JAMMU PROVINCE
Jammu, gate way to Kashmir, may not be rich like the valley with the bounties of
nature but it offers, nevertheless, resorts of scenic beauty, hill treks, picnic
spots, lakes and places of pilgrimage. The shrines of the
province especially Vaishno Devi - attract large numbers of pilgrims from all
over the world. In 1997, about 60,00000 pilgrims visited this shrine.
Jammu city has long been a centre of Indian pilgrimage and culture, renowned
especially for the pahari school of miniature painting which developed in this
region. The towering citadels and spires of this unique 'city of temples',
perched on a ridge can be viewed from afar. Raghunath Mandir is one of the
biggest temple complexes of northern India. Though 130 years old, the complex is
remarkable for sacred scriptures, one of the richest collection of ancient texts
and manuscripts in its library.
Worship of Shakti - is prevalent in all parts of Jammu province.
The best known of the Shakti shrines is the one called Vaishno Devi, which has
the same place in Jammu as the Amarnath cave has in Kashmir.
The Raghunath Temple
This temple is situated at the city centre. It
build in 1857. This temple consists of seven shrines, each with
tower. Its arches, surface and niches shows the Mughal influence.
The interior of the temple is plated with gold. Its principal
sanctuary is is dedicated to Vishnu's eighth incarnation and Dogras' patron
deity the Rama. There is a Sanskrit Library here which contains rare
sanskrit manuscripts.
The Vaishno Devi Temple
This cave temple is 61kms north of Jammu. It is
dedicated to Mahakali, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati, the three mother goddesses
of Hinduism. The cave is one of the region's most important pilgrim
sites. The shrine board issues Yatra slips from counters which must be
present at Banganaga check post within 6 hours. Leather items are not
permitted to the temple. From Katra you have to climb along the 13
km track to the cave temple. Tea, snacks and drinks are available on the
route. The ponies, porters and dandies are available from Katra to cave temple
in a fixed rate. The pilgrims shout of 'Jai Matadi' (Victory to the Mother
Goddess) on the way up and down to the temple.
Jammu is the railhead for Srinagar and is also connected by air and road to
Delhi and to Srinagar. The Indian Tourism development corporation has a
fifty-room hotel on top of a hill, overlooking the town and the Tawi valley,
which caters to the growing number of tourists who visit the town or make it the
base of treks or pilgrimages.
Flanked by the Tawi river flowing at its feet, Jammu is bounded towards the
north by an amphitheatre of hills culminating in the three conical peaks of the
sacred Trikati hill, harbouring the Vaishno
Devi cave shrine. Just across the Tawi river, the hillock Jammu is
crowned with the historic Bahu Fort. Situated on the river chenah, gushing down
the hills, is Akhnur, a picnic spot, 32 Km from Jammu, the nearby heart-shaped
Surinsar lake reflecting hillocks in its crystal blue water also attracts
tourists Rajouri, 160 Km from Jammu is a summer resort.
There are a number of beautiful hill resorts situated on
Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which are popular with domestic and foreign
tourists : Kud (105.6 Km),
Patni top (112 Km), Batote (124.8 Km) and Banchal (187 Km). All these
resorts have dak bungalows and other accommodation for tourists. About 20
Km from Patni top, accessible via a motorable road, is the lovely meadow of
Sanasar, where the water of the tarn in the midst of the greenery of the vast
pastures presents an enchanting vista. The spring water of Sanasar is
sweet and digestive. Batote has the potential of becoming a popular summer
resort, apart from being the central place of treks in Bhadarwah and Kishtwar.
Situated in the mountain ranges are
Bhadarwah and Kishtwar-rather remote summer resorts, about 208.4 Km
and 240 Km respectively, from Jammu, on the Batote-Bhadarwah road.
Amarnathyatra
It is celebrated in the month of Shravan (July -August) each
year and lasts for approximately 40 days. Thousands of pilgrims make an arduous
trek up to the Amarnath cave, located at a height of 3,888 m in the
Kashmir Himalayas through rocky terrains, snowy mountains under unpredictable
weather conditions. They come to worship the sacred ice 'lingam' -a phallic
symbol of Lord Shiva,
which is a natural phenomenon and considered a miracle. Read
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