Jammu

Information about Jammu
Jammu is the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Mountains, the region of Jammu constitutes the southernmost unit of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated on the banks of the Tawi river. Jammu was the homeland of the Dogras who ruled over the entire state till 1947. Jammu is the second largest city in the state. Jammu covers an area of 20.36 square kms and situated at an altitude of 305 metres. This state holds the glorious history of the valiant kings, calmness of the lakes, greenery of the forests and amazing rivers. The city of Jammu, is the epicenter of all socio-economic activities in the Jammu region. Although Jammu is considered as a stopover point for moving to higher regions of the Himalayas, there are some interesting places to visit in Jammu. It is also the base for visiting various tourist and pilgrimage places in which the region abounds. Jammu is often known as the City of Temples due to the temples of Vaishno Devi, Raghunath Temple and Rambireshwar Temple. The most important pilgrimage centre is the shrine of Mata Vaishnodeviji situated in the Trikuta hills at a distance of 60 kms from Jammu. Over 4.5 million pilgrims trek to this holy cave shrine to pay obeisance to this most revered of Hindu deities every year. Dogri, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and English are the main languages which are spoken by the people in Jammu. The best season to visit Jammu is between September and April.

History of Jammu
According to legend, the city of Jammu was founded by the 9th century king Jambu-lochan, after whom the city is named. According to the legend, one day when he came upon a clearing during the hunting trip, he saw a sight that left him wonderstruck. A tiger and a goat stood side-by-side, drinking water from the same place in the Tawi River. He was so struck by this unusual sight that he decided to build a city on this land where no living creature seemed to bear enmity towards each other. This king is believed to have built the Bahu Fort overlooking the Tawi river. Under the Akbar's policy of conciliation and religious toleration, the Dogras became royal feudatories of the Mughal emperors. In 1730 AD, it came under the rule of the Dogra king, Raja Dhruv Deva. The Dogra rulers moved their capital to the present site and Jammu became an important centre of art and culture, especially the Pahari school of paintings. Until the late 18th century, the fortunes of Jammu were closely associated with the events in the Punjab. During the rule of the Ranjit Singh, the Dogras of Jammu were allowed a large degree of independence. Their ruler was the Gulab Singh. At the close of the Sikh War in 1846 and due to the treaty with the British he became the ruler of the combined states of Jammu and Kashmir. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a revival of arts, particularly in the field of paintings, under the Dogra rulers. Gulab Singh also wished to establish Jammu as a religious centre that compared favourably with the Varanasi. He commissioned the Rambireshwar temple, the largest Siva temple in north India. At partition, Hari Singh, the Maharaja of Kashmir, decided to side with India and as a result the state of Jammu and Kashmir was created.

everywhere, bespeak the community' s long-drawn preoccupation with battles and ruling of distant lands. Yet the region’s history is not completely bereft of traditions of art and culture. Thus, while the troops fought battles in distant areas, the royalty and the nobility nurtured art and culture. The Pahari miniature paintings that have become famous throughout India, are the finest examples of their artistic achievements. The second largest ethnic group of the region is formed by the Gujjars, a semi-nomadic people living along the hill slopes of Doda and Rajouri districts while in Poonch they also dominate the main valleys. Some of them have settled down to agriculture, but the majority are primarily herdsmen. They cultivate maize along the slopes of the mountains, but only as a secondary occupation. The Bhalessa tract enveloping the adjoining hills of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, is inhabited by the Gaddis, another semi-nomadic community, who graze immense flocks of goats and sheep along the Himalayan slopes. As summer draws on, the Gaddis move up the mountain pastures with their flocks, and return to the lower area with the first snowfall. Gaddis are generally associated with emotive music played on the flute. The most interesting ethnic community, however, is that of the Bakkarwals, a wholly nomadic pastoral people who move all along the Himalayan slopes from the south to the north, always in search of pastures for their huge flocks of goat and sheep. Every summer, they move en-block across the various mountain ranges as far as the Suru Valley in the Ladakh region. They are an ancient people, the majority following the lifestyle that their ancestors have been leading throughout the ages. The Bakkarwals tend to sacrifice all personal comforts for the welfare of their goats and sheep, their economic mainstay.

