Nek Chand's Rock Garden: a road inspector's secret work that became a 40-acre garden of waste art
Background
The Rock Garden of Chandigarh was created by Nek Chand, a former road inspector, who began it in 1957.
He gathered discarded material from the city's streets and worked on a barren forest area near Sukhna Lake, building interlinked courtyards over 12 acres.
The work stayed secret for 18 years, until the authorities learnt of it in 1975; public support saved it from demolition.
Nek Chand was then given a team of 50 artisans, and the garden opened to the public in 1976.
It spreads over 40 acres in three phases, with over 5,000 statues made from terracotta pots, tiles, mirrors, broken bangles and even broken toilet pots.
Nek Chand was born on December 15, 1924, and died on June 12, 2015.
In plain words
Nek Chand Nek Chand (1924-2015) — Road inspector turned self-taught artist who built the Rock Garden from urban waste.
Sukhna Lake Sukhna Lake — The lake in Chandigarh beside which the Rock Garden was built.