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Jammu is the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, a city on the Tawi River between the Himalayan foothills and the plains. Known as the City of Temples, it is famous for the Raghunath Temple, Bahu Fort and the palaces of the Dogra maharajas.
Local tradition says the city was founded by Raja Jambu Lochan, and the Dogra dynasty ruled from here from the 19th century until 1947. Their legacy fills the old city, from the Mubarak Mandi palace complex to the Amar Mahal Palace with its golden throne. Jammu is also the main gateway for pilgrims heading to the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Start with the Raghunath Temple and Mubarak Mandi in the old walled city, then cross the Tawi River to Bahu Fort and walk the river bend to Amar Mahal. Use extra days for Mansar Lake, the Krimchi temples, Akhnoor Fort or the climb to Vaishno Devi. October to March is the most pleasant season.
Mubarak Mandi Palace is a vast palace complex in the old walled city of Jammu, begun in 1824 and the main seat of the Dogra maharajas until 1925. Overlooking the Tawi River, it blends Rajasthani, Mughal and European baroque styles in halls such as the Darbar Hall, Pink Palace and Sheesh Mahal.
Amar Mahal Palace in Jammu is a 19th-century royal palace built for Raja Amar Singh in the style of a French chateau, on a bend of the Tawi River. Now a museum, it displays a golden throne weighing 120 kg, Pahari and Kangra miniature paintings and portraits of the Dogra royal family.
Dogra Art Museum in Jammu, once known as the Dogra Art Gallery, occupies the Pink Hall of the Mubarak Mandi complex. Its main attraction is a collection of Pahari miniature paintings from Basohli, shown alongside other treasures of Dogra art, history and culture from the old royal state.
Hari Niwas Palace in Jammu was completed shortly after 1925 for Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, and overlooks the Tawi River and the Trikuta hills. The two-storey Art Deco building has been a heritage hotel since 1990 and shares its grounds with Amar Mahal.
Raghunath Temple in Jammu is a complex of seven Hindu shrines dedicated to Rama, begun by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1835 and completed by his son Ranbir Singh in 1860. Its towers carry gold-plated spires, and the temple library holds over 6,000 manuscripts in many Indian languages.
Bahu Fort stands on a high plateau above the left bank of the Tawi River in Jammu and is linked by legend to Bahu Lochan, brother of the city's founder. Inside its walls is a temple to the goddess Kali, known locally as the Bawe Wali Mata temple, which draws large crowds of devotees.
Akhnoor Fort rises on the right bank of the Chenab River about 28 km from Jammu, built between 1762 and 1802 with high walls, bastions and corner watchtowers. In 1822 Gulab Singh was crowned here as Raja of Jammu, and the fort has been a protected national monument since 1982.
Krimchi Temples are a group of seven ancient Hindu temples 12 km from Udhampur on a day trip from Jammu, known locally as the Pandava Temples. Built in the 8th and 9th centuries in the Nagara style, they rank among the oldest surviving medieval temple groups in the western Himalaya region.
Mansar Lake lies among forested hills about 62 km from Jammu and is a favorite day trip from the city. Over a mile long, it is a Ramsar wetland and a holy site, with a shrine to the serpent Shesha on its eastern bank. Visitors walk the lakeside path or take a boat out on the water.
Patnitop is a hill station in Udhampur district, 112 km from Jammu on the national highway to Srinagar. Set at 2,024 m in the lower Himalayas, close to the Chenab River, it sees frequent snowfall in winter and has India's highest ropeway, which began carrying visitors in July 2020.
Vaishno Devi Temple sits at about 1,500 m on Trikuta mountain above Katra, around 43 km from Jammu, and is one of the most visited Hindu shrines in India. Pilgrims climb a long mountain path to the holy cave of the goddess, and the shrine board reported 9.52 million visitors in 2023.
Tawi River flows through the heart of Jammu and is often called the lifeline of the city. Revered as Suryaputri, daughter of the sun god, it rises in a glacier in Doda district and runs about 141 km to the Chenab. Its banks give fine views of Bahu Fort and the Amar Mahal Palace.
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