Jammu is a city of Indian northern state of Jammu & Kashmir. It is the winter capital of the state while Srinagar is the summer capital of the state. The city is abundant with many temple and sometimes called as the ‘’City of Temples’’. Jammu is one of the most popular pilgrimage centers for Hindus. People of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religion populate the city. It has become the main commercial center of the state. Most of the people are ethnically Dogra. Dogri, Poonchi, Gojari are widely spoken languages along with Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.
How to get there: Rail, road and air connect the city of Jammu to other parts of the state and the country. Jammu Airport is linked by several flights to Delhi, Srinagar, Mumbai and other major cities of the state and the country. Jammu Tawi is a main railway station of Jammu and it is well connected to most other parts of the country. Many state run buses and other private vehicles like cars, luxury buses etc are available from other cities and towns of the state and the country.
Places of interest: Jammu is known for its temples, beautiful landscapes, Hindu shrines and many other places of tourist attraction in and around it. Vaishno Devi Shrine is located at Katra near Jammu. Situated on the top of Tirkuta Hill, the shrine is very sacred place. Nandini Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the dense forest nearby, is home to beautiful species of pheasants. The sanctuary is popular natural habitat for large number of pheasants. Purmandal is an ancient religious place with several temples of Lord Shiva and other deities. Located 62 km away from the city of Jammu and surrounded by forest -covered hills, Manasar Lake is beautiful place to visit. The lake is not only the tourist spot but is also known as a sacred place. Shrine of Sheshnag is situated on the bank of this lake. Manasar Lake also houses in its vicinity two ancient temples of Umapati Mahadev and temple of Durga.Bahu Fort is another place of attraction for the tourist. The fort is just 5km away from the city of Jammu. This 300 year old fort also houses inside a temple of Goddess Kali. The fort is situated on the bank of the river Tawi and surrounded by beautiful garden. It has become a good holiday spot. Many devotees also throng this place every Tuesday and Sunday. Built in 1857, Raghunath Temple is situated in the center of the city. Peer Kho Cave is another place of worship. It is also located on the bank of river Tawi.
If you visit the city of Jammu take the joy of delicious chocolate Barfi, Patisa, Sund Panjeeri and many other sweet dishes. Rajma, served with rice, is another special dish of Jammu. Other details: The people of Jammu celebrate the several festivals. The festival Chajja marks the beginning of the spring. On the occasion of the festival Chajja, a folk dance is performed by local young girls and boys. The festival is celebrated every year on 13th January.
