Jammu the ancient city of temples
Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Mountains the region of Jammu constitutes the southern-most unit of the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
It forms part of the transition between the Hi-ayan range in the north and the dusty plains of Punjab in the south. Between these two ex-tremities lie a series of scrub-covered hills, forest-nountain ranges and river valleys, encompass-leveral microclimatic regions that extend from itawar in the north-east to Akhnoor in the south-t, and the historic town of Poonch in the north-t to the borders of Kangra (H P) in the south-. The Shivalik hills cut across the area from East to the west while the rivers Ravi, Tawi and nab cut their way through the region.
The city of Jammu, the winter capital of the state, e epicentre of all socio-economic activities in Jammu region. It is also the base for visiting various centres of tourist and pilgrimage interest in which the region abounds. The most important pil-grimage centre is the shrine of Mata Vaishnodeviji ited in the Trikuta hills at a distance of 60 km 1 Jammu. Over 4.5 million pilgrims trek to this cave shrine to pay obeisance to this most re-d of Hindu deities every year.
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Temples & Shrines
Amongst the temples in Jammu, the Raghu-nath Mandir takes pride of place being situated right in the heart of the city.
The Temple Skyline Of Jammu City
It consists of a cluster of temples and is the largest temple complex in northern India. Its inner sanctums contain gigantic statues of deities and numerous 'lingams'. It contains representatives of almost the entire Hindu pantheon, which make it a rare site to behold.
Girnar : Gujaratand other hoŽtels provide accommodation at Junagadh. An alternative is to stay at heritage hotels in Gondal Junagadh also provides a base to visit Somnath which has a number of imposing temples including the holy Shiva temple with its Jyotirlinga, the Sun temple, Ahilya temple and Krishna chattri. The Prabhas Patan museum has remnants of ancient Somnath before the Islamic invasions. Dwarka is well known for its ancient and medieval temples, and more recently has come into the limelight following marine arŽchaeological excavations.
Uttar Pradesh : Varanasi/ Banaras
Varanasi cannot be described, only experienced. Sunrise on the riverfront, as seen from a boat, can be a spiritually uplifting sight. Crowded with temples, and its labyrinth of streets, the city attracts a large number of tourists - domestic and international. Though Varanasi retains its heritage, the city is changing. New markets, commercial complexes and modern hotels make it a melting pot of both. The religious capital of Hinduism, Varanasi is the oldest living city in India, and one of the world's most ancient. It was previously known as Kashi - the city that illuminates. The
KRIMCHI:
Krimchi, site of three of the oldŽest temples of Jammu, can be reached by taking a short detour of about 20 km along a side road that branches off from the National Highway 1 -A, about 8 km short of Udhampur.
