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Jammu and Kashmir is situated in the north of India surrounded
by the Himalayan Mountains. The state is the sixth biggest state
of the country. The state is divided in three major divisions
as: Jammu, Kashmir region and Ladakh. Srinagar forms the summer
capital and Jammu its winter capital.
Jammu, the ancient city of temples is the summer capital of
Jammu and Kashmir, the crown of India. Nestling in the foothills
of the Himalayas, with the river Tawi flowing alongside, Jammu
is the place that Raja Jambhu Lochan discovered one day while he
was on a hunting trip. He decided to build a city on this land
where no living creature seemed to bear enmity towards each
other. Little is known of Jammu's subsequent history until, in
1730 AD, it came under th e 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.
Today, as if in testimony to Raja Jambhu Lochan's vision, the
city of Jammu has come to be known as the 'City Of Ancient
Temples'. Innumerable temples and shrines, with glittering 'Shikhars'
soaring into the sky dot the city's skyline, creating the
ambience of a holy and peaceful city.
Jammu's close proximity to Mata Vaishno Devi's shrine makes it a
place of great religious importance. Apart from temples and
shrines, Jammu boasts of a number of other places of great
tourist interest.
Places to Visit
Jammu, the city of ancient temples is a place of immense tourist
potential. The city is a right blend of past glory and modern
landmarks. The innumerable tourist spots in and around Jammu
makes it a place worth visit.
Vaishno Devi
The cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Deviji or Trikuta Bhagwati has
been a source of faith and fulfillment to millions of its
devotees across the world. The pilgrimage to the Shrine holds
great significance for the devotees. Mata's cave shrine is
nestled in the mighty Trikuta mountain 61 kilometres north of
Jammu at a height of 5,200 feet above the sea level in the state
of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Bahu Fort: It is a renowned historical temple of Goddess
Mahakali popularly known as Bawe-Wali Mata. The fort overlooks
the river Tawi flowing placidly down the Jammu City.
Mubarak Mandi Complex: The complex has a history as old as
150 years back. It was a royal residence of Dogra rulers. The
palaces are built as a group of buildings around the courtyard.
Successive Dogra rulers added to the complex in size. The
complex has halls and galleries which were used for official
functions and public events.
Amar Mahal Museum: It's a beautiful palace of red sand stone
which stands amidst most picturesque horizons of Jammu. Once the
residential palace of Raja Amar Singh, the palace has been
converted into a museum and is looked after by Hari-Tara
Charitable trust.
Dogra Art Museum: It is presently located in the Pink Hall
of Mubarak Mandi Complex. The Museum houses about 800 rare and
exquisite paintings from different schools of paintings such as
Basholi, Jammu and Kangra.
Peer Baba: Located in the outskirts of Jammu city at a
distance of about 8 Kms towards the aerodrome at Satwari. This
shrine is very popular among all sections of society. Baba
Buddan Shah was born at Talwandi in Punjab, and it is said that
another shrine of this Peer is located at Anandpur Sahib in
Punjab.
Aap Shambhu Temple, Sathrian: Is a temple situated at
Sathrian in Roopnagar area of Jammu city. The stone temple has
self-made stone Lingam. According to a legend, in the times
immemorial this entire place was an uninhabited jungle, the
milky cows and buffaloes used to come to the Lingam after
grazing and shed entire milk on the Lingam.
Raghunath Temple: Located in the heart of Jammu city, this
complex is the most splendid temple complex in Northern India.
The complex consists of 17 temples. However, it was named after
the main temple of Lord Rama, Sita Mata and Lakshman as the
Dogra dynasty is believed to be the descendant of Lord Rama.
There is hardly any image of diety which is not represented in
the temple complex.
How to reach Jammu
By Air:
Jammu is well connected to the rest of India by air. Both Indian
Airlines and Jet Airways operate daily flights to Jammu. Other
airlines such as Air Deccan also fly to Jammu. The average
flying time from Jammu to New Delhi is about 80 minutes.
By Rail:
Jammu is directly connected to important cities like Kolkata,
Delhi and Kanyakumari. Besides, it is well connected with other
major cities of the country. In the peak season of summer and
other holidays, the Railways introduce special trains for Jammu
for the comfort of the Yatris of Mata Vaishno Devi's shrine.
Many superfast trains also ply on this route and one can reach
Jammu Over Night from New Delhi, the capital of India.
By Road:
Jammu is the terminus of a large number of Inter State Bus
Services. Jammu is well connected through road also to rest of
India. National Highway No. 1A passes through Jammu towards
Srinagar. Regular bus services from all major North Indian
cities are available for Jammu as well as Katra. Many standard
and deluxe buses of various State Road Transport Corporations as
well as private operators connect Jammu with important cities
and towns of North India so you can get buses for Katra quite
easily from Jammu if you've plans to visit Mata Vaishno Devi.
Local Transport:
Luxury coaches are operated by the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism
Development Corporation and the Jammu & Kashmir Road Transport
Corporation |
