Jammu District

Jammu at a Glance

"City of Temples"

The winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir is bluffed on the Shivalik Range, overlooking the northern plains. The city was originally founded by Raja Jamboo Lochan who lived in 14th century BC. According to legend, during one of his hunting campaigns, Raja Jamboo Lochan reached the Tawi River where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place. Having satisfied their thirst, the animals went their own ways. The Raja was amazed, abandoned the idea of hunting and returned to his companions. His ministers explained that this meant that the soil of the place was so virtuous that no living creature bore enmity against another. He was so struck by this unusual sight that he decided to build a capital city on this land, 'Jambupura', on the right bank of the River Tawi, overlooking his brother king Bahu's fort. This city became known as Jambu-Nagar, which later changed into Jammu. Jammu has historically been the capital of Jammu Province and the winter capital of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir princely state (1846–1952).

The city name figures in the ancient book Mahabharata. Excavation near Akhnoor, 32 kilometres from Jammu city, provides evidence that Jammu was once part of the Harappan civilization. Remains from the Maurya, Kushan and Gupta periods have also been found in Jammu. Little is known of Jammu’s subsequent history until, 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.

Today, as if in testimony to Raja Jambu Lochan’s vision 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. The city of Jammu has come to be known as the ‘City Of Temples’. Temple of Maha Kali ( better known as Bahu or Bawey Wali Mata), located in the Bahu fort, and considered second only to Mata Vaishno Devi in terms of mystical power was built shortly after the coronation of Maharaja Gulab singh, in 1822. The existing fort, as well as the Manasabdar's palace inside it, was constructed in 1820.

City Information

Altitude: 327 Mts.

Temperature Max Min

Summer 43.0°C 23.4°C

Winter 26.2°C 4.3°C

Best Season Oct to April (Summer Vacations also attract millions of Tourists)

Clothing

Summer: Light Cottons

Winter: Heavy/Medium wollens

Food:

Tangier preparation made out of mango or tamarind popularly known as maani. Preparations of Rajmash (a special variety of red kidney beans); auria a dish of curd fermented by rye; ambal made from pumpkin, jaggery and tamarind are favourites, especially during ceremonial cooking.

How to reach Jammu city

Jammu is the winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir and is well connected by all three modes of transport i.e. air, rail and road.

By Air: The city has an airport and regular flights run between Jammu and several other cities of the country. All Airlines operate regular daily flights to Jammu connecting different cities.

By Rail: Jammu Tawi is an important rail head of the state of J & K and is connected with important towns and cities of the country by express and super fast trains. Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari is the second longest rail route of India that touches some of the important cities of the country.

By Road: One can also reach the city by road. National Highway 1A runs through Jammu district connecting rest of the state including the summer capital Srinagar. Daily bus service is available from Jammu to almost all towns of north India.

Where to Stay:-

A number of hotels are available in Jammu suiting every pocket. Jammu city lies at uneven ridges of low heights at the Shivalik hills. It is surrounded by Shivalik range to the north, east and southeast while the Trikuta Range surrounds it in the north-west. The city spreads around the Tawi river with the old city overlooking it from the north (right bank) while the new neighborhoods spread around the southern side (left bank) of river. There are five bridges on the river. The city is built on a series of ridges.

• Jammu Shrines
• Jammu Heritage
• Excursion & Nearby Places

The Jammu City abounds in a large number of shrines which testify to the deep devotional spirit of the people. An increasing stream of pilgrims from all over the country and even abroad visit these shrines every year. While Jammu is famous as the City of Temples on account of numerous temples - old and new - which dot the landscape, the City however also has a fair number of shrines of other faiths. The shrines of Jammu City make it a glowing example of secularism and inter-religious harmony.

OTHER INTERESTING PLACES TO VISIT

Cowie Hall

This is one of the oldest church and is located just in the vicinity of Tourist Reception Centre, Residency Road, Jammu. Rev. A.G Cowie, the founding pioneer of Alexander Memorial School was granted permission by Sir Partap Singh, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir in 1911.

Gurudwara Chatti Padshahi Tahli Sahib

The Gurudawara Sahib was made by Baba Bhagat Singh Ji and his wife Mata Tej Kour ji in 1947. Baba Bhagat Singh Ji was the follower of Baba Alibegh Ji. The Gurudwara is popularly known as Gurudwara Chatti Padshahi Tali Sahib Ji .This is an ancient and revered Gurudawara located at Talab Tillo.

Panch Peer (Five Holy Men)

This dargah is situated at a little distance from the Maharaja's palace on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The place is known because five peers (Holymen) lived here and dedicated themselves to meditation. It is probable that the peers came and settled here during the time of Maharaja Gulab Singh.

Baba Rah

Baba Rah is well known shrine in Jammu located at Gandhinagar area. Rah became popular because of his humanitarian activities during the time of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu( 1885-1925A.D) and came from Nur Jamol , a village now in Pakistan.

Bandrali Rani temple

The temple is located at Purani Mandi in the heart of Jammu city. It was built by Rani Bandrali Devi wife of Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1890-91. The temple houses the images of Lord Rama and Mata Sita. The entrance door has the images of Mata Ganga and Jamuna.The temple complex has small temple of Lakshmi Narayan Ji and Mata Durga.

Dau Temple

The temple was constructed during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh and is located on the slope to river Tawi from Panjtirthi on the Circular Road. The temple is dedicated to Lord Balram Ji , the elder brother of Lord Krishna & is named so as Lord Krishna used to address his elder brother as ‘ Dau’.

Raghunath Temple Dhakki Parmeshwari

This temple was built by the Dogra family to which Maharaja Gulab Singh belonged, probably in 1820. Later on Maharaja Ranbir Singh( 1857 – 1885 AD) also built temples in the vicinity of this shrine. The temple is dedicated to Raghunath ji and located on the lower end of the Dhakki Parmeshwari near the bank of Tawi, east of the city.

USP:

When one travels, he/she will get to know places and meet many different cultures. Jammu is a vibrant place of interest where tourists visit typically to quench their thirst for pilgrimage, leisure, VFR, natural and built beauty and heritage. Besides being the start point of Mata Vaishno Devi & Shri Amarnath Pilgrimage, the Jammu has peculiar things to offer which are unparalleled to contemporary tourist destinations. The uniqueness ranges from impeccable Basmati Rice & exotic Dogra cuisine to Suchetgarh International border outpost, from Gharana wetlands to Shikara, Pahari, old nagra style temples and so on. Moreover, the hosts are courteous & extremely hospital and geographic location of the town is its main USP.