Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu has come to be known as a 'city of temples'.
From almost anywhere in the city temple spires can be sighted, a
burnished gold, and spiraling skywards as they tower over a huddle of
flat rooftops. Jammu is also the winter capital of the state, the seat
of government when Srinagar is freezing, snow bound. Equally, Jammu is
an important centre for trade and commerce, and there is about the
city an air of brisk finality. This ties, perhaps incongruously, with
its temple city nomenclature, but then surely, in this Dogra
stronghold, even a French chateau is an oddity. Scarping the low-lying
foothills of the Himalayas, the overall impression of Jammu is one of
large stone mansions, handsome buildings, and the remains of an old
fort that stands sentinel over the Tawi gorge. While modern
plate-fronted shops line the roads today, there is also, in the older
houses, a feeling of timelessness, tranquility acquired from the
passing of an age.
Tours:
Patnitop, Mata Vaishno
Devi, Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgham.
Vaishno Devi
The holy cave shrine of Vaishno devi is situated 60 kms away from Jammu in
Katra in a beautiful acress of the Trikuta Hills forming a part of the lower Himalayan at an altitude of over 5000 feet
above sea level. In the cave there are images of three Godesses the Maha kali, Maha lakshmi and Maha saraswati. For the
pilgrims it is a journey to peace and for nature lovers it is an adventure of breathtaking scenic
surroundings. The Vaishno Devi shrine can be visited throughout the year by foot
or Helicopter, ponys are available to ride you up, but during the cold season the route is
often closed due to snowfall.
Religious Places:
Shrine of MATA VAISHNODEVI.
Leh (Ladakh)
Ladakh is a
land abounding in awesome physical features, set in an enormous and
spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the worlds 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. 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.
Sight Seeing Places:
Sightseeing of the
historic monuments and major Buddhist Gompas (monasteries) are the main
attractions of Ladakh. the capital, since the building of its nine-storey Leh
Palace in the early 17th century. A few kilometers up the Indus is Shey Palace,
the most ancient capital, with its palace and temples. Down river, Basgo, right
on the road, and Tingmosgang, a short distance up a side-valley, both served as
royal capitals when the Old Kingdom was temporarily divided into two parts in
the 15th century. Both these places have the remains of forts and temples dating
from the period of their brief glory. Just across the river from Leh lies Stok,
the village with which the deposed royal family was compensated for the loss of
the throne. Stok Palace, where the royal family now lives, houses a museum of
artifacts associated with the dynasty.
Tours:
Pangong, Nubra, Kargil, Ulketokpo, Alchi & Likir.
Srinagar
The capital city of Kashmir is
the soul and pulse of the state. Life in the city revolves around the river
Jhelum and the Dal Lake. Srinagar above the mountains, past the plains, away
from the crowd. This was the summer capital of the British in 1793. The ruler of
Kashmir let the British come but did not allow them to build and the British
took to the water. They lived in houseboats which have since then become a
legend. There is no better combination of wood, water and mountain anywhere in
the world. Visitors come to this unique city sometimes only to enjoy a holiday
of solitude on a houseboat. Wake up in the morning to the murmur of water, spend
your day floating on a Shikara over the famous Dal lake is a experience not to
be missed, tee off on the 18 hole golf course, lose yourself in the Bazaars of
Srinagar, picnic in one of the fabled gardens of Nishat, Shalimar and hundreds
more. Trek up to the Shankaracharya's temple a 1000 feet above the city. Behold
the view, from Pari Mahal, a series of arched terraces picturesquely perched on
the slope of Zabarwan Hill overlooking the Dal Lake, pay homage to the holy
shrine of Hazratbal on the northwest bank of the lake, The Shalimar Bagh built
by Jehangir for Noor Jahan is one of the most famous Mughal gardens in
India. Shah Hamdar mosque, shaped like a cube and Chasma Shahi, the smallest of
the Mughal gardens are amongst the other places of interest. Kashmir is famous
for its many handicraft including carpets, paper machine articles. leather, fur
shawls and embroidery. Excursion include Pahalgam, the ideal base for a
trek to Amarnath; and Gulmarg also known as the capital of Ski Lovers.
Tours:
Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Pahalgham, Baltal & Amarnath Yatra in the month of July &
August
Amarnath Yatra / Trek
Shiva, in
the form of a lingam, is formed naturally of an ice - stalagmite One of the holy
trinity, Shiva is a living god. The most ancient and sacred book of India, the
Rig Veda evokes his presence in its hymns. Vedic myths, ritual and even
astronomy testify to his existence from the dawn of time.
Here it is a natural formation of snow seen only during July-August every year. And it waxes and wanes with the moon. There is not just one. There are two more ice stalagmite, close to the main one. These represent Parvati, Shiva's consort, and their son, Ganesha.
Tourism in States & Cities of India
Golden Triangle
