Jammu India Travel Guide

Jammu History

A parable has it that three-thousand years back, the ancient King Jamboo Lochen founded the city when he was hunting in the area. The King and saw a lion and a goat drinking water from the same pond, and was so dazzled with the sight that he shifted his capital to the area. He built a city called Jambupura on the banks of the River Tawi. Unfortunately the city’s history has always been one of wars and bloodshed. In early 2nd century, the state was ruled by the Kanishka dynasty, but after a series of gory wars it was annexed by the Chinese. The area was reclaimed by the Mughals during their reign over the region. During the Mughal regime, Emperor Akbar and his sons made many efforts to improve the administration and beautify the state. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the brutal Afghans took on the reins of power, but were soon overpowered by the Sikhs of Punjab. In the early 19th century the Dogra rulers became emperors of the state, and it was under the rule of King Gulab Singh that the city flourished the most. After independence the king Hari Singh made the decision to join India, thus creating the state of Jammu and Kashmir. After many years of independence, insurgency started in the state, with extremists demanding for autonomy of the state which had led to a lot of bloodshed, but now the state is returning to its peaceful habits.

Jammu Things to do and Attractions

The area being a major pilgrimage city has lots of temples and holy places to be seen along with its beauty. Amar Palace Museum is a popular tourist destination. It was designed by a French architect for King Amar Singh. The edifice is the tallest structure of the region, housing a throne made of pure 120 Kg of gold. Right in the heart of the city is the Raghunath Temple. This temple has many marble carvings in exquisite style and has a legend associated with it. You can also visit the Bahu fort, which is popularly known as the Bawe wali Mata. It is also a very important pilgrim site. If you have got an itch for trekking, then you can have your fill in the splendid city of Jammu. The government has provided stores that lease out to the equipments for nominal rates, and you have permission to camp in the backwoods. Anglers can also have their fun at the rivers crossing the city.

Jammu Excursions

Lying in the foothill of Trikuta Mountains is the legendary temple of Mata Vaishno Devi which is about thirteen kilometers from Katra. You can reach the caves, walking or riding a pony or by sitting in a palanquin. The temple has a belief that whoever wishes for something mostly gets it. Pilgrims regardless of their caste, creed, and religion come from all over the world to visit this holy place and keep on chanting ‘Jai Mata Di’ on their voyage to the goddess. One-hundred kilometers from the city is also another major holy place known as ‘Shiv Khori’. It is also a cave that has a naturally formed Shiva Ling. All the ski lovers can gear up for the beautiful ski slopes in Patnitop. This hill resort has a lot to offer for winter sports and a whole lot of leisure activities. Seventeen kilometers from Patnitop is another exotic location known as Sanasar. This is another place for entertainment, where people can relax playing golf and skiing, and adrenalin junkies can take their dose of paragliding.

Jammu Shopping

The city doesn’t have many malls, but is has many local bazaars, where you ought to do a lot of bargaining. You can get the best quality Kashmiri shawls or Pashima shawls in Hari Bazaar and designer apparels in Raghunath bazaar. Moreover you will get the best quality saffron at a very nominal price. You can also buy Kashmiri woodworks as souvenirs being cheap and of good quality. If you have a taste for handicrafts, you can head straight for J&K Arts Emporium.

Jammu Restaurants

Since tourist and pilgrims from all over the world flock this place, it has got its share of international restaurants along with the Indian ones. The delicacy of the place is mainly the red kidney beans along with their long basmati rice. The Kashmir cuisine however has also a lot of non-vegetarian dishes, like its most famous specialty, Rogan Ghosh.

Jammu Nightlife

The city is too simple and holy to have nightlife. But however it still has some lounge bars in good and rated hotels. The booze however is at nominal rates.

Jammu Getting There and Around

The city has a domestic airport which has a route via the country’s capital, and also it has a good rail and road route.

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