Chandigarh Capitol Complex

Chandigarh Capitol Complex
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Palace of Assembly at the Capitol Complex
Official name Complexe du Capitole
Location Chandigarh, Chandigarh capital region, India
Part of The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
Includes Palace of Assembly, Secretariat Building, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Open Hand Monument
Criteria Cultural: (i), (ii), (vi)
Reference 1321rev-014
Inscription 2016 (40th Session)
Area 66 ha (0.25 sq mi)
Buffer zone 195 ha (0.75 sq mi)
Coordinates 30°45′33″N 76°48′17″E
Chandigarh Capitol Complex is located in India
Chandigarh Capitol Complex
Location of Chandigarh Capitol Complex in India

Chandigarh Capitol Complex, located in sector-1 of Chandigarh city in India, is a government compound designed by the architect Le Corbusier and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is spread over an area of around 100 acres and is a prime manifestation of Chandigarh's architecture. It comprises three buildings: the Palace of Assembly or Legislative Assembly, Secretariat Building and the High Court plus four monuments (Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows and the Martyrs Monument) and a lake. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 2016 along with sixteen other works by Le Corbusier for its contribution to the development of modernist architecture.

Le Corbusier constructed the Tower of Shadows in such a way that not a single ray of sun enters it from any angle. The north side of this tower remains open because the sun never shines from this direction. Le Corbusier used the same principle for other Capitol Complex buildings as well.

See also