Jammu Tours, Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu, the land of the Duggars, is nestled in the foot-hills of the Himalayas. Jammu is also known as the city of temples, which tend to overshadow its palaces, forts and forests. There are both Hindu and Muslim shrines - if Bahu Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu, the dargah of the Muslim saint Peer Budhan Ali Shah is said to protect the Jammuites. The other major tourist attraction is the Ragunath temple complex. Maharaja Gulab Singh began the construction of the Raghunath mandir complex in 1851. It was left to his son and successor, Ranbir Singh, to inaugurate it six years later. The complex houses a rich collection of ancient texts and manuscripts.

There are two contradictory aspects to the city of Jammu - on one hand are the age-old dry fruit shops while on the other hand are the designer boutiques which display the very latest in fashion. The main market places are the Raghunath bazaar and the Hari bazaar, which are famous for Kashmiri handicrafts, traditional Dogra jewellery and various dry fruits, like walnuts.

Jammu is also known for the superlative quality of its basmati rice, rajma (red beans), aampapar (dried and candied mango peel), anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) and barfis (milk sweets).