Jammu and Kashmir is really three regions: the foothill plains of Jammu; the lakes and blue valleys of Kashmir rising to alpine passes, the high altitude plains and starkly beautiful mountains of Ladakh, which lies beyond those passes.

Kashmir is one of India’s most beautiful and popular regions for travellers and has been since the time of the great Moghul emperors. It’s probably most famous for the houseboats on picturesque Dal Lake. Around the capital, Srinagar, there are a number of interesting mosques, temples and forts and, of course, the delightful Moghul Gardens - laid out in formal patterns hundreds of years ago and every bit as beautiful today.

But you have to get away from Srinagar, up to the hill stations around the valley, to really enjoy Kashmir. Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg are all delightful in themselves, but they also serve as the jumping off points for Kashmir’s many Trekking possibilities. Among the most attractive part that this Indian state has is the adventure opportunities like trekking, mountaineering and Trans Himalayan Jeep Safari through Ladakh.

Ladakh is home to the minority Buddhist community in the state. They have preserved their unique culture for the past hundreds of years. Leh is the headquarters of this region. The major points of attraction are the Leh Palace, Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Sankar Gompa, Shanti Stupa, and Soma Gompa.

Strategically located, the State of Jammu and Kashmir constitutes the northern most extremity of India. Situated between 32.17 degree and 36.58 degree north latitude and 37.26 degree and 80.30 degree east longitude, the total area of the State is 2,222,236 sq. kms including 78,114 sq kms under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and 42,685 sq kms under that of China, of which Pakistan illegally handed over 5,130 sq kms to China. The State is bounded by Pakistan, Afghanistan and China from the West to the East.

The National Highway 1-A connects the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu with rest of the country. There are daily passenger trains connecting Jammu with most of the major cities of the country.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Srinagar, the state capital, is the most famous tourist destination in the state. An ancient &&&&&&&&city&&&&&&&&, there are many attractions that can attract even the most unwilling of tourists to this magical land. Dal Lake, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, and Chashme Shahi are some of the best-known tourist spot in Srinagar.

Jammu

Jammu, the second largest town in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and is situated 290-km from capital city of Srinagar on the south-eastern slopes of the Shiwalik range. In winter it becomes the headquarters of the Jammu & Kashmir administration and many Kashmiris move here for the winter because the temperature drops.

Jammu is the winter capital of the state and next in importance after Srinagar. Most of the tourists who come to the Jammu region have the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine as their destination, which is quite close by. However, the spirit of holiness permeates through the entire city, so much so that Jammu is also known as the ‘City of Temples’. If Bahu Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu, the dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah is the other shrine that is believed to protect the local people. The other major tourist attraction is the Raghunath Temple Complex, which is the largest temple in North India devoted to Lord Rama. The construction of this temple was begun by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1851 and completed by his son Ranbir Singh six years later.

The temple of Maha Kali is another favourite destination.. The temple was built shortly after the coronation of Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1822. The most stunning site in Jammu is the Sheesh Mahal. The Pink Hall of the palace now houses the Dogra Art &&&&&&&&Museum&&&&&&&&, which has miniature paintings of the various hill schools. The museum also has the handwritten Persian manuscripts of the Shahnama and Sikandernama. The palace was once the royal residence of the Dogra kings. Built as a group of buildings around a courtyard, the palace has a commanding view of river Tawi on one side and the city on the other.

The Amar Mahal Palace Museum is a beautiful palace of red sandstone, which stands amidst the most picturesque environs of Jammu. It offers a beautiful view of the Shivaliks in the north and the river Tawi in the south. This was once the residential palace of Raja Amar Singh, but now it has been converted into a museum. The museum has a golden throne made of 120 kg of pure gold.

A treat for those interested in history is the town of Akhnoor, 32 km southwest of Jammu. Standing on the banks of the mighty river Chenab, the town tells the tragic tale of the lovers Sohni and Mahiwal. Along the riverbank are the majestic ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization that are of great historical importance.

Patnitop, near the Vaishno Devi Temple, is fast becoming a busy hill station and a good place to enjoy the nature in its eternity.

Ladakh

Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 ft (2,750 m) at Kargil to 25,170 ft (7,672m) at Saser Kangri, in the Karakoram Range. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 27C in the shade, while in winter they may at times plummet to minus 20C even in Leh. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes.

