Jammu- the Duggar land where the past still has a living presence. A land of grand ancient temples, and beautiful palaces. Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Mountains, the region of Jammu constitutes the southernmost unit of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It forms part of the transition between the Himalayan range in the north and the dusty plains of Punjab in the south.

Fact File :-

Area : 20.36 Sqkm
Altitude : 305 mtrs
Rainfall : 107 cms (July to September)
Languages : Dogri, Hindi, English, Urdu, Kashmiri, Punjabi
Best Season : October to April

Places To See :-

Ranbir Canal :-
A small garden along the Ranbir Canal, which runs through the city outskirts, provides a cool picnic spot during the summer. The canal branches off from the river Chenab at Akhnoor, 32 kms away. Its water remains icy-cold throughout the year and its banks serve as good viewpoints and walkways.

Bahu Fort & Gardens :-
Situated 5 kms away from the city centre, Bahu Fort stands on a rock face on the left bank of the river Tawi. Perhaps the oldest fort and edifice in the city, it was constructed originally by Raja Bahulochan over 3,000 years ago. The existing fort was more recently improved upon and extended by the Dogra rulers. Inside, there is a temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. An extensive terraced garden, known as Bagh-e-Bahu, has been developed around the fort.

Patnitop :-

Patnitops Is the most popular tourist spot of Jammu region. Located 112 kms from Jammu this famous hill resort is perched on a beautiful plateau, at an altitude of 2024 metres across which the Jammu-Srinagar Highway passes. It has lush green meadow and pine trees which resembles with Gulmarg. Patnitop offers beautiful picnic spots, peaceful walks and breathtaking views of the mountains cape of the Chenab basin. In winter, it is covered with a white carpet of snow and its slopes have been successfully experimented for skiing.

Sanasar :-
129 Kms.from Jammu and only 19 Kms. from patnitop is Sanasar (2079 m), a satellite resort of Patnitop, with a cup-shaped meadow surrounded by gigantic conifers. A place for a quiet holiday, the meadow has now been developed as a golf course. There are several walks in the surrounding hills. The resort itself is ideal for paragliding, which is being promoted by the Tourism Department.

Katra :-
Situated 50 Kms. from jammu this small town serves as the base camp for visting the famous shrine of Vaishnodevi in the Trikuta hills.

Purmandal :-
40 Kms. from Jammu, just off the National highway leading towards Pathankot is the Purmandal Temple Complex built on the banks of the sacred, mostly underground river Decak. Often referred to as 'Chhota Kashi', its main temple is dedicated to 'umapati', while the other temples are associated with Shaivites of the Kashmir Valley. Regular bus service from Jammu.

Shiv Khori :-
100 Kms. from Jammu this holy cave, nearly a kilometre long with a 4-feet high naturally formed shivaling, is considered second only to the shrine of Vaishnodeviji. A major festival is held here on Shivratri Day.

Gauri Kund :-
Short of Sudh Mahadev is the legendary spring where the Goddess parvati used to bath before commencing Her daily prayers at Sudh Mahadev. This spring came to be named after Her as 'Gauri Kund'.

Akhnoor :-
32 Kms. to the west of Jammu situated on the banks of the mighty Chenab river is the historic town of akhnoor. This town is associated with the legend of Soni-Mahiwal. Ruins of the Indus-Valley civilization are to be seen along the river bank commanding a panoramic view all around.

Salal Dam And Lake :-

95 Kms.from Jammu to the west of the Holy Shrine of Vashnodeviji is the Salal Dam and Lake. With an installed capacity of 400 mw of electricity, this is the largest Hydroelectric Project commissioned in the state so far. The lake formed behind the dam is 33 Kms. long. The Dam site can be visited with the permission of the project authorities.

Baba Dhansar :-
65 Kms. from Jammu, on way to Salal Dam, Baba Dhansar is a beautiful and cool picnic spot. Here, a huge spring gushes out of the mountainside in a thick grove of trees and froms a number of small water-falls before flowing into the holy Banganga. Next to the spring in a small grove in the rock face is a naturally formed Shivling on which droplets of water fall naturally all the year round.

A big mela is held here during Shivaratri.

Shopping :-

Shopping in Jammu shares a charmingly contradictory aspects where among the age-old dry fruit shops, you’ll find designer boutiques that display the very latest in fashion and fashion accessories. Here the main bazaars – Vir Marg, Raghunath Bazaar and Hari Market – 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).