Jammu (city)

For other uses, see Jammu (disambiguation).

Jammu Tawi जम्मू جموں
—  city  —
View of Jammu and the Tawi River
Jammu Tawi Location of Jammu Tawi in Jammu and Kashmir and India
Coordinates	32°44′N 74°52′E
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District(s)	Jammu
Mayor	Kavinder Bhushan Gupta (BJP)
Population	9,51,373 (built up area including urban peripheries) (2011)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 327 metres (1,073 ft)

Jammu  pronunciation (Dogri: जम्मू, Urdu: جموں) is the largest city in the Jammu region and the winter capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a municipal corporation. It is close to Sialkot in Pakistan. Jammu is also known as the City of Temples, owing to the number of historical temples and domes of old mosques located within the city. With its fastest growing urban agglomerations and booming infrastructure the winter capital of state is the 2nd largest city in state. Its population is expected to cross 900,000 by 2011.

Geography

Jammu is located at 32.73°N 74.87°E / 32.73; 74.87. It has an average elevation of 327 m (1,073 ft). Jammu city is located between 74 degree 24' and 75 degree 18', East longitude and 32 degree 50' and 33 degree 30' North latitude.The city lies at uneven ridges of low heights at the shivalik foothills.It is surrounded by Shiwalik range to the north,east and south east while the Trikuta Range,the abode of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi surround it in the north-west. It is approximately 600 km away from the national capital, New Delhi and is linked with a National Highway, railway and airport.The city spreads around the holy Tawi river with the old city overlooking it from the north while the other large agglomerations spread around the southern side of river.The city is connected by two bridges on the river the third one is under implementation and three flyovers criss-crossing the old city.The city is not flat.One part is high and other is low and the city spreads on these uneven ridges of very low heights.The Bahu hill and the old city spread on each bank of Tawi are the highest points with the royal Dogra Palace at yet at another height overlooking it.The airport is situated at Satwari. The old city is confined to the right bank and the later expansions of the city (new Jammu) have largely taken place on the left bank of the river but a number of new colonies such as Roopnagar, Janipura, Barnai, Bantalab, Anand Vihar, Tathar etc. have come up on the right bank also. Large scale urbanisation and industrialisation has given rise to what is called now Greater Jammu, the name given to old, new and the suburbs of Jammu. .

Origin Of Name

The name Jammu is derived from its ruler who founded it.Raja Jambulochan founded this city and named it Jambupora which later changed to Jammu.Many historians and locals believe that Jammu was founded by Raja Jambu Lochan in the 14th century BC. During one of his hunting campaigns, he reached the Tawi River where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place. Having satisfied their thirst, the animals went their own ways. The Raja was amazed, abandoned the idea of hunting and returned to his companions. Recounting what he had seen, he exclaimed that this place, where a lion and a lamb could drink water side by side, was a place of peace and tranquility. The Raja commanded that a palace be built at this place and a city was founded around it. This city became known as Jambu-Nagar, which then later changed into Jammu.

Bahu Fort, Jammu

History

Jammu has historically been the capital of Jammu Province and the winter capital of the erstwhile Kashmir State.Many historians and locals believe that Jammu was founded by Raja Jambu Lochan in the 14th century BC. During one of his hunting campaigns, he reached the Tawi River where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place. Having satisfied their thirst, the animals went their own ways. The Raja was amazed, abandoned the idea of hunting and returned to his companions. Recounting what he had seen, he exclaimed that this place, where a lion and a lamb could drink water side by side, was a place of peace and tranquility. The Raja commanded that a palace be built at this place and a city was founded around it. This city became known as Jambu-Nagar, which then later changed into Jammu. Jambu Lochan was the brother of Raja Bahu Lochan who constructed a fort on the bank of river Tawi. Bahu Fort is a historical place in Jammu.

The city name figures in the ancient book Mahabharata. Excavation near Akhnoor, 20 miles (32 km) from Jammu city, provides evidence that Jammu was once part of the Harappan civilization. Remains from the Maurya, Kushan, Kushanshahs and Gupta periods have also been found in Jammu. After 480 AD the area was dominated by the Hephthalites and ruled from Kapisa and Kabul. They were succeeded by the Kushano-Hephthalite dynasty from 565 to 670 AD, then by the Shahi from 670 to the early 11th century, when the Shahi were destroyed by the Ghaznavids.

