Chandigarh, city, northern India, in the centrally administrated Union Territory formed in 1966. Construction of the city began in 1950 at a site near the old village of Chandigarh. It was designed by an international team of architects, including the French architect Le Corbusier. Most of the modern buildings were completed in 1956, and the city became the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana states. The change to capital of Punjab alone, originally scheduled for 1986, has been delayed while the two states seek agreement as to which Hindi-speaking districts shall be transferred to Haryana in exchange. Population (1991) 511,000.
