Parks & Gardens

Japanese Garden

Location

Still further ahead from the pilot point, at the zenith of the Mormugao ridge is the Japanese Garden. This garden houses the remnants of the Fortaleza Santa Catarina. The fort commanded immense significance during the erstwhile era, however today all it does is to offer a good view of the Zuari river. Other highlights of the garden are the Shri Durga Mata Shiv Mandir and a small beach. Walk on the soft sands of the beach and hear an interesting story related to the temple during your visit to the Japanese Garden.

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden

Location

Zakir Gulab Baag is Asia's largest Rose garden, spread out over 30 acres of land, in sector 16. Established in 1967, today around 50,000 Rose trees of 1600 different species bloom here. Apart from roses, the other trees planted have medicinal value and some unique specimen trees were planted to enhance the beauty of the garden. The garden is located next to the city centre.

Rock Garden

Location

The Rock Garden of Chandigarh has been created by putting together the fossils of ancient life forms found in the Shivalik hills and by recycled waste material. Its creator, Nek Chand, was an inspector in the engineering department. Rock fossils have been arranged into an open air sculpture exhibition. Some of the sculptures include a wall made out of discarded fluorescent tubes, an army of clay monkeys and broken chinaware soldiers and shapes of women made out of discarded glass bangles. The garden covers an area of 6 acres.

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Rose Garden

Location

30 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens contain nearly 1600 varieties of roses. The Rose Festival is held here during spring. The Rose Garden has more than a thousand species of roses and is one of the biggest rose gardens in Asia. At night, bright lights and fountains add to the beauty of this place. The Rose festival that is celebrated here has more than 20000 visitors.

Pinjore Gardens

Location

Located a short distance from Chandigarh, on the Pinjore-Kalka road is the Pinjore Yadvindra Gardens. This is a traditional Mogul style garden, created in the 17th century by Nawab Fidal Khan, architect to the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb. These gardens were developed along a slope with a central channel of water in which fountains were placed at regular intervals. On either side of the channel are spacious walkways with shady trees and a carpet of green grass. Pinjore Garden is a favorite picnic spot for the citizens of Chandigarh.

Cactus Garden

Location

The National cactus, succulent botanical gardens and research center covering an area of 7 acres is considered as Asia's largest garden of its kind with over 3500 species. Situated in the heart of Panchkula City, which is about 8 kms from Chandigarh, the park has a comprehensive collection of rare and endangered species of Indian succulents. Started in 1987, the garden has three green houses.

Vanganga Lake and Island Garden

The Vanganga Lake and Island Garden is located 5 kms away from the city of Silvassa. The place has a large lake and is filled with wooden bridges, flowers, jogging paths, and thatched huts. This is a great place for a visit in the evenings, particularly if you have young kids given the fun activities, numerous snack stalls along the shore of the lake, and the general level of activity.

The Vanganga Lake and Island Garden has been featured in many bollywood movies - especially for songs.

The Island Garden is connected to the central island with Japanese style wooden bridges. This is a good place for a leisurly walk.