Jammu is also mentioned in accounts of the campaigns of Timur. The area witnessed changes of control following invasions by Mughals and Sikhs, before finally falling under the control of the British. The Dev Dynasty ruled it for about 984 years from 840 A.D to 1816 A.D. The city remained in scintific isolation and lagged behind other Indian cities.Then came the Dogra Rule that revived its ancient glory by building great temples,mosques,renovated old shrines,built educational institutes and many more. There was a railway line that connected Jammu with Sialkot in Punjab a distance of 27 miles. In 2000 to the consternation of many the railway station was demolished to make way for an art centre.

Climate

Jammu, like the rest of north-western India, features a humid subtropical climate, with extreme summer highs reaching 46 °C (115 °F), and temperatures in the winter months occasionally falling below freezing. June is the hottest month with average highs of 40.6 °C (105.1 °F), while January is the coldest month with average lows reaching 7 °C (45 °F). Average yearly precipitation is about 42 inches (1,100 mm) with the bulk of the rainfall in the months from June to September, although the winters can also be rather wet. In winter dense smog causes much inconvenience and temperature even drops to 2 °C (36 °F). In summer, particularly in May and June, extremely intense sunlight or hot winds can raise the mercury to 46 °C (115 °F). Following the hot season, the monsoon lashes the city with heavy downpours along with thunderstorms: rainfall may total up to 669 millimetres (26.3 in) in the wettest months. ‎

Climate data for Jammu
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	26 (79)	31 (88)	36 (97)	41 (106)	45 (113)	46 (115)	44 (111)	41 (106)	37 (99)	36 (97)	31 (88)	26 (79)	46 (115)
Average high °C (°F)	18.8 (65.8)	21.9 (71.4)	26.6 (79.9)	32.9 (91.2)	38.3 (100.9)	40.6 (105.1)	35.5 (95.9)	33.7 (92.7)	33.6 (92.5)	31.7 (89.1)	26.8 (80.2)	21.1 (70.0)	30.1 (86.2)
Average low °C (°F)	7.4 (45.3)	9.6 (49.3)	13.6 (56.5)	19.0 (66.2)	24.4 (75.9)	26.8 (80.2)	24.5 (76.1)	24.0 (75.2)	23.0 (73.4)	18.4 (65.1)	12.6 (54.7)	8.5 (47.3)	17.7 (63.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−2 (28)	−3 (27)	3 (37)	6 (43)	7 (45)	13 (55)	13 (55)	8 (46)	12 (54)	4 (39)	2 (36)	−3 (27)	−3 (27)
Rainfall mm (inches)	50.0 (1.969)	46.4 (1.827)	53.2 (2.094)	26.3 (1.035)	16.0 (0.63)	51.8 (2.039)	283.4 (11.157)	344.5 (13.563)	123.9 (4.878)	38.1 (1.5)	11.9 (0.469)	42.2 (1.661)	1,087.7 (42.823)
Source no. 1: BBC Weather
Source no. 2: IMD

Transport

Railways

Jammu city has a station called Jammu Tawi which is well connected with the major cities of India. The grand station provides services from almost all the corners of the country.Jammu was initially connected to Sialkot but after partition of India rail connectivity totally snapped.With the completion of new railway route from Pathankot via Kathua in 1985 Jammu was connected to rest of the country.The Jammu Railway Station is an origination point for express trains such as the Indore Junction BG (Indore) bound Malwa Express, Chennai bound Andaman Express, Madurai bound Himsagar Express, Ahemedabad bound Swaraj Express and so on. The Important trains originating through the station include:

• 6031/6032 - Andaman Express
• 2919/2920 - Malwa Express
• 1069/1070 - Jhelum Express
• 1449/1450 - Jabalpur - Jammutawi Express between Jabalpur Junction (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh) and Jammu tawi.

The Kashmir Railway is being constructed to connect Jammu and the national rail network to the north of the state.

Roadways

National Highway 1A which passes through Jammu connects it to the Kashmir valley.National Highway 1B connects Jammu with Poonch town.Jammu is just 80 kilometers away from Kathua town while it is 68 kilometers from Udhampur city.Katra is also 49 kilometers away.

