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Contents

 

  1. History
  2. Getting Around
  3. Tourist Traps
  4. Local Customs
  5. Shopping
  6. Communications

For good reason, Jammu is often called the ‘city of temples’. Plain or gilded spires rise from every corner of this ancient town which can bring alive all the faith one can only experience and rarely express. According to the epic Mahabharata, Jammu is regarded as one of the most sacred places of Hindu pilgrimage. It is a city whose deep-rooted history, charm and character bear testimony to the unbroken civilization of India. An expression of this is in the layers and layers that form its marrow. For one, this is the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (the government of this state shuttles between Srinagar and Jammu). Apart from its importance as the seat of government and a place of pilgrimage in its own right, Jammu has large number of people that use it as a base for the pilgrimage to the shrine of Vaishno Devi and a stopover en route to the Kashmir valley.

This apart, the city has long been the citadel of the Dogra community who have distinguished themselves in several fields – especially in the armed forces. The town has also has a sizable market and is a wholesale center for numerous commodities; this may well date back to the time when Jammu was a stopover along one of the peripheral paths of the old trade routes that led to Central Asia and beyond. The river Tawi which flows through Jammu has given it a substantial measure of its character and its importance in the area may be gauged by the fact that before the partition of India, large numbers of people from Sialkot (now in Pakistan) would take the evening train to Jammu to sleep along the cool bank and then take the early morning train back to Sialkot.

Today’s Jammu combines all its past with a unique brand of modernity. Numerous eating places and one of the highest human population to car ratios in the country all add to make it an unusual city.

History

The deepest roots of Jammu are probably over 3,000 years old, when the second urbanization began in India. The city stands on the edge of the Daman-e-Koh, the ‘skirt of hills’. The story goes back to a town known as Dhara Nagri on the left bank of the river Tawi which flows through the town. The first of the town’s many temples, the Maha Maya still stands testimony to this primordial habitation and holds what many regard as the original image of the deity. Some three kilometers away, is the ancient temple of Kali Mata (now more popularly known as the Bawey Wali Mata) built by Bahu, a powerful chieftain of the ninth century. The Kali temple was placed within the walls of the citadel and admirably fighting the wear of time, still stand among the remains of the fort also built by Bahu.

Bahu’s brother, Jamboo Lochan after whom the city of Jammu is named, was renowned for his physical strength and colossal appetite. Like his brother, he was fond of hunting and once in this region, he is said to have seen a lion and a goat drinking from the same waterhole. Taking this as a propitious sign, Jamboo Lochan decided to build a township around the spot. This mountain of a man hefted a huge boulder, carried it across the Tawi and installed it on the other side – and construction of a new township began. The spot where a small portion of the imbedded boulder can be seen is called Kali Janni; the once dark rock has been covered with sindhoor, lead oxide while a temple has been built around it.

Through the middle ages, Jammu prospered. Changes of rule at Delhi or Lahore, the primary centers of power in the region, passed over without disturbing the affluence of the town. Wealth was constantly generated by the fertile cultivable land around and unlike many other medieval towns, Jammu was never depopulated. The town was a major stopover for caravans on the old trade routes to Kashmir, Asia Minor and beyond – including being a peripheral base for the fabled Silk Route. Even today, the story is somewhat similar. Apart from the economic (and physical) growth of the town and its own rich culture and status as the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, it still acts as a starting point for tourists heading for Kashmir and pilgrims bound for Vaishno Devi.

Getting Around

The city of Jammu is fairly widespread over low rolling hills and flatlands. Connectivity is by taxis, buses and three-wheeler scooter rickshaws and ‘tempos’. Like buses, the often packed ‘tempos’ also charge by the seat. Negotiation is more the rule than the exception as far as taxis and the three-wheeler auto rickshaws are concerned.

Tourist Traps in the City

The narrow lanes are traps for traffic. More often than not, if you are heading into the inner city, after parking, walk the distance as most places then become easily accessible on foot. The meters in auto-rickshaws and taxis rarely work and a fare has to be settled before the trip. Bargaining is standard in most shops that sell handicrafts and souvenirs.

Local Custom

Jammu is a fairly conservative place. Dress and behave accordingly in public.

Shopping

Almost all of Kashmir's famous handicrafts are available in Jammu. These include fine carpets, shawls and the woolen 'namdas' and 'gudmas'. Wood-carvings, the hand-held charcoal-burning 'kangri's', silverware, crewel-worked fabrics, silks, woolen tunics ('pherans') and papier-mâché products are all available. The region produces fine walnuts, almonds and other dry-fruits. A farm specialty of the Jammu area are rice and kidney-beans (rajmah). Most shops are around the Raghunath Bazaar and the major ones are - J K Handloom Udyog Corp. (Raghunath Bazar), Bania Market (Raghunath Bazar), Sethi Bros. (Raghunath Bazar), J&K Handloom Emporium (Karan Market) and Kashmir Govt. Art Emporium (Vir Marg).

Communications

STD booths are located all over the city. Internet cafes are also available all over Jammu; BSNL broadband is the primary service provider; you can browse the internet, send mails or upload photographs; you may be asked to show some identification document like a passport or driving license. The charges, per hour, are Rs. 20. All major GSM providers are there in Jammu - Idea, Airtel, Aircel, Vodaphone and Idea among others; but only post-paid connections functions throughout the state of Jammu and Kashmir. All mobile phones with connections from outside the state cease functioning after the barrier at Lakhanpur.

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