Kashmir, the earthly paradise of India is the pleasure trove to the tourists. The capital of Jammu and Kashmir is Srinagar. The paradise is 1585m to 1829m high, stretches 129km in length and 40km in breadth. The snow capped peaks of the Himalayas stand high on all sides- the beauty being incomparable. The Pirpanjal ranges have separated Kashmir from Indian Plains. On the North East, the 7925m snow covered Nanga hills stands like a wall to Ladakh. Kashmir is also the land of legends. According to the Purana, Prajapati Kashyap with the aid of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva killed the water-emerged Asura and formed the kingdom of Kashmir.  Another tale says Kashmir in the past was submerged in water and was called by the name Satisar i.e. the lake of Sati derived from the name Sati. At the end of 13^th century Kashmir came under Muslim rule. The Tibetan Muslim prince came from Tibet and formed a kingdom in Kashmir when the prince died in 1338, Shah Mir became king. Thus was founded the Sultanate dynasty in Kashmir. Kashmir was the summer resort of emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan. The relics and memorials of Mughal imperial grandeur still fascinate tourists. After the fall of the Mughal, Kashmir enjoyed autonomy. Then Kabul brought Kashmir under his sway (1756-1819). Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab annexed Kashmir to his dominion in 1819. After independence and partition of India in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir stands on top of the maps of both states India and Pakistan, as a jewel of crown.

         Jammu is the winter capital city of the Jammu and Kashmir state inhabited by the Dogras. The language they speak is called Dogri, which is an admixture of Sanskrit, Punjab and Persian. Jammu is also known as city of forts and temples. The rivers Tawai and Chandrabhagha flow surrounding Jammu. Vaishno Devi is the main attraction of Jammu. Kashmir is full of gardens such as Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, and Nasim Bagh etc. Dal Lake, half a km away the east of the reception centre lies the heart of Kashmir’s beauty. Few places of interest in this state are Gulmarg, Pahalgaon, Sonamarg, Wular Lake Etc.

        The literacy rate in this state is 55%. The main languages spoken here are Urdu, Kashmiri, Ladaki, Dogri, Balti, and Punjabi. Hindi and English are also spoken here. According to the 1981 census report, different religion people stay here such as Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhist.  

Climate-

        The best season for the tourists to visit the place is from end of March to October as it has a pleasant climate during this time. Temperature varies between 13.7C and 27C. But during the winter mercury dips between 0.9C-12.1C. During May- June ordinary sweater, in the other months light woolen garments and in winter overcoat along with heavy woolen garments are needed to visit the paradise. Average rainfall is 107cm. The color changes in every month in this paradise.

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