Introduction:
Jammu is rightly known as the city of temples. It has been
the ancient city of Faith and its backdrop presents as if
the city is nestled at the feet of the Almighty. The Hindu
goddess Bahu Mata temple has the presiding deity, the Goddess
Kali, of Jammu. It is also known as the Bawey Wali Mata and
is present inside the Bahu fort where devotees throng to worship
the Goddess. The deity is considered to be second only to
Mata Vaisno Devi in the region. Jammu, the city of temples,
is the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It
is believed that Raja Jamboo Lochan, who reigned in 14th century
BC, originally founded the city. The temples of Jammu overshadow
all of its other attraction like palaces, forts, forests,
etc. Jammu has come to be known for the numerous holy places
in and around the city. On one hand is Bahu Mata (Kali Mata),
the presiding deity of Jammu, while on the other hand is the
Dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah that is revered by the people
of Jammu. Then, there is the Ragunath temple complex, dedicated
to Lord Rama. It is considered to be one of the most outstanding
and brilliant temples in North India. The Peer Khoh (natural
cave shrine) and the Ranbireshwar temple, both dedicated to
Lord Shiva are the other examples of the splendid temples
of Jammu. However, apart from the shrines, there are a number
of other places also worth visiting in Jammu. The Bahu Fort,
Mubarak Mandi Palace, Amar Palace Museum, Dogra Art Gallery,
etc count amongst the other tourist attractions of the Jammu
city in India. Festivals add a little color and gaiety to
the life of the people in the Jammu city. A number of festivals
are celebrated in Jammu, ranging from Lohri to Ramnavmi to
Shivratri.
Mata Vaishno Devi shrine is located near the Katra district
at a height of 5200 ft. The Devi resides inside a cave on
Trikuta, a three-peaked mountain. After reaching Katra, one
has to undertake a trek of approximately 12 km to reach the
cave of Mata Vaishno Devi. After the trek is over, the yatris
(devotees) are blessed with the darshan (a view) of the goddess
inside her holy cave. The cave does not contain any statues
or photos. The cave houses three natural rock formations,
called the Pindies that represent the three goddesses. The
pindi in the middle represents Laxmi Mata, on the right is
Kali Mata and on the left is Saraswati Mata. Vaishnodevi pilgrimage
tour is considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimages in
India.
Sightseeing:
Amar Mahal Palace Museum:
Amar Palace is a magnificent red sand stone monument, surrounded
by beautiful Shivaliks and gushing Tawi River. Once the residential
palace of Raja Amar Singh, the palace has now been converted
into a museum. The museum has a hexagonal room housing a magnificent
golden throne, along with a 120 kg pure gold sofa, embedded
with golden lions. Other attractions of the museum include
a gallery displaying paintings known as Nal Damyanti along
with other Pahari paintings and family portraits of rulers
of Jammu and Kashmir. Designed like a French Chateau, Amar
Mahal Palace Museum also boasts of a library having a collection
of around 25000 books.
Dogra Art Museum:
Dogra Art Museum is situated in the Pink Hall of Mubarak Mandi
complex. Around 800 rare paintings belonging to Basoli, Jammu
and Kangra schools of paintings form the rich collection of
the museum. Another attraction of the museum is a gold plated
bow and arrow belonging to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
The museum also has on display an array of carpentry tools,
hand written manuscripts of Shahnama and Sikendernama (written
in Persian) and a Takri script inscribed stone plate.
How to reach :-
By Air
The city of Jammu has its own airport, well connected with
most of the important cities. Almost all the major airlines
like Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, etc operate flights to
Jammu on a regular basis.
By Rail
The most important railway station in the entire state of
Jammu and Kashmir is that of Jammu only and is known as Jammu
Tawi station. The station is well connected with almost all
the key cities of India.
By Road
Jammu has good network of roads connecting it with all major
cities like Delhi, Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Ludhiana,
Jalandhar, Shimla, etc. |
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