The Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. An unpretentious entrance leads to a magnificent, almost, surrealist arrangement of rocks, boulders, broken chinaware, discarded fluorescent tubes, broken and cast away glass bangles, building waste, coal and clay-all juxtaposed to create a dream folk world of palaces, soldiers, monkeys, village life, women and temples. The open air sculptures and concealed gateways separating them are at places enhanced by a waterfall, pools and an open air theatre with proper stage setting. Several prestigious performances have been staged in this small but very artistic and naturalistic open air theatre. The Rock Garden has become almost a heritage site. Artists and connoisseurs from all over the world flock to see this unique and amazing creation. The Concept is daring, the appeal perennial. Visitors leave in admiration, only to return again. The creator of the rock garden, Nek Chand was a Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Capital Project. He roamed the Shivalik foothills and picked up stones resembling bird, animal, human and abstract forms. He brought them on his bicycle. The first seven years ( 1958-65) were spent collecting natural material, urban and industrial waste. Gradually his collection mounted to a staggering twenty thousand rock form of amazing beauty. These were deposited around a hut which he had built for his work and contemplation. He built the Rock Garden from this improvised hut which was located by the side of a stream.
On 24th February, 1973, the Rock Garden was accidentally discovered by Dr.S.K.Sharma who headed an Anti-malaria party a vector reconnaissance duty in the forest in the forest in which the garden is located. Soon thereafter late Dr. M.S Randhawa ( the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh) visited the place and place the matter before the Chandigarh Landscape Advisory Committee, as its chairman, at a meeting held on 23rd June, 1973 suggesting that this garden of rocks, stone and scrap was the most unusual and it should be preserved in its Present form, free form the interference of architects and town planners. The Rock Garden was thus inaugurated in 1976.