Airways

Jammu Airport is located about 7  km from Jammu. It has direct flights to Srinagar, Delhi, Chandigarh, Leh and Mumbai.

Local Transport

The City Has mini buses for local transport which run on some defined routes.These mini buses are called Matadors.Besides this Auto-rickshaw service is also available.Local Taxis are also available.

Administration

Jammu city serves as the winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir state from November to April when all the offices move from Srinagar to Jammu. Srinagar serves as the summer capital from May to October. Jammu was a municipal committee during 2001 census of India. With effect from 5 September 2003, it has upgraded status of a municipal corporation.

Economy

Jammu city is the main cultural and economic centre of the administrative division of Jammu. The city has a number of plastics,polythene,paints,printing,polish,hardware,bakery industries.The estates of Gangayal and Bari-Brahmana are the largest in the entire state. Jammu has a number of food-grain mills.Jammu also has largest number of shopping complexes,cinemas,recreation centres in the state. At present the real-estate business is flourishing but some anomalies in the constitution of the state have made it to lag behind other cities.

Tourism

Tourism is the largest industry. It is also a focal point for the pilgrims going to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi and also to Kashmir valley as it is second last railway terminal in North India. All the routes leading to Kashmir,Poonch,Doda and Laddakh start from Jammu city.So throughout the year the city remains full of people from all the corners of India. The Old Heritage City has many contemporary structures.Places of interest include old historic palaces like Mubarak Mandi,Purani Mandi,Rani Park,Amar Mahal,Bahu Fort,Raghunath Temple,Ranbireshwar Temple,Karbala,Peer Meetha,Old city and a number of shopping places,fun parks etc.

Bahu Fort

Bahu Fort, which also serves as a religious temple, is situated about 5 km from Jammu city on a rock face on the left bank of the river Tawi. This is perhaps the oldest fort and edifice in Jammu city. Constructed originally by Raja Bahulochan over 300 years ago, the fort was improved and rebuilt by Dogra rulers. Inside the fort, there is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali, popularly known as Bave Wali Mata, the presiding deity of Jammu. Every Tuesday and Sunday pilgrims throng this temple and partake in "Tawi flowing worship". Today the fort is surrounded with a beautiful terraced garden which is a favourite picnic spot of the city folk. Bagh-E-Bahu located on the banks of Tawi river, is a Mughal-age garden. It gives a nice view of the old city and Tawi river. Bagh itself is very beautiful. There is a small cafeteria on one side of the garden. On the by-pass road behind Bahu Fort, the city forest surrounds the ancient Mahamaya Temple overlooking the river Tawi. A small garden surrounded by acres of woods provides a commanding view of the city. Opposite the Bahu Fort, overlooking the River Tawi is a temple dedicated to Mahamaya of Dogra decent, who lost her life fourteen centuries ago fighting foreign invaders. The present temple of Bawey Wali Mata was built shortly after the coronation of Maharaja Gulab Singh, in 1822. It is also known as the temple of Mahakali and the goddess is considered second only to Mata Vaishno Devi in terms of mystical power.

Raghunath Temple

Amongst the temples in Jammu, the Raghunath Temple takes pride of place being situated right in the heart of the city. This temple is situated at the city center and was built in 1857. Work on the temple was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh, founder of the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir, in 1835 AD and was completed by his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1860 AD. The inner walls of the main temple are covered with gold sheet on three sides. There are many galleries with lakhs of saligrams. The surrounding Temples are dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses connected with the epic Ramayana. This temple consists of seven shrines, each with a tower of its own. It is the largest temple complex in northern India. Though 130 years old, the complex is remarkable for sacred scriptures, one of the richest collections of ancient texts and manuscripts in its library. Its arches, surface and niches are undoubtedly influenced by Mughal architecture while the interiors of the temple are plated with gold. The main sanctuary is dedicated to Lord Vishnu's eighth incarnation and Dogras' patron deity, the Rama. It also houses a Sanskrit Library containing rare Sanskrit manuscripts.

