There are a good many distinct features that have earned Chandigarh a slew of endearing epithets, like the City of Roses, the Smart City, the Heritage City, the City of Gardens et al. The dream city has remained the one-stop destination for the connoisseurs of art and architecture, besides nature enthusiasts from across the globe. Amongst those prominent landmarks dotting the city is the historic Rose Garden, Asia’s largest, that attracts tourists in great numbers.
Sedately nestled in Sector 16, the Zakir Rose Garden in chandigarh is the first of its kind botanical garden in the country exhibiting some 1,600 varieties of rose of vibrant colours having 50,000 plants, besides ornamental trees and shrubs of medicinal value, including bel, bahera, camphor, yellow gulmohar, harar, to name a few.
Named after the third President of India, Zakir Hussain, the exotic Rose Garden in Chandigarh, which was built in 1967 under the supervision of Dr MS Randhawa, an agriculture scientist and the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, is the biggest in Asia, making it a perfect abode of Nature’s charm in full bloom for tourists and Nature enthusiasts from home and abroad.
The garden is a spectacle to behold when in full bloom during the months of February and March. The colourful fountains aglow with effervescent lights here make your evenings misty and mirthful. You may also do a bit of bird watching as you are ears to the serenading sounds of the waters.
The best time to visit the Rose Garden is in the months of February and March when in full bloom during the season. It’s a double delight for the visiting enthusiasts as they also become a part of the annual feature the Rose Festival.
Rose Festival
The Rose Garden in Chandigarh is host to the annual Rose Festival held in the month of February or March each year that showcases a spectacular variety of roses like tea rose, climber rose, green rose, miniature rose, and many more are put on public display during the festival. Rose Festival 2023 is being held from Feb 17-19.
The Garden is bedecked with countless exotic varieties of roses and other eye-catching floral exhibits on the annual festival lending luminosity to the landscape.
The annual festival also features a string of competitions, including the ‘Rose prince and Rose Princess’ competition, rangoli competitions, brass and pipe band competitions, floral hat and headgear display, photography exhibition, etc.
The festival offers a fair of typical traditional foods to tickle the foodies’ taste buds, while musical bands and some top singers regale music lovers with their soulful renditions.
