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by Carl Lindquist |
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The well-ordered streets of Chandigarh lead the visitor to the northeastern edge of the city. It is here that the Rock Garden is located. Upon entering, the visitor finds winding paths which provide a perfect complement to Le Corbusier's design for the civic grid of Chandigarh. Walls built of terra cotta pots and sherds shade cobblestone paths, leading to large open areas occupied by pavilions built of concrete and stone. The buildings in the rock garden borrow from architectural precedents in India: some can be related to Mughal traditions by the use of the chattri (a domed kiosk supported on pillars) and the bangala (a curved roof whose two sides meet at a single ridge), and the pointed arch; other structures pay homage to the simple elegance of village domestic architecture. |
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Streams and waterfalls weave around these paths and buildings. Along the entire route, neglected and thrown-away items have been transformed into fanciful creatures placed on inclined fields of sherds and rock. All are constructed of various combinations of porcelain, concrete, and stone. People, dogs, bears, birds, elephants, mythological and hybrid creatures can be found. One figure, a three-dimensional mosaic of broken plates, reclines and holds a coffee cup. Some groups are organized by profession, such as dancers and musicians, while others are eclectic ensembles of personages and animals. |
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Throughout, elements of Indian society become manifest. Groups of people exhibiting a great variety of dress, ranging from traditional Indian designs to western styles, reflect the multiplicity of ideas, attitudes and cultures within this country. |
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The group of Indian women collecting water is especially relevant in a forum which addresses the need to protect the environment and to conserve resources. The dearth of viable wells and quality water in some areas forces women in village India to devote an estimated 30 percent of their day to the collection of water. |
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The animal statues found in the Rock Garden reveal an appreciation and concern for the diverse wildlife found on the Indian subcontinent. Birds are represented, as are the trained dancing bears often seen along roadsides near heavily-trafficked tourist areas. One of my favorite examples is a group of creatures resembling the ubiquitous brown macaque monkeys. Here they are found on an inclined field of pot sherds, striking the squatting pose they often take while watching traffic along roads. |
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The Rock Garden can be fully appreciated only by visiting it, by walking through it and studying it. Replete with imagery and layers of meaning, it offers much reward to those who come here. It is not an Indian monument, but a world monument which speaks of contemporary global concerns through imagination and ingenuity. Of the hundreds of architectural monuments I visited in India, Nek Chand's Rock Garden stands out in its universality and creativity. |
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The Rock Garden |
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| This page is maintained by Evan Lindquist and hosted by Arkansas State University on the CLT server.
All images on these pages are protected by US copyright laws. No image may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Carl Lindquist or Evan Lindquist |
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