THE BEAUTIFUL DRIVE ACROSS THE JAMMU-SRINAGAR HIGHWAY.

More often people coming for darshan at Vaishnodevi shrine, makes their way to Srinagar (Kashmir Valley )by road( NH-1A).....either they opt for a package trip or go in for a bus travel.... But I  ask all those going thru' my blog ,to make a customized plan for travelling in this region & try to hire a smaller vehicle-car/SUV's to travel across.............. as the travel aswell the locations are awesomely beautiful & one might feel sad if they cann't stop ,once a while on the highway passing across the Pirpanjal.....Bus travel ,might make U tired & sleepy...instead, look out & enjoy the beauty of the nature at its best.
    Though its 300+kms journey across ,but it 'll take a whole day to travel across...moreover, as the 4 laning work is on , it might take more time to drive thru'......

The highway passing thru' Udhampur.

The beautiful KUD town.

Near Patnitop crossing.

    The journey begins from Jammu -bypass....after Nagrota...it takes onto Udhampur........... From there,its KUD town( famous for its patisa sweets) & than Patnitop crossing.....as one reaches Peerah( should try out Rajma-chawl,with deshi ghee) at local dhabas...lunch are always kept ready.....After that ,the roads takes on the high mountain passes of Pirpanjal & U can see Chenab river making deep gorges as it flows through................Next comes RAMBAN...The beauty of nature is at its best here...Its a pictureques locale & cameras cannot stop clicking ,as should be ready ahead.Soon the Jawahar-tunnel begins....&as one crosses thru' ,to the other-side, its another world altogether...Unless U see yourself, u cannot believe .....Its one of my most loved travel across India..... & the photos will speak for itself.

After crossing off from Peerah

The Chenab river ,making deep gorges as it cuts thru' the Pirpanjal.

Pictureque town of RAMBAN.

The view from top of the Pirpanjal Range ,soon after crossing the tunnel---The Kashmir Valley.

Entering the Srinagar limit...

Across Jammu City....................as a resident.

The name J&K ,itself brings a sparkle in every persons eyes.... But ,its 2 different region---The Jammu Region & The Kashmir region, with altogether different geographical ,cultural,religious features....cann't blend both the region in one string.The Jammu airport is located at Satwari ,which is about 3kms from the old Jammu city limit. Mostly people visit this place ,onroute to Vaishnodevi shrine darshan at Katra  ,which is 50kms from jammu city or on their journey to the Kashmir Valley. Most of the tourist overlook/ bypass the Jammu City ,unlike us ,who earlier visited the place/region skipping out Jammu City tour.Now ,that we are living in the city, it becomes easy for me to portray the place in a better way.

A beautiful morning on R. Tawi.

On the Vikram Chowk Flyover,Jammu City.

    Jammu ,is a hilly region spread across the middle Himalayas & Shivaliks in J&K.Set against the backdrop of the snow-capped PirPanjal range,Jammu marks the transition between the himalayas in the north & the dusty plains of Punjab in the south,bridging these 2 extremities by series of scrubs covered hills,forested mountain ranges & deep river valleys.

RAGHUNATH TEMPLE, JAMMU CITY.

BAHU FORT, JAMMU CITY.

CROSSING OVER R.TAWI, JAMMU CITY.

 The Jammu City is adorned by numerous temples & shrines& wellknown as CITY OF TEMPLES. Amongst the famous temples, are "RAGHUNATH TEMPLE", BAWEY WALLI MATA, PEER KHO CAVES,RANBIRESHWAR TEMPLE etc.etc. Besides the temples, The BAHU FORT, AMARMAHAL PALACE are worth visiting.
      The city ,though is not very big, but ,one can drive across in hours thru' its length & breadth. The main thing a person coming to this place should keep in mind ,is the weather condition .At the airport, there's 6times frisking ,before a person can board a flight out of the city. No public/private  vehicle is allowed inside the premise of the airport..So, one need to walk up to the main road to get a vehicle to the City.There's lots of good hotels besides lodges for budget traveller.But Public transport system is not that good & the auto drivers charges as per their wishes.... Main shopping areas for tourists is the Raghunath Bazar &the market near the main city bus stand.One can go in for Kashmiri work dress pieces, Dry fruits & nuts, Woollen blankets etc.etc. Should try out Kashmiri cuisine at KC Residency Hotel near Raghunath temple. 
  Note: No mobile, leather items, Cameras,are allowed inside Raghunath temple.

GREEN BELT PARK, GANDHINAGAR AREA, JAMMU CITY.

The best place to reside in Jammu City is Green Belt Park, Gandhinagar , which is the poshest area of the region & is very close to the Railway Station (Jammu-Tawi). The River Tawi divides the older city with the newly developed area-Gandhinagar & the Cantonment area. The Summers are really very very hot aswell very humid, as the temps. shoots to 45-48C, until the rains cool the region by end of 'july. The Electricity supply system ,is a worth concern as the Voltage fluctuation is tremendous....The Main market area ,is Gole Market ....where, by evening ,gets crouded by residents to enjoy various types of NonVeg Fast food...besides other shopping; I really got to enjoy the Kulfi with Faluda at the Pahalwan Ki Hatti -sweet shop at Gole Market. The Narwal Vegetable & Fruit market close to station is worth mentioning.Jammu is famous for its bakery products & should be tried ones,if in Jammu City.

MANSAR LAKE, 65Kms from JAMMU CITY.

MANSAR LAKE. from the J&K tourist resort,mansar.

      While in Jammu City , a person should add MANSAR-SURINSAR LAKE visit ,BADARWAH , PATNITOP, KUD,KISHTWAR  in their itenary. Each of the places are so-o very unique & untouch beauty.

Beautiful town of KUD.

PATNITOP.

View from Patnitop.