At a glance Chandigarh, derives its name from a temple Chandi Mandir in the vicinity of the site selected for the city (deity Chandi, goddess of power), and a fort or ‘garh" beyond the temple, called Chandigarh.. About the city Events And Festivals Devoid of some of the age-old cultural traditions, Chandigarh has acquired new ones to its calendar of activities. People of Chandigarh celebrate spring festivals, tree plantation festivals, rose and chrysanthemum shows, dog shows and kite flying. Other religious festivals like Diwali and Holi too are celebrated with as much gaiety and zest in Chandigarh. Baisakhi Chandigarh celebrates Baisakhi in mid-April every year with great fervour as it marks the first day of the New Year according to the Hindu Vikrami Calendar. Baisakhi also marks the beginning of the harvesting season. Mango Festival The Mango Festival is hosted by Chandigarh every year in the month of June. Different varieties of mangoes are displayed at Chandigarh city's Mango festival. As mango is one of the favourite fruits of India, the festival is a big attraction. At the festival, mango products like juice, squash, jams, pickles and aam papad are also displayed. Teej The Rock Garden of Chandigarh becomes the centre of activity during Teej (the festival of monsoon celebrated by women) celebrated in the month of August every year. Women accessories like bangles, mehendi (a traditional Indian herbal paint for making designs on hands and arms), and other makeup utilities are displayed at the Rock garden during the festival. Maha Moorkh Sammelan On first of April, Chandigarh organizes a humorous, jocular and nonsense poem recitation competition. Aptly christened the Maha Moorkh Sammelan, people take part in this competition to be declared the biggest fool among the lot. The proud winner of the competition then enjoys a donkey ride. The Plaza Carnival Every Saturday evening, people of Chandigarh enjoy the three-hour Plaza Carnival held at the piazza in Sector 17. The carnival is free for all, and intends to promote local artists from every field. The attractions vary every Saturday and it could be anything from dance, music, and magic show to painting display, sculpture display, acrobatics, or mimicry. Festival of Gardens Rose Garden of Chandigarh,Tourist attractions in Chandigarh, Places to see in Chandigarh, Places to visit in Chandigarh, Weekend trips from Chandigarh Excursions, Events in Chandigarh, Festivals in Chandigarh The Rose Garden of Chandigarh is the venue for the three-day Festival of Gardens, which falls in the last week of February. The people of Chandigarh and tourists are encouraged to take a break and take a view at the various kinds of bloomed roses. The other attractions of the festival are classical dances, folk dances, flower shows, crafts display and other exhibitions and competitions. Chrysanthemum Show A flower show is held every year in December in the Terraces Flower Garden in Sector 33 of Chandigarh. The Chrysanthemum Show attracts a lot of visitors as well as participants to Chandigarh. Chandigarh Carnival The Chandigarh Carnival held in the month of November encourages students and children to participate in various types of talent competitions. Indo-Pak Mushaira Chandigarh hosts the annual event of the Indo-Pak Mushaira that takes place in December. The event brings poets of India and Pakistan on the same stage and is an effort to bring the people of the two countries together. How to reach By Air Pinjor-Mughal Garden,Chandigarh Travel, How to reach Chandigarh, Chandigarh Tours, Chandigarh Tourism, visit Chandigarh Airport - Chandigarh Chandigarh is connected to Delhi (daily) and Amritsar (bi-weekly) by flights of Indian Airlines. There is also a weekly flight to Leh from Chandigarh. Jet Airways has daily flights to Chandigarh from Delhi. The airport is 11 km away from the main city. By Rail Railway Station - Chandigarh The railway station is 7 km away from the city centre. It is well connected to the major cities of India like Delhi (238 km), Bikaner (575 km), and Jodhpur (827 km). By Road Chandigarh is well connected by road to almost every small or big town in northern India. Frequent buses ply from Chandigarh to Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and even Rajasthan. One has a varied choice that includes luxury buses, ordinary buses and taxis, all of which are readily available. Distances Best Seasons Chandigarh enjoys an extreme climate with hot summers and chilly winters. The monsoon season, though pleasant in the evenings, is very humid during the daytime. The best season to visit Chandigarh is autumn, i.e., from mid-August to November, when the weather is pleasant, neither too hot, nor too cold. Places in and around Sukhna Lake Sukhna Lake of Chandigarh,Tourist attractions in Chandigarh, Places to see in Chandigarh, Places to visit in Chandigarh, Weekend trips from Chandigarh Excursions, Events in Chandigarh, Festivals in Chandigarh Another favorite recreation spot of the nature-loving people of Chandigarh is the Sukhna Lake in Sector 1. Created by building an artificial dam on a seasonal stream, Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake is spread over a large area. A 2-km-long promenade along the lakeshore is a popular place to be visited in Chandigarh by the tourists and localities alike. The Rock Garden Rock Garden of Chandigarh,Tourist attractions in Chandigarh, Places to see in Chandigarh, Places to visit in Chandigarh, Weekend trips from Chandigarh Excursions, Events in Chandigarh, Festivals in Chandigarh No description of Chandigarh city can be complete without a mention of its most celebrated creations-the Rock Garden. Spread over 12 acres of wooded land near the Capitol Complex the Rock Garden of Chandigarh is the creation of a humble road inspector called Nek Chand. The urban waste material turned into creative patterns and textures, mute rocks turned into art objects attract tourists to Chandigarh. A visit to the Rock Garden is a must for all the tourists travelling to Chandigarh. Leisure Valley Another place to tourist interest in Chandigarh is its leisure valley, which, like a garland of gardens, ornaments the Chandigarh city from one end to the other. The Rose Garden of Sector 16, which with an area of 25 hectares is one of the largest in Asia. The Rose Garden is a place worth visiting in Chandigarh for being home to thousand varieties of roses. Other prominent and worth visiting parks of the Chandigarh city are the Garden of Tranquillity, Garden of Rare Plants, Garden of Annuals, the Bougainvillea Garden, Botanical Garden, and the Garden of Aromatic Plants. Museums Government Museum and Art Gallery The Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10 of Chandigarh has a fine collection of stone sculptures of the Gandhara period. The museum is the place to see the prehistoric fossils and artifacts along with modern art and miniature paintings. The Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and is closed on Mondays. Museum of Evolution of Life The Museum of Evolution of Life in Sector 10 of Chandigarh takes tourists on a trip 5,000 years back from the Indus Valley Civilization to the present day. Chandigarh city's Museum of Evolution of Life is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and is closed on Mondays. International Dolls Museum The International Dolls Museum in Sector 23 of Chandigarh has an interesting collection of dolls and puppets from all over the world covering the variant art of more than 25 countries. Chandigarh city's International Dolls museum is closed on Sundays. The beautiful city of Chandigarh is worth visiting in itself and also acts as a base for further excursions in North India. A visit to Chandigarh is not complete without a visit to the temple of Goddess Chandi, which is located in Panchkula, 10 km away from Chandigarh. In fact, the name Chandigarh is derived from this temple. Nearby is the temple of Mansa Devi. Both the temples are built in the North Indian style of architecture. Moreover, there is the Panchkula Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden, which houses over 2,500 varieties of cacti and other succulent plants from all parts of the world. Located on the banks of River Ghaggar, 15 km from Chandigarh city, the Chattbir Zoo is an ideal getaway. The zoo lies on the Chandigarh-Patiala Road. Besides these, Pinjore (now Yadavindra Gardens; 20 km), Morni Hills (45 km), Kasauli (77 km), Chail (107 km), and Shimla (110 km) are some of the interesting places to visit around Chandigarh.