 Situated in the green belt known as the Leisure Valley, five minutes by rickshaw north of the city centre, Chandigarh's museums form part of a cultural complex, which includes the adjoining Rose Garden and open-air theatre where free concerts are occasionally staged.
The Government Museum and Art Gallery houses a sizeable and informatively displayed collection of textiles, Harappan artefacts, miniature paintings and contemporary Indian art, including a couple of A.N. Tagore's atmospheric watercolour and five original Roerichs. The ancient sculptures are the compelling exhibits, notably the Gandhara Buddhas with their delicately carved lunghis and distinctly Hellenic features - a legacy of Alexander the Great's conquests. A hundred metres down the road, the small but appropriately modernist City Museum illustrates the planning and construction of Chandigarh, with the models and photographs in a concrete pavilion based on one of Le Corbusier's designs. Close to the Capital Complex, the Rock Garden in Chandigarh is a surreal fantasyland fashioned from fragments of shattered plates, neon strip lights, pots, pebbles, broken bangles and assorted urban-industrial junk. The open-air exhibition is the lifelong labour of retired Public Works Department road inspector Nek Chand. Opened to the public in 1976, the garden now covers 25 acres and contains several thousand sculptures. Panipat is another popular tourist destination. This name is integrally related to the history of India. After all who can forget the historic moment when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi to lay the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India? This historical site is located on the banks of River Yamuna and three battles were fought here. The first was fought in 1526 AD, the second in 1556 AD and the final one in 1761 AD. Presently the town of Panipat is famous for its handloom products. The tourists can check out the tomb of Ibrahim Lodhi. 
Another important city that is quite important to Haryana is Gurgaon. it may easily be termed as the IT city of this state. However the district derives its name from the legends of Mahabharata. It was the place where Guru Dronacharya had his ashram. Because of this ashram the place was of ten referred to as Gurugram and finally it was named Gurgaon.
Apart from this there is Faridabad district. Every year the Surajkund Mela is held here. It is the best place to witness the treasures of Haryana. Each year a separate theme is chosen to set up this fair. At Hissar Feroze Shah Tughlaq built a fort. it is a massive structure that oozes grandeur. It has a basement and a mosque. Other monuments will include Jahaz kothi, Gujri mahal and Jain pillar. |
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