Jammu

Jammu is the largest city in the Jammu Division in India. It is the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, sitting at a low elevation in the mainly mountainous state; Srinagar, the state's summer capital, is at a much higher elevation.

Understand
Jammu was founded by Raja Jambulochan in the 14th century BC who named it Jambupur. The name later morphed to Jammu. It was the winter capital of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under British rule. After independence, it continued to be the state's winter capital till 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories. As of 2021, Jammu is the winter capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

By train
Jammu is well connected by train to points south and east. is an important railhead of the Northern Railway serving Jammu and Kashmir. It is the second to last major rail stop heading north, and most people only see it long enough to get from the train station to the bus stand to continue toward Srinagar. Jammu Tawi is connected to Delhi (Jammu Rajdhani), Kolkata (Himgir Exp), Mumbai (Swaraj Exp), Chennai (Andaman Exp) and even to the southernmost Thiruvananthapuram (Himsagar Exp).

By car
Jammu is on National Highway 44. Some important road distances from Jammu are:
 * Amritsar - 243 km
 * Chandigarh - 436 km
 * Delhi - 586 km
 * Katra - 48 km
 * Leh - 705 km
 * Manali - 428 km
 * Mansar - 62 km
 * Patnitop - 108 km
 * Srinagar - 305 km

By bus
Bus services of all classes operate to Jammu from Srinagar, Delhi, Amritsar, Ambala, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Shimla, Manali and Haridwar. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) and the road transport corporations of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh also operate bus services between Jammu and various cities in north India. All inter-state bus services operate to and from the Jammu General Bus Stand.

By motorcycle
Riding a motorcycle to Jammu is not advised during winter because of sub-zero temperatures. The winding roads from Udhampur to Qazigund via Kud provides challenges as well as sharp turns and scenic views.

Local transport
Tata Sumos operate between Jammu and Srinagar on a shared-ride basis. Taxis are available for local sightseeing or to visit any tourist destination. They can be hired at Jammu from the Special Tourist Taxi Association and from Maharana Travel. There is a sightseeing tour of 2-3 hours available for tourists, which covers Amar Mahal Museum, Dogra Art Gallery, Ranbireshwar Temple, Raghunath Mandir, Bahu Fort and Bagh-e-Bahu.
 * Tourist taxis

The widely used minibuses cover the city and suburbs on fixed routes. Autorickshaws are available throughout the city at negotiable rates.
 * Other transport

Get around
Buses run between the bus and train stations for ₹5 and take about 10 minutes.

See
Jammu is also known as City Of Temples. One can visit Raghunath Temple, Ranbireshwar Temple, Peer Kho Cave Temple, Bawey Wali Mata, Mahamaya Temple. Other Places of interest are Baag-e-Bahu Park, Amar Mahal Museum, Mansar Lake and the Fish Aquarium at Baag-e-Bahu.

Go to various temples and sights in and around Jammu city:



Buy
Here the main bazaars – Vir Marg, Raghunath Bazaar and Hari Market – are famous for Kashmiri handicrafts, traditional Dogra jewellery and various dry fruits, chiefly walnuts (‘akhrot’) and almonds. Jammu is also known for the superlative quality of its ‘basmati’ rice, ‘rajma’ (red beans), ‘ampapar’ (dried and candied mango peel), ‘anardana’ (dried pomegranate seeds) and ‘barfi’ (milk sweets).

Eat
There are many good eateries in Jammu. At the higher end are "the Imperial Grill" famous for its service and excellent food along with the Bar 'Legends", Falak at KC Residency, 'The Earthen Oven' in Fortune, Chinese and Indian restaurants at Hotel Asia, and Hari Niwas Palace Hotel. For medium budget and fast food KC Plaza and Premier can be tried. For the lovers of non vegetarian cuisine Paras Ram di Hatti is a must visit place.Imperial Grill is in Bahu Plaza whereas Fortune is on the way to KC Residency and KC Plaza on Residency Road, Asia Hotel is near Gandhi Nagar and Paras Ram dhaba is near Panjtirthi in old city. Hotel Ashok and Hari Niwas Palace Hotel are at the far end of Jammu near Amar Mahal museum.

Budget
There are lots of dhams or guest houses inside temple complexes or outside the railway station. They have dormitories for ₹60 to AC ₹100 per person and suites. The ones opp station are managed by Vaishno Devi Shrine Board - Vaishnavi, Saraswati and one more Dham under construction.

The ones at Shivam Temple Complex are about 200-300 range. Lots of buses run from Jammu Railway Station to Katra or General Bus Stand, and the ones around Jammu Station will admit only families with woman and children. Groups of boys and girls have good options in Katra at the same pricing.

Go next

 * (Katra Vaishno Devi) &mdash; a small town in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains famous for the Vaishno Devi Temple
 * &mdash; the lake is a religious site - several old temples are located nearby
 * &mdash; a small hill-station town in the Jammu Division
 * &mdash; a town in the Poonch District
 * &mdash; the second-largest city in the Udhampur District