Rock Garden Chandigarh, Stunning Creation of Nek Chand

The story of how Nek Chand created Art from Trash is more relevant today than ever before. Rock Garden of Chandigarh, an amazing creation by Nek Chand, is an ideal place to learn the lessons of how to recycle, reuse and recreate things of beauty from trash. Chandigarh’s Rock garden is a must visit if you are ever there.

How Nek Chand created Rock Garden?

Nek Chand’s family moved into Chandigarh, India from Pakistan during partition in 1947. He was 23 years old then. Nek Chand soon found work there as a roads’ inspector for the Public Works Department in 1951. During this time 1950 – 1960, Chandigarh was going through a massive architecture makeover under the expert guidance of Le Carbusier.

Nek Chand during his spare time used to collect discarded materials, stones and debris from villages demolished for making the city of Chandigarh. This was in 1958. When space within his house fell short for the collected materials he chose a gorge in a forest near Sukhna Lake. The gorge was designated as a land conservancy, a forest buffer established in 1902 where absolutely nothing could be built on. Here he began creating his works of art from trash.

Rock Garden Chandigarh

Rock Garden art with waste

Secret Work of Nek Chand

This was illegal. Luckily he was able to hide it for good 18 years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975. It was an amazing discovery of 2000 statues in 13 acres complex of interlinked courtyards by government authorities. The once barren land now filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete sculptures of dancers, musicians, birds and animals.

How Nek Chand created Art from Trash

He recycled materials collected from waste scattered in the city. Nek Chand’s process of creation was by building up the mass with a cement and sand mix. On that he added a final coat of smooth pure cement. On this made the final designs with waste materials such as broken glass bangles, crockery, mosaic chips and iron foundry slag.

Initially he was threatened with dire consequences for alleged ‘misuse’ of government land. But by 1976 he could garner enough support from public for his work.

Rock Garden art by Nek Chand

Rock Garden Punjab

Rock Garden of Chandigarh

Once approved by government the garden area expanded to Phase II. Spread over 25 acres of several thousand sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges, Nek Chand’s creations combine huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. It can easily take 3 to 4 hours to cover the entire area. Luckily the day I visited the sky was clear and I got good back ground for my pictures.

Art created out of broken bangles

These birds are made from broken ceramic cutlery. Not only birds, there are animals and human forms made of such waste materials.

Birds created by Nek Chand in Rock Garden Chandigarh

Birds created by Nek Chand in Rock Garden

Timings and Tickets

Rock Garden Chandigarh Timings – Open everyday. During summers – 9AM to 7PM. During winter – 9AM to 6 PM.

When I visited the tickets cost just 5Rs. for adults and 3Rs. for children.

Location of Rock Garden

Rock garden of Chandigarh is located 12km by road from Chandigarh airport. It is 8km from Chandigarh Railway station.

Conclusion

I visited this Rock Garden with a friend in May 2013. While I visited this garden just out of curiosity what I got to see there was beyond my wild imaginations.
Indeed Nek Chand was a great man to have created so much art. He laid the lessons of how to recreate art with waste. Nek Chand passed away on 12th June 2015.
This post was first written on April 14 2015.

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