Chandigarh district is one of the administrative divisions of the Union Territory of Chandigarh in northern India. The district is coterminous with the Union Territory itself, meaning the boundaries of the district and the Union Territory are the same. Its principal urban area is the planned city of Chandigarh, which serves as the joint capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana while remaining administratively independent of both.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Union Territory | Chandigarh |
| Headquarters | Chandigarh |
| Type | District (coterminous with the Union Territory) |
| Official languages | English, Hindi, Punjabi |
The Union Territory of Chandigarh was constituted on 1 November 1966, when the state of Punjab was reorganised under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, leading to the creation of Haryana and the carving out of Chandigarh as a separately administered territory. The city of Chandigarh had earlier been planned in the 1950s as the new capital of Punjab after Lahore became part of Pakistan following Partition in 1947. The master plan was developed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, with contributions from Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew.
As a Union Territory, Chandigarh is administered by the Government of India through an Administrator, a role typically held by the Governor of Punjab. The district administration is headed by a Deputy Commissioner.
Chandigarh district lies at the foothills of the Shivalik range in northern India. It is bounded by the state of Punjab to the north, west and south, and by Haryana to the east and south-east. Major nearby districts include Mohali in Punjab and Panchkula in Haryana; together with Chandigarh these form a contiguous tri-city urban region.
For revenue and administrative purposes, the district is divided into sub-divisions and tehsils, with the Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh as the chief administrative officer. Civic services within the city are largely managed by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, while the Chandigarh Administration handles broader Union Territory functions.
Chandigarh district is highly urbanised, with the bulk of its population residing within the planned sectors of Chandigarh city. The economy is dominated by the services sector, including government administration, education, healthcare, information technology and trade. Educational and research institutions located in the district include Panjab University, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), and the Punjab Engineering College.
Chandigarh district is notable for hosting one of India's earliest planned cities and a UNESCO World Heritage component, "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier", which includes the Capitol Complex in Sector 1 with the Secretariat, the Legislative Assembly, the High Court and the Open Hand Monument. The district functions as a major administrative, educational and commercial hub for the wider region of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.