Peer Kho Cave

Alongside the same Tawi river are the Peer Kho Cave temple, the Panchbakhtar temple and the Ranbireshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva with their own legends and specific days of worship. Peer Kho cave is located on the bank of river Tawi and it is widely believed that Ramayan character Jamvant (the bear god) meditated in this cave. The Ranbireshwar Temple has twelve Shiva lingams of crystal measuring 12" to 18" and galleries with thousands of saligrams fixed on stone slabs. Located on the Shalimar Road near the New Secretariat, and built by Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1883 AD. It has one central lingam measuring seven and a half feet height (2.3 m) and twelve Shiva lingams of crystal measuring from 15 cm to 38 cm and galleries with thousands of Shiva lingams fixed on stone slabs.

City Life

Jammu City has the highest Human Index development rating in the city having a large chunk of people being rich. There are number of lifestyle Hotels,Education centres,recreational areas in the city.One of the major attractions of Jammu, it is a revolving restaurant named Falak located on the top of the hotel KC Residency. Ragunath Bazar is the main tourist and shopping center of the city.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Jammu old city has a population of 9,51,000 which includes the urban peripheries while the old city has a population of 503,690. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Jammu has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 64.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 74%. In Jammu, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Hinduism is the largest religion of the city accounting for 84% of the population.^{[citation needed]} The principal languages spoken are Dogri,English ,Urdu,Hindi ,Kashmiri.

Education

University of Jammu

Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences & Hospital

Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, R.S.Pura

Government College of Engineering & Technology, Jammu

G.G.M. Science College, Jammu

Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu

I.C.E.S. College of Engineering & Technology

Mahant Bachittar Singh College of Engineering & Technology (MBSCET) Baliana, Jammu

Maharaja Harisingh Agri Collegiate School

Model Institute of Engineering and Technology (M.I.E.T), Kot Bhalwal, Jammu

Sainik School, Nagrota

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology - Jammu

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Katra, Kakrial

Sri Pratap Memorial Rajput College of Commerce, B.B.A, B.C.A.

Refugees and Migration

The Annual rate of intra-regional migration is estimated between 29% to 35%.^{[citation needed]} Being comparatively safe from terrorism ,Jammu has become a hub of refugees.At present there are about 9-13 lakhs refugees living in and around Jammu in different relief camps.These primarily include Kashmiri Pandit IDP who migrated from Kashmir in 1989 due to terrorism, POK refugees(mainly Hindus), refugees from Reasi, Doda and Kishtwar(both Hindus and Muslims).^{[citation needed]} The government is trying to rehabilitate these refugees. Jammu is located in the extreme corner of the country. The city is surrounded by subsistence agricultural and industrial economies and protected by stringent regulation against settlement by outsiders. Socio-economic and political compulsions have been pushing intra-regional migration to the city which is one of the main reasons for phenomenonal growth of population. In fact, in-migration to the city from hinterland is directly proportional to the impoverishment of rural economy. Subsistence agricultural practices, fragmentation of land holdings and steep rise in population have pushed more and more people out of the rural economy in search of employment in the city. The city faced unprecedented migration of about 2 lakh Kashmiri Hindus during the period 1989-94. On going militancy in the state has pushed out a large number of Muslim families from Valley to settle in the city. The migrants have purchased land either to settle permanently in Jammu or have an alternative house. Because of legal restrictions, there was check on inter-regional migration. In order to fill the gap of demand and supply of labour in the fast diversifying economy and flourishing construction activity, more than 40,000 to 50,000 workers have migrated to Jammu from Bihar, AP and MP in search of employment. Besides in-migration, floating population which constitutes pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi, Amarnath Yatra, military and para military forces and their families is also adding about 200,000 people to the population annually. Darbar Move brings about 18,000 families from Srinagar to Jammu for six months of winter.

Jammu Cuisine

Jammu is known for its Chocolate Barfi, Sund panjeeri,Patisa and its exotic local food - Rajma (with rice) is one of the specialty dishes of Jammu. Another specialty of Jammu is Kalaadi which is processed cheese. Dogri food specialties include Ambal, Khatta Meat, Kulthein di Dal, Dal Patt, Maa da Madra, Rajma, and Auriya. Pickles typical of Jammu are made of Kasrod, Girgle, Mango with Saunf, Zimikand, Tyaoo, Seyoo, and Potatoes. Auriya is a dish made with Potatoes. During weddings it is typical to make Kayoor, and Sund. Jammu cuisine features various chaats specially Gol Gappas, Kachaalo, Gulgule, Rajma Kulche, Nutri Kulche etc.