The city of Jammu, besides being the winter capital of the state, is also known as the city of temples. It is believed that Raja Jamboo Lochan originally founded the city in the 14th century. According to the popular legend, while the Raja was hunting one day, he happened to witness a tiger and a goat drinking water side by side from one and the same pond. He was so struck by this extraordinary phenomenon that he decided to build a city at this site so that the strong and weak could live together in peace and mutual tolerance. Eventually, he founded the city, which came to be known as "Jamboo" after his own name. The name later distorted to that of Jammu as it is called now.

Places Of Interest

Ranbireshwar Temple - Located on Shalimar Road near the New Secretariat and built by Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1883 AD, this historic temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has one central 'lingam' measuring seven-and-a-half ft in height, twelve Shiva 'lingams' of crystal measuring from 15" to 38" and galleries with thousands of others carved on stone slabs.

Peer Khoh - Peer Khoh is a cave shrine located on the Circular Road, 3.5 kms from the heart of the town. There is a naturally formed Shiva lingam in the cave which is quite mysterious as neither its antiquity nor its cause are known. Legend has it that the cave leads underground to many other cave shrines and even out of the country.

Mansar Lake - Mansar Lake located 62 Kms. from Jammu is a beautiful lake fringed by forest-covered hills. Boating facilities are available in the spot. Every year around Baisakhi, a food and crafts festival is organised here by J&K Tourism.

Bahu Fort - More than 3,000 years old, this fort is perhaps the oldest structure in Jammu. It is situated on the left bank of River Tawi, 5 km away from the city centre.

Amarmahal - Amarmahal is a beautiful palace of red sand stone which stands amidst the most enchanting surroundings of Jammu. From here you will find a scenic view of the Shiwaliks at the north and the beautiful River Tawi, which flows down below.

Sheesh Mahal - The Pink Hall of the palace now houses the Dogra Art Museum, which has miniature paintings of the various hill schools. The museum also has the handwritten Persian manuscripts of the Shahnama and Sikandernama. The palace was once the royal residence of the Dogra kings. Built as a group of buildings around a courtyard, the palace has a commanding view of river Tawi on one side and the city on the other.

Best Season to Visit - September-April

Climate - Summers in Jammu are pleasant to warm with temperatures ranging from 23.4°C to 43°C while winter are chilly with temperature as low as 4.3°C. There is heavy snowfall in the winters too.

How to Reach Jammu?

By Air - The city of Jammu has its own airport, well connected with most of the important cities.
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 and Shimla.