One 100-acre complex in Chandigarh holds the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat and the High Court

State Focus Chandigarh Background Art, Culture & History Polity & Governance

One 100-acre complex in Chandigarh holds the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat and the High Court

Background

Chandigarh is described by the Ministry of Tourism as "India's first planned city. A captivating union territory". It was "Envisioned by the renowned Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier", and the city "offers a unique grid-like design" of "wide, tree-lined avenues and well-defined sectors", set against "the breathtaking backdrop of the Shivalik mountain range". Its civic centre is the Capitol Complex, which "spreads over 100 acres and comprises three significant buildings: the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court". The Ministry calls the Complex the "civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus" and the city's "pulsing civic heart", and records that it "was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site". Four artistic monuments stand within it: the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows and the Martyrs Monument. The Open Hand is an "85-foot-high" sculpture, "a colossal metallic palm that rotates gently with the winds, embodying Chandigarh's spirit of openness", and the Ministry describes it as "a powerful symbol of peace and unity".

The three buildings of the Capitol Complex: the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court Extent of the Capitol Complex: spreads over 100 acres Height of the Open Hand sculpture: 85-foot-high Artistic monuments inside the Complex: the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows, and the Martyrs Monument What the Ministry of Tourism calls the Capitol Complex: civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus How the Ministry of Tourism describes the Open Hand Monument: a powerful symbol of peace and unity How the Ministry of Tourism describes Chandigarh: India's first planned city. A captivating union territory

Why it matters for exams: Examiners test whether a candidate knows that a single planned complex at Chandigarh holds the legislature, the executive secretariat and the High Court together, and that the Open Hand that turns with the wind is one of the four artistic monuments standing inside that same complex.

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2 October 2026 Source: Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism Updated 4 October 2026

In plain words

Sector planning sector — In Chandigarh's plan a sector is one of the well-defined blocks into which the city's grid-like layout is divided, set along wide, tree-lined avenues.