Absolute Picks

Amar Mahal Palace                                                     -Narinder Anthal The Amar Mahal Palace is a palace in Jammu, in the Indian erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, which has now been converted into a Museum. It was built in the nineteenth century for Raja Amar Singh, a Dogra king by a French architect on the lines of a French Chateau. The palace was donated to the Hari-Tara charitable trust by Dr. Karan Singh for use as a museum.It has many exhibits including a golden throne weighing 120 kg, Pahari miniature and Kangra miniature paintings, a library of 25,000 antique books and many rare art collections. The palace was the last official residence of the Dogra dynasty, and a large collection of portraits of the royal family are also on display in the Museum. Amar Mahal is situated on the right bank of the Tawi River, on a bend of the river, in Jammu. Jammu, once a princely city, is also famous for forts, palaces and temples. The Siva

Bahu Fort                                                       -Narinder Anthal                             Bahu Fort View The Bahu Fort is a historic fort in the city of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. Constructed on the banks on Tawi River, the ancient fort is believed to be constructed by Raja Bahulochan around 3,000 years ago. It is believed that the first renovation of this fort was undertaken by Maharaja Ranjit Singh during Sikh Rule in 18th century.[1] The fort is a religious place, and within its precincts has a temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. The temple is known locally as the "Bawe Wali Mata temple" . Legend The building of the city of Jammu and the Bahu Fort are linked to a legend. Raja Jambu Lochan, when on a hunting trip, witnessed a curious scene of a tiger and a goat drinking water side by side at the same location in the Tawi River, without the tiger attacking. The Raja considered this a divine direction to establish his new ca

MATA VAISHNO DEVI KATRA                                                      -Narinder Anthal .                     Mata Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi , also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta , Ambe and Vaishnavi is the embodiment of The Mother Goddess, Devi. The words " Maa ", " Amma " and " Mata " are commonly used in India for mother, and thus are often heavily used in connection with Vaishno Devi. Goddess Vaishnavi was formed from the combined energies of Goddess Parvati/Mahakali , Mahalakshmi , and Mahasaraswati . She is also considered as warrior form of Mahalakshmi . Vaishno Devi Mandir  is a  Hindu temple  located in  Katra  at the  Trikuta Mountains  within the Indian  Union territory  of  Jammu and Kashmir . .                  Mata Vaishno Devi Darbar According to Hindu religion, in the Treta Yuga, when the earth was overburdened by the wicked and tyrannical rule of the demons, the Goddess Vaishnavi was created when  Gaur

Mansar Lake                                                -Narinder Anthal Fringed by low-lying hills on the outskirts of the Surinsar-Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary, Mansar Lake is a popular picnic spot and pilgrimage site, together with its twin lake, Surinsar, nearby. Over 1½ km long and almost a km wide, Mansar Lake is revered by locals for its mythological connection to the sacred Mansarovar Lake in Tibet. The faithful take holy dips in its waters during festivals, while newlyweds circumambulate the lake’s perimeter to seek the blessings of Sheshnag, Lord of Serpents, whose shrine is located on its eastern bank. Mansar is also considered an auspicious site for  mundan  ceremonies, where children’s hair is shorn for the first time, symbolising freedom from past lives.               Sheshnag Temple, Mansar Lake Interestingly, Mansar and Surinsar lakes share a common creation story. It is believed that Babruvahana (the son of Arjun and Sheshnag’s daughter, Ulupi) ruled the ar

     Devika                                              -Narinder Anthal Devika, a small holy rivulet flowing through Udhampur, has got such a religious and cultural importance for the people of Udhampur that the land of Udhampur is known as Devaknagri.This sacred river has its origin at near Sudhmahadev and at Venisung  it merges with Suryaputri Tawi and this confluence is a place of pilgrimage,where a fair is organised on the eve of Baisakhi every year. It  again appears near Gangera  in Udhampur,whose ancient  name is believed to be Gauraan. Devika manifests itself in the form of small rivulet at Sudhmahadev, Udhampur,Jindrah, Purmandal and Uttarvehni after which it merges with Basantar.As it appears and disappears at many places, Devika is also known as Gupt Ganga.Devika is reverred as the elder sister of holy Ganga.According to Neelmat Puran,the people of Madardesh (Duggar)had lost their track and taken to evil ways.They had forgotten their religious and other d

Krimchi Temple                                              -Narinder Anthal                 The collection of temples In a land as culturally rich as India, the melding of elements of different communities and faiths is par for the course. But what if we told you that there’s a temple complex with distinctly Hellenistic or Greek features? These unusual temples lie hidden in the lap of the Pir Panjal mountain range in Udhampur district in Jammu & Kashmir. Called the Krimchi temple complex and located in a remote village 70 km from Jammu city, they celebrate the cultural confluence of the Hellenistic world and local faith. The complex houses seven temples, of which only five are in good condition. All the temples exhibit striking Hellenistic features in their architectural style, a trend common in the region from the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, with the coming of the Indo-Greeks, Parthians and other Central Asian tribes, all of whom settled in the upper par

Shankri Devta Temple                                                      -Narinder Anthal                         Shankri Temple Shankri Devta temple is situated on a hillock in village Meer of block Panchari in a scenic spot which is surrounded by meadows, lofty mountains and lush green forests. Block Panchari is 35km away from Disst. Udhampur. Village Meer and Block Headquarter, Panchari are linked with mettaled road from Udhampur town. The District Administration organises the Shankri Devta Mela in the month of August/September every year.                                   Fair(mela) Youth Services and Sports Department, Udhampur organized rural sports competitions including Kabbadi, Tug of war, weight lifting events for the entertainment of people and also to expose the talent of students in culture and games. The district administration has made adequate arrangements of drinking water facility, medicare, electricity, sanitation, transport etc. To ed