Geography of Jammu
The Jammu region forms part of the transition between the Himalayan range in the north and the dusty plains of Punjab in the south. Between these two extremities lies a series of scrub-covered hills, forested mountain ranges and river valleys, encompassing several microclimatic regions that extend from Kishtawar in the north-east to Akhnoor in the south-west, and the historic town of Poonch in the north-west to the borders of Kangra in the south-east. The Shivalik hills cut across the area from the east to the west while the rivers Ravi, Tawi and Chenab cut their way through the region. Physically, the region of Jammu is not homogenous. It is broadly divided into three zones determined by the terrain condition and the geo-climatic environment. The southern-most of these is the Outer Plains zone comprising of plains in Jammu and Kathua districts which merge into the plains of Punjab. Toward its north and north-east rises the Outer Hills zone attaining height of 2000 to 4000 feet above mean sea level. Basohli, Reasi and better parts of Rajouri district fall in this zone. The landscape here shows open scrubs that gradually thicken from low scrub to taller trees of acacias, rhododendrons, cacti, etc. Above this zone, the terrain becomes acute, the vegetal cover rich and the climatic conditions salubrious. This is the region of the Middle Himalayas comprising of several upland valleys of great natural beauty such as Kishtawar, Bhaderwah, Poonch and higher parts of Rajouri district. The average altitude of this zone ranges from 8000 to 10,000 ft. The mountains here are covered with thick forests of oak and chestnut, and higher up with deodar and pine. The majestic Chenab drains this beautiful landscape, carving spectacular gorges in its long and serpentine course. Beyond and above the middle Himalayas lies the Pir Panjal Range which separates Jammu province from the Kashmir Valley. In the extreme north-east rises the Great Himalayan Range itself, which forms a natural barrier between the Kishtawar region of Jammu and the Suru-Zanskar area of the Ladakh region. In its south-east to north-west sweeping arc, the Great Himalayan Wall soars to a maximum height of 7,135 m in the Nun-Kun massif, while dipping to 3,505 m at Zoji-la. Between these two extremities, this mighty range rises into dozens of perpetually snow-capped peaks and depresses into several passes connecting the two contrasting environments on its north and south.

Shopping in Jammu
The bazaars in Jammu are famous for Kashmiri handicrafts, traditional Dogra jewellery and various dry fruits, chiefly walnuts (‘akhrot’) and almonds. Jammu is also known for the superlative quality of its ‘basmati’ rice, ‘rajma’ (red beans), ‘ampapar’ (dried and candied mango peel), ‘anardana’ (dried pomegranate seeds) and ‘barfi’ (milk sweets). For purchasing authentic Kashmiri handicrafts, one can visit the Government Emporium. The emporium displays and sells a wide variety of handicrafts, including Pashmina shawls and exquisite hand-knotted carpets of silk and wool.

Tourist Attractions in Jammu
The city of Jammu comprises of two distinct parts which are the Old Town that overlooks the Tawi river and the New Town. Some of the famous tourist attractions in Jammu are the Raghunath Temple, Bahu Fort, Art Gallery and Amar Mahal Museum. The most outstanding landmark and famous tourist attraction in Jammu is the Raghunath Temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Ram and is an impressive structure put up by a devout king. The Amar Mahal Museum is more like a French chateau with its sloping roofs and turrets. This museum has a very large collection of royal miniature paintings, manuscripts and the finest library of antique books. The Bahu Fort is situated near the Amar Mahal museum. On the opposite bank of the Tawi river, on an upland plateau, is situated the majestic Bahu Fort, the oldest fort in the region. More....

How to reach Jammu
By Air:
The Indian Airlines and Jet Airways daily operates flight between Delhi, Jammu, Srinagar and Leh. The nearest international airport is located at Jammu, about 8 kms away from the city.

By Rail:
The nearest railway station is located at Jammu Tawi. Jammu Tawi is an important railhead of the Northern India. Jammu is well-connected with Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata.

By Road:
Jammu is located on the national highway 1A (Jalandhar - Srinagar - Uri) and is connected by the highway network to all parts of the country. Jammu is connected to various destinations in Jammu and Kashmir by all weather roads to Katra, Pathankot, Kishtwar and to Ladakh via Srinagar from May to October.