subject: Jammu Kashmir [print this page] JAMMU - The Jammu region consists of six of the southern districts of the State. The upland region of Kishtwar, Rapuri, Doda, Poonch and Bhadarwah is geographically very similar to Kashmir and is famous for the walnuts, morels and saffron grown there. And the lower hilly area around Jammu is renowned for high quality 'basmati' rice as well as dried pomegranate seeds.
The second largest city in Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu city is popularly called the 'City of Temples'. Innumerable temples and shrines dot the city. their glittering 'shikhars' soaring into the sky and seen from a long way off. Most people hurry through Jammu on their way to Srinagar. But it is worth stopping here for a day or so to visit the temples and museums.
The Raghunath Temple is the largest temple complex in North India and much of its interior is covered in gold leaf. The Ranbireshwar Temple, the largest Shiva temple in the region, is famous for the central 'lingam', over 2m high, and twelve crystal lingams. The Dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah attracts a very large number of devotees of all faiths as it is believed that the shrine protects the people of the city from mishaps and evil spirits. The Amar Mahal Palace Museum has excellent Pahari paintings and the Dogra Art Gallery has fine miniatures of the Jammu and Basholi schools.
A 48 km drive from Jammu brings you to Katra. This is the start point of the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine, set in a deep cave 13 km away in the Trikuta hills. The well laid foot path leading to the shrine is brightly lit and an unending stream of devotees can be found trekking up the steep hill right through the night. Some four million pilgrims visit the shrine every year.
The region has a number of popular hill resorts. Sitting atop a beautiful plateau surrounded by giant deodar trees is Patnitop (2024 m), about 110 km north-east of Jammu on the Srinagar highway. It is ideal for a quiet retreat into the hills, as well as walks down hill slopes to sparkling streams and little temples. Just 17 km away is Sanasar, popularly known as 'Mini Gulmarg', because it too is set on rolling meadows amidst pine covered hill slopes. Kud (1738 m) and Batote (1560 m) are the other hill resorts nearby.
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