthetics, the rose garden has carved a name for itself thanks to the meticulous and elaborate planning and of course the magnanimity shown with number and variety of these flowers one would find there.

Located in the sector number 16, next to the cricket stadium of the city, the rose garden is spread over a lavish area of more than 30 acres. The garden is said to have an unbelievable number of over one thousand six hundred different species and varieties of rose flower plants. What is remarkable is the design of the garden, which has been done with such detail and style.

The Story Behind The Rose Garden…
The design of this garden was done by Chandigarh’s first Chief Commissioner, the late Dr. M. S. Randhawa. He had taken this up due to his great interest in the field of horticulture. He was, and still is, a well known lover of flowers and he had a special liking for the rose flower. His fondness coupled with his knowledge of the numerous varieties of these flowers helped him design this garden, which stands tribute to his genius.

Under his able guidance, the garden was commissioned in the year 1967 and to this date, is considered to be one of the main attractions of the city and even in the tourist map of the country.

The Annual Rose Festival…
At the end of the month of February or at times in the beginning of the month of March, a renowned festival by the name rose festival is held at this garden. One would see a great gathering during this time and on an average, over twenty thousand people visit the rose garden during this time.

The garden is also known as Zakir Gulab Bagh. This was after the former President of India, Dr Zakir Hussain, who was such a lover of the flower and used to adorn a rose flower on his suite very often. There is little doubt in the fact that this is the largest of all the rose gardens in the entire Asian continent. This makes it famous across the continent and a favorite spot for the rose lovers of far and wide.

Love the Flowers!
What one needs to note before coming here is the fact that the plucking of flowers is just not allowed in this garden. It is only for seeing and please note this and do not succumb to the temptations, once you are on a stroll here. Probably every reason for the husband to be careful; they say ladies surely get tempted to pluck flowers more that the gentlemen!!

The garden is also renowned for the numerous majestic trees it has. Most of these trees have medicinal value and the garden also boasts of some unique specimen trees that add beauty and value to the garden. There are plenty of lush green lawns carving out beautifully with lines of rose plants ornamenting them throughout the year. Bel, Harar, Bahera, Camphor and Yellow Gulmohar are some of the medicinal plants that one would find here. It is believed that the area houses over half of million rose trees and a great number of 1600 individual species.

Fountains and Bright Lights
The fountains of the garden also add to the scenic value of the place. These fountains are beautiful and appropriately placed. What make it even more attractive are the bright lights that add glitter to the nights of the rose garden.

It is such a pleasure to enjoy the clean and refreshing air of the garden. Ideal for an evening or morning walk, the number of visitors in the garden is only rising with the passage of time. And what is heartening is the fact that the garden is so big that it can occupy any number of visitors at any point of time! So, while venturing out with your companion, be rest assured that you are still going to enjoy the solitude and peace that is so scarce in the normal residential areas of any city today.

It wasn’t with any reason that the city’s planner conceptualized the inclusion of so many of these gardens while planning the city. A resident of the city would swear about how these would have made their life much more enjoyable and relaxing. How and when would the administration of other cities realize that good planning is not about building high rises and constructing ever winding roads alone.

What is more important is to be able to dwell nature into constructions and making it omnipresent. To know how this is to be done, take a peep into the way the rose garden and the other gardens of the city of Chandigarh have been set up. And to know how does it make a difference, do take a feedback from the citizen of the city of Chandigarh- you would be surprised, pleasantly of course!!