Open Hand Monument

The Partition of India in 1947 into two separate nations – India and Pakistan – was a violent and bitter event. Punjab was one of the regions that was split between the two new countries. The Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier was commissioned to design the Indian Punjab’s capital, Chandigarh, a new home for the vast numbers of displaced people. Corbusier was keen on building a structure that would symbolize peace and harmony in the city. Today, his brainchild, the Open Hand monument, an icon of peace and reconciliation, stands in the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, and is also the official emblem of the city. The 26-metre-tall monument weighs around 50 tons, yet it rotates freely in the wind, looking like a flying bird. Sadly, Corbusier never lived to see his creation, as it was finally built years after his death.