It's Sunday, which means it's the only day most Indian workers have completely free. We decide to visit the touristy sites of the city with the aid of a cab hired for the day. Unlike most Sundays I've experienced, which are firmly tied to the philosophy of doing nothing, my first Indian Sunday is full of life. It seems that the less leisure time people are given, the more they enjoy it.
The rock garden is one of the last stops on our list, but it's the one that has been most recommended to us. I'm expecting something akin to a Zen garden, which is why I'm surprised when our hostess says that we'll need two hours to visit it properly. We pay ten rupees (a quarter) each and duck into a small entryway in a tall rock wall.
It's quite an extraordinary garden, and more than makes up for the rest of the day. A short while later, we stop at the lake, another place where locals are enjoying the day. The area is set-up as another makeshift fairground, with small rides, bull-riding machines, games, food, and shopping. Men are pressing juice out of sugarcane and fruits with an old-fashioned cog press. The crowd is thick and colorful, and it seems as though it is a day of festivity.
First, we visit one of Chandigarh's famous gardens, the Rose Garden, which is teeming with amorous couples and blooming roses, and reminds me quite a bit of a park we have at home in Columbus (Whetstone Park of the Roses). Next, to the Museum complex, where we find almost no locals. This is for good reason; approximately half of the Museum of Natural History is devoted to embroidery images of birds and other wildlife, while in the Architecture Museum we learn that Chandigarh was modeled after Los Angeles (yeah, I know) and little else. The Capitol Complex is equally deserted by the locals, and we only spend about ten minutes there.
We're both thinking that this day is turning out to be a dud, and I'm wondering why I've come to the most dull city in India (to be perfectly honest, I didn't choose to come here. The company suggested I spend some time in another part of India besides Dharamsala, which sounded good to me). It's a nice city, with beautiful homes, but it's a very new city and is not really a tourist location.
All I can say is thank god for the rock garden.
The rock garden is one of the last stops on our list, but it's the one that has been most recommended to us. I'm expecting something akin to a Zen garden, which is why I'm surprised when our hostess says that we'll need two hours to visit it properly. We pay ten rupees (a quarter) each and duck into a small entryway in a tall rock wall. It wasn't a Zen garden.
We're walking through tall rock passageways, zigging and zagging through the rock, and I'm increasingly anxious to see what's in store. It has the feel of a large stone maze, and we're following the hundreds of locals through it. Suddenly, the walls open up, and we're in a hidden city of stone, an ancient-looking area in a modern city. There are stairs leading everyway, open-air amphitheaters, bridges set over streams, tiny paths up above.
It's easy to feel child-like wonder when looking at this, when exploring this stone village. We follow the colorful saris to another path way, and a short time later we've found another open area, and another. Little statues of people, cows, monkeys, horses, and birds line the path, like little regiments guarding the garden. The design and aesthetic of the structures have an ancient feel, like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but we've learned that this garden is made largely out of garbage. The mosaics on the walls are broken dishes or electrical outlets, the dresses of the small women made of broken bangles, some of the walls made of burlap-contained cement. It's absolutely incredible.
Just as we think the path has come to an end, we come to a fork and take the path leading away from the entrance. At the end of the path is the most astonishing area, with wide open spaces and the makings of a fair-ground. There's a bouncy-hut for children, camel rides, food booths, even several-dozen aquariums. There's a playground at the far end, and arches with swings, from which women swing, their vibrant saris flowing behind them.
It's quite an extraordinary garden, and more than makes up for the rest of the day. A short while later, we stop at the lake, another place where locals are enjoying the day. The area is set-up as another makeshift fairground, with small rides, bull-riding machines, games, food, and shopping. Men are pressing juice out of sugarcane and fruits with an old-fashioned cog press. The crowd is thick and colorful, and it seems as though it is a day of festivity. Celebration simply because it is Sunday. Celebration because we're alive, because it is beautiful, because we can.
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