The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department organized a Road Show at Ludhiana here last evening with a view to promote Patnitop Circuit as an independent tourist destination. Director Tourism, Jammu, R. K. Varma, led a delegation of Tour and Travel Operators and other stakeholders to showcase various destinations of Jammu region in general and Patnitop and its adjoining areas in particular.Director Tourism had extensive interaction with the Tour and Travel Operators from Ludhiana and announced attractive packages for the tourists visiting Patnitop, Katra, Jammu etc.He informed them that Patnitop, situated at 2024 meters above the Sea level, is a most popular hill resort of Jammu region at a distance of 112 Km from Jammu and 87 Km from Katra and is perched on a beautiful plateau across which the Jammu-Srinagar Highway passes. It comprises several meadows fringed by thick forests of Deodar and Kail trees. From here, one can also visit the Dam site of the Baglihar Hydro-Electric project about 30 kms from Patnitop. For the facility of tourists at Patnitop, good quality accommodation is available in hotels, guest houses and J&K Tourism Development Corporation’s luxury huts.
The other places of tourist interest are Sanasar which is 18 Kms from Patnitop and is endowed with beautiful lake and deodar trees. The main attraction of Sanasar area is a 9-hole Golf Course situated at an altitude of 2064 meters. Sanasar is famous for adventure activities like Paragliding, trekking, skiing, zorbing etc. Other place of tourist interest near Patnitop is Sudh-Mahadev where highly revered Shiva temple is located at a distance of 43 Kms from Patnitop. The legend has it that after bathing at a spring called Gouri Kund, just short of Sudh Mahadev, the Goddess Parvati would worship the Shivling here that is believed to be at least 3000 years old. A few Kms further ahead of Sudh Mahadev is Mantalai where one can visit a complex created by Late Swami Dhirendra Brahamchari. The State Government has now planned to develop Mantalai as an “International Yoga Centre”.
Going 100 Kms further from Patnitop is Bhaderwah which is known as “Chhota Kashmir”. Bhaderwah offers a blend of leisure, adventure and heritage tourist attraction with beautiful landscapes, colourful local fairs, joyous festival moods and a unique mosaic of culture. Meadows of Seoj, Chinta Valley, Jai Valley, Kailash Kund are the places which one must not miss. Besides this, places of interest like Shahadra Sharief, Mangla Mata, Mangla Devi, Nangali Sahib, Budha Amarnath, Tata Pani in Poonch and Rajouri Districts are worth seeingIn Jammu, heritage monuments like Mubarak Mandi, Amar Mahal, Dogra Art Gallery, Bag-e-Bahu, Raghunath temple, Raghunath Heritage Bazaar, Golf Course at Sidhra, Jammu are the places worth seeing.