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Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu 

Tucked away in the foothills of the Himalayas, with the picturesque river Tawi flowing alongside stands the land that Raja Jambu Lochan discovered one day while he was hunting. Legend has it that he suddenly came upon a clearing where he saw a sight that left him speechless. A tiger and a goat stood side by side drinking water from the same place in the Tawi River. He was so struck by this unusual sight that he decided to build a city on this soil where no-living creature seemed to bear enmity towards each other.

Today, as if in testimony, the city of Jammu is popularly known as the "City of Temples". Innumerable temples and shrines with glittering "Shikaras" soar into the sky, like caretakers of the city, creating the ambience of a truly holy city.

Set like a jewelled crown on the map of India, Kashmir is a many faceteddiamond, changing character with the seasons - always extravagantly beautiful.Three Himalayan ranges, Karakoram, Zanaskar and Pir Panjal - snow capped,majestic, frame the landscape from northwest to northeast. They are the birthplace of great rivers which flow through the kashmir valley.RajTaringini the chronology of the Kashmir Kings written by Kalhana eulogises the beauty of Kashmir as follows:"Kasmira Parvati Paroksh; Tat Swami ch Maheswara". Meaning Kashmir is as beautiful as Goddess Parvati manifest; and its owner is Lord Shiva Himself" And the Mughal Emperor exclaimed "Gar Bar-ru-e-Zamin Ast ; Hamin Ast ,Hamin Ast Hamin Asto. Meaning if there is paradise on this earth : This is it, this is it, this is it. 

History

According to a legend which is even in Rajatarangini and Nilmat Purana Kashmir was once a large lake. Kashyap Rishi had drained off the water making it an abode. Emperor Ashok introduced Buddhism to kashmir in the 3^rd century BC which was later strengthened by Kanishka. Huns got the control of the valley in the early 6^th century. The valley regained freedom in 530AD but soon came under the rule of the Ujjain empire. After the decline of the Vikramaditya the valley had its own rulers. Lalitaditya ( 697- 738 AD ) was most famous Hindu ruler who extended his kingdom up to Bengal in the east, Konkan in the south & Turkistan in the north. Islam came into kashmir in the 13^th & 14^th centuries. Zain-ul-Abedin (1420 - 70 AD ) was the most famous ruler who came to kashmir when the Hindu king Sinha Dev reigned there before Tatar invasion. Later Charaks Haider Shah, son of Zain-ul-Abedin, continued to rule till 1596 AD when Akbar conquered kashmir. In 1752 AD, kashmir passed on from the feeble control of the Mughal emperor of the time to Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. The valley was ruled by the Pathans for 67 years.   

The Kashmir region starts near Banihal, 17 kilometres (11 miles) before the Jawarhar Tunnel, where the dominant language changes from Dogri to kashmiri and more of the houses and costumes are in the kashmiri style. This is certainly one of the most beautiful regions in India, & since the time of the Mughal emperors it has provided a popular escape from the summers of the North Indian plains. The image of houseboats reflected in the waters of Dal Lake against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains is a reality. The valley is a large oval plain 136 km long and up to 40 km wide, with srinagar, at 1,593 metres (5,225 feet), at the appropriate centre. Although Srinagar is the focal point of any visit to the area, the nearby villages of Gulmarg and Pahalgam have developed into major destinations in their own right. The area has become a national centre for a range of sports of which walking, trekking or climbing, golf & fishing are only a few.

Recent events have given prominence to the aspirations of a minority who seek to reunify the two halves of the old state and be independent of both India & Pakistan. With over 50 percent of the population dependent on the tourism & handicraft industries, one hopes that normalcy will soon return. 

Summer is no longer the only season to visit kashmir. The autumn colors and the saffron harvest near Pampore are a wonderful backdrop to a low - altitude trek; from mid-December to early March there is some excellent skiing; in the early summer the trout begin to bite and the snow-fed streams come to life. From June onwards the oppressive heat of the plains makes the cooler days in and around srinagar even more attractive.

Jammu & Kashmir at a Glance  :

Hotels In Kashmir

Hotel Welcomgroup (Kashmir) || Hotel Broadway (Kashmir) || Hotel Centaur (Kashmir) || Hotel Shabnam (Kashmir) || Hotel Akbar (Kashmir) || Jammu Ashok || Grand Palace Inter.

Tourist Attractions (Kashmir)