Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir


is a union territory of India locked in Himalayan Mountains. Jammu and Kashmir is home to several Valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Sindh Valley and Lidder Valley. Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, the Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop, Sanasar, Mansar, Surinsar, Bhaderwah, Jantroon, Jai Valley, Chinta Valley, Akhnoor and Jammu. Some areas require a special permit for non-Indians to visit.Kashmir is called the land of beauty.
Kashmir is located mainly in the Himalayas. To the south of this Union Territory of India are the two Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir is bounded on the north by the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region and on the east by the Union Territory of Ladakh. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi recently created two Union Territories with the overwhelming support of both Houses of Parliament by repealing Article 370 and Article 35A of the Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir is basically a popular eye-catching place for visitors from all over the world. Millions of visitors from all over the world flock here every year to enjoy its beauty. Places in Kashmir that fascinate visitors are:
City of Srinagar:
Within the city of Srinagar are Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Botanical Garden, Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, Chashmeshahi Bagh, Parimahal, Hazrat Bal Dargah, Shankaracharya Hill. Places to visit in the city can be visited in one day.

Regions

in Kashmir region.
Before militancy intensified in 1989, tourism formed an important part of the Kashmiri economy and Kashmir was the favorite destination for Bollywood. Kashmir had 19 cinema halls which were closed due to rising Islamic Terrorism. The tourism economy in the Kashmir valley was worst hit. However, the holy shrines of Jammu continued to remain popular pilgrimage and tourism destinations. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had significant impact on the state's economy.
Tourism in the Kashmir valley has rebounded in recent years and in 2009, the state became one of the top tourist destinations of India. Gulmarg, one of the most popular ski resort destinations in India, is also home to the world's highest green golf course. The decrease in violence in the state has boosted the states economy specifically tourism. It was reported that 7.36 lakh tourists visited Kashmir in 2010 including 23,000 foreigners. In 2011, the number of tourist arrivals in Kashmir touched the mark of 10 lakh.

Transportation

By plane

Flights operate to Jammu and Srinagar. Air India, Air Asia, GoAir, Indigo Airlines and SpiceJet operated in the state.

By train

The last stop on the railway line north is Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station, where you can catch onward buses and hire SUVs/MUVs. However it is better to get down in Jammu and catch a taxi from there as these are more readily available.
The Jammu–Baramulla line is a railway line being built in India to connect the state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. The Project officially coded USBRL starts from the city of Udhampur, 55 kilometres north of Jammu, and travels for 290 kilometres to the city of Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir Valley. The route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subjected to extreme temperatures of cold, as well as inhospitable terrain, making it an extremely challenging engineering project.

By Bus

There are two ways to get in by land - via Jammu and up to Srinagar or via Manali in Himachal Pradesh and up to Leh.

Transportation within

Gulmarg

is well known for its natural environment and it is counted as one of unique tourist destinations in the India. Gulmarg is surrounded by dense forest. This place has a highland golf course. There is a special Gondola ride from Gulmarg.

Vaishno Devi

The town of Katra, which is close to Jammu, contains the Vaishno Devi shrine. Nestling on top of the Trikuta Hills at a height of 1700 m is the sacred cave shrine of Vaishno Devi, the mother goddess. At a distance of 48 km from Jammu, the cave is 30 metres long and just 1.5 metres high. At the end of the cave are shrines dedicated to the three forms of the mother goddess — Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati, which is manifested as Vaishno Devi. Pilgrims start trekking to the cave temple, which is 13 km from Katra, enter in small groups through a narrow opening and walk through ice waters to reach the shrines.

Sonmarg

The way to reach Sonmarg or the Meadow of the gold is from the Sindh Valley. This valley also shows more amazing facet in Kashmir. Sonmarg is located at an altitude of around 2730 meters from the sea level; it has snow-covered mountains as its backdrop against the sky. The Zozila path which is one of the deadliest roads on the earth can be travelled from here.

Raghunath Temple

Raghunath Temple is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Shri Rama. All the inner walls of this temple are covered with gold, on three sides. Galleries of this temple are covered with ‘ Saligrams’. The other surrounding temples are related to other gods from the Ramayana. This temple is located in the centre or we can say in the heart of Jammu.

Verinag

Verinag is the first town when you enter to Kashmir valley. It is particularly known as Gateway of Kashmir and known for being near the source of river Jhelum.

In Kashmir Valley

Chenab region is also known as Chenab Valley which includes following tourist destinations: