Jammu - the Duggar land where the past still has a living presence. A land of grand ancient temples, and beautiful palaces. Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Mountains, the region of Jammu constitutes the southernmost unit of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It forms part of the transition between the Himalayan range in the north and the dusty plains of Punjab in the south. Between these two extremities lie a series of scrub-covered hills, forested mountain ranges and river valleys, encompassing several microclimatic regions that extend from Kishtawar in the north-east to Akhnoor in the south-west, and the historic town of Poonch in the north-west to the borders of Kangra (H P) in the south-east. The Shivalik hills cut across the area from the east to the west while the rivers Ravi, Tawi and Chenab cut their way through the region.
Jammu is also famous for Mata Vaishno devi.The shrine is visited all through the year, but the path is difficult during the winters due to snowfall. The Yatra begins at Katra and pilgrims have to cover 13 km. of terrain on foot to reach the Darbar. One kilometer away from Katra, is a place known as Banganga, where Mata quenched her thirst and at 6 km., the holy cave at Adhkawari. After 6 km of trekking, the yatries reach Adhkawari, the holy cave where Mata meditated for nine months.
Local beliefs attribute the foundation of Jammu City to a king known by the name of Raja Jamboolchan. According to a legend, he happened to reach the Tawi River during one of his hunting expeditions when he caught sight of an unbelievable scene wherein a lion and a goat were drinking water standing side by side. He was pleasingly amazed at this truly incredible view and instantly took the decision of building a palace here and founding a city around it. The Bahu fort present even to this date not only supports the view of the locals but also prompts some historians to form a conjecture to this effect.
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