Ladakh's landscape has more in common with the lunar landscape than any other place on earth. Being in a complete rainshadow region, cut off from the monsoon clouds by the Great Himalaya and a host of subsidiary ranges, it is a cold high altitude desert where the wind, water from the minimal winter snows, and chemical reactions within the rocks themselves, have carved a fantastic, sometimes grotesque, landscape.

Ladakh is a land abounding in awesome physical features, set in an enormous and spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south, it is traversed by two other parallel chains, the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range.

In geological terms, this is a young land, formed a few million years ago. Its basic contours, uplifted by tectonic movements, have been modified over the millennia by the process of erosion due to wind and water, sculpted into the form that we see today.

Today a high-altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul, in the drainage basins or lakes of Tso-moriri, Tso-kar and Pangong-tso. But the main source of water is winter snowfall.

Dras, Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flanks receive heavy snow in winter, this feeds the glaciers from which melt water, carried down by streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of water. As the crops grow, the villagers pray not for rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water.

Jeep Safari In Ladakh

Jeep safari at the high altitude lake of India is another new attraction that has recently come up in this adventure activity. The high point trip of a trip to Leh is the drive to Pangong Lake. The drive takes round about four hours to Changla Pass. At the first sight of the lake through the 'V' of the ridges of the valley all cameras, digital videos etc. came tumbling out. The azure lake beautifully set off the golden yellow of the mountainside, painted thus by the mellow rays of the evening sun, on a canvas of crisp blue sky. Considered to be the most arduous and at the same time exhilarating is the cross country jeep drive to the Pong valley.

Festivals: Jammu celebrates Lohri and Baisakhi in February. Every year a 3-day Jammu Crafts Mela is also organised during Baisakhi at the picturesque Mansar Lake, 60-km from Jammu. Bahu Mela, a major festival of Jammu region is held at the Kali temple in Bahu Fort, twice a year during March-April and September-October. In Srinagar, besides Id other important muslim festivals are Urs at Khaneka in downtown Srinagar and Urs at Chrar-e-Sharif. The annual Ladakh festival is held in September; the Hemis Festival features chaams performed by the monks in elaborate masks.

TOURIST OFFICES

Tourist Reception center - J&K Department of Tourism, Vir Marg, Jammu

Tourist Office - J&K Department Of Tourism, National Airport, Jammu

Tourist Office - J&K Department Of Tourism, Railway Station, Jammu.

The Director Tourism - J&K Government Tourist Reception Center, Srinagar.

Jammu And Kashmir Tourist Office - 201-203, Kanishka Shopping Plaza, 19 Ashoka Road, &&&&&&&&New Delhi&&&&&&&& - 110 001

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location: Northern Most Part Of India

Three Main Regions: Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh

Languages Spoken: Dogri, Kashmiri, Hindi & Ladakhi

Best Time To Visit: Jammu - October To February

Kashmir - May To October & November To February

Ladakh - Mid June To September

Kashmir is the adventure capital of India, especially, Leh and Ladakh region. With the mighty Himalayas providing the backdrop, there are many options to choose from. Some of the popular activities are listed below.

Jeep Safari in Ladakh

Motorbike Safari in Ladakh

Mountain Cycling in Ladakh

Mountaineering in Ladakh

River Rafting in Ladakh

Snow Skiing in Gulmarg

Trekking in Kashmir Valley

Ladakh Trekking

Trekking in Zanskar

Kayaking and Canoeing

HOW TO REACH

By Air: The state has three major civil airports at Srinagar, Jammu, and Ladakh connected to Delhi and other places in the country. Indian Airlines and its subsidiary Alliance Air operate in the Delhi-Chandigarh-Ladakh and Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar routes. Private airlines also operate regular flights to Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

By &&&&&&&&Rail&&&&&&&&: Jammu Tawi is the main railhead of Jammu & Kashmir. It is connected to most of the important towns and cities of the country. Moreover, the longest rail route that stretches from Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari and touches almost all the main cities and towns of the country originates from here.

By Road: One can easily reach Jammu by the National Highway 1A that goes from Punjab and runs through this city, connecting it to the rest of the state, including the capital Srinagar. The state transport corporation runs several buses to most of the big towns and cities in north India.

Ladakh is connected to Srinagar and Manali by some of the most difficult road networks in the world. The Manali-Leh road is considered as the highest motorable road in the world.