ABSTRACT
The city of Jammu is located on the banks of the river Tawi in a hilly mountainscape of the Himalayas. Jammu is an ancient city which was established by Raja (King) Jambulochan (1320–1290 BC) when he saw a wild goat and a lion drinking water together in one of the waterholes in the forest. He was so impressed with the coexistence of two rival species that he decided to set up a city at this site, where people of all faiths and religions could coexist peacefully and tolerate each other’s customs and traditions. Over a period of many centuries, several kings who ruled this part of the country constructed temples on the bank of the river and inside the city. More than 100 such temples adorn the city, which has given it a unique name and identity as the “City of Temples in India”. Jammu is also famous for its Bahu Fort, built by Raja Bahulochan and the royal Mubarakh Mandi Palace of the Dogra kings. These sites are designated as heritage buildings.
Jammu is the winter capital in the Jammu and Kashmir State of India. Its present population is about one million. Inhabitants of this city are descendants of an ancient martial tribe of Dogras and their spoken language is Dogri. Dogri is one of the Pahari (hilly) languages that has influence of Persian, Pushto and Devanagri languages because Jammu is located at the cross-roads of the ancient Silk Route, trading with central and west Asia.
All the temples of Jammu have unique architectural styles, describing the traditions and culture of its historical past. These temples are part and parcel of the daily life of its citizens and preserve the cultural heritage of the city. In the past, these temples were centres of social and religious activities. As Jammu is located in the driest part of the country, it has faced shortages of drinking water and so large ponds were constructed to collect rainwater. These ponds are unique sources of traditional knowledge for rain water harvesting and water conservation and are part of the city’s heritage.
Jammu attracts between eight and ten million tourists every year. In this paper, the history of the city, its heritage and tourist value, including a description of the architecture of its temples, is discussed.
