Chandigarh is a union territory and planned city in northern India and serves as the shared capital of the surrounding states, namely Punjab to the north, west and south, and Haryana to the east. Chandigarh forms the majority of the Chandigarh Capital Region of Greater Chandigarh, which also includes the neighboring satellite cities of Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab. It is located near the foothills of the Himalayas, 260 km (162 mi) north of New Delhi and 229 km (143 mi) southeast of Amritsar.
Chandigarh is one of the first planned cities in post-independence India and is internationally known for its architecture and urban design. The city's master plan was drawn up by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, based on earlier plans by Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and American planner Albert Mayer. Most of the city's government buildings and housing were designed by a team led by Le Corbusier, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry. The Capitol Complex in Chandigarh – as part of a global ensemble of Corbusier buildings – was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO at the 40th session of the World Heritage Conference in July 2016.
