PURMANDAL TEMPLE DARSHAN.

People in jammu and around are well aware of purmandal and the significance of the temple there by the Devak river......
Purmandal is exactly 22 kms from Kalu chak on jammu - pathankot highway. It's known as Chota  kashi. ....its the milan sthal  of Lord shiva and goddess parvati.The temple has an unique place in the region because of its reputation, purity and provenience. It is considered  equal to kashi in U.P.
The temple is located on the bank of Devak river which starts it's journey from Sudh Maha dev in Chenani (Udhampur ). ..by the time it reaches the purmandal it is considered the holiest river which gives moksh to dead when buried on its bed or burnt on its bank.....The devak river scrolls down to join ar. Utterbehni  , which makes its way to Pakistan  in due course....
MY EXPERIENCE  OF DARSHAN AT PURMANDAL TEMPLE:- 
It was one fine Sunday morning that I and my husband planned to drive down to a small village called purmandal. ...Our official driver , who is a local from jammu  asked me to try to make it there sometimes before we leave this jammu city.....just remember  the drivers words we took it thru. .... The road definitely is in very bad shape....so we drove in slow speed....soon it took height and we got the glimpse of the R. DEVAK Also  called antersheella, means which don't show herself but is flowing across...after 22kms  drive we reached Purmandal. ...after parking our car , we asked the shopkeeper about the temple and they asked us to walk 3/4 mins over the river bed to the temple....
     After we reached the temple site.....The first expression. ....so peaceful place....its a big complex with multiple temples dedicated to ganpati, kashi vishwanath ji ,  ram mandir, shani mandir and the main sanctum  of the shiv parvati  shela standing in one piece..... There stands some 1400+shivling s...The main temple is in gold. ...after our darshan there,  the priest told us the importance of the darshan here.... people come here as couples and pray to shiv - parvati to safeguard the pair and continue to live a happy life together. ... ( This is a secret that's kept gupt or hidden truth)....
Ladies are not allowed to pour water/milk on the shela , only men pours on the shela. ...its believed that the kund in which the shela stands can never be overfulled. ...no one knows where the milk - water goes....there's  a akhanda depak  that's burning for thousands of years......It seems a fox used to safe guard the shela, later was killed by the king of jammu  who  got cursed in the process. .... so without the darshan of the fox  idol the darshan here stands incomplete. .....
We  found it quite interesting. ......one has to perform ones own puja. ....after the parikrama  of the temple we stood by its coridors  and watched bodies being cremated one by own......that's a realisation, one who came into this world has to go one day..."
It seems bodies buried in the soil of devak river vanishes in mins....but what an irony, people driving vehicles over the river bed... 
In total it was an experience for ourselves.
This holy land is also the birthplace of Saint kabir...every amabashya sees lot of devotees  here. In Feb every year a big mela takes place as a celebration of marriage of shiv parvati. ......

*****recommend :- any couple visiting jammu city should try to have a darshan together here for a long happy married life together. ...making a strong bonding.

Driving the Dhar road to Ramnagar onto Udhampur.

It's Sunday. ....A definitely I don't wish to sit back at home with the laptop...Winter has started and weather is too good in jammu and all those bad summer and rainy months.....After breakfast, both me and my husband wanted to  drive out...It wasn't decided where  we intend to go....just a long drive...and off we go ...totally unprepared....took the jammu bypass road ( our favourite drive)...Soon my husband wanted to take the surinsar - mansar cut and off we onto the hills....its the most picturesque stretch of jammu city....after some 20 kms we reached surinsar lake..... its was the 3rd time I had been to this lake site. But I bet , it looks best during rainy season  with hovering clouds...and ferny ways after a short stopover at the lake site we moved onto mansar lake which is around 19 kms or so...I was just discussing about the Dhar road connecting the mansar bypass...check onto Google. ..which showed some 30 kms drive to Ramnagar .....We soon decided instead stopping at mansar lake we will take onto the Dhar road onto manwal  to ramnagar....Udhampur looks to be some 43kms from here....anyways , Dhar road is a fantastic  drive off....earlier  we drove the other half ie Billawar towards Ranjit sagar Dam and lakhanpur.
So it was decided...but the patch of mansar to Dhar road was in a very bad shape....Once hitting the Dhar road it's definitely an amazing drive...The Udhampur rly line often kept following us ...and we continued our journey to Ramnagar... onto Airforce station and then Udhampur city.... The landscape was just awesome as we drove off.....
After  reaching udhampur city , it's time to take on udhampur bypass..... then rehembal and then nagrota bypass onto jammu bypass......
It's was time to zip zap zoom. ....what a magnificent  road to drive thru....just look forward for driving such type of road across the Himalayan stretch  to kashmir valley in future years to come when this 4 lanning  work ends.....
Total it was around 160/170km  drive out....A simple unplanned drive out turned out to be a long long drive.But definitely we both loved it....

Surinsar lake.

Dhar road.

Our barbecue party on the river bed at Reasi.

After our darshan at Baba Dhansar,  we drove a few more kms ahead and chanced to see a pretty river bed of a tributary of river chenab....and definitely  it's the ideal spot  we were looking for...Our friend , drove done his endeavour  car into the river bed and moved ahead  looking for a perfect spot. After parking our vehicle , it was time to search for twigs on across the river bed....Both Mr and Mrs kahlon was out in search for twigs...While my husband was after , to catch a crab ...and myself trying to  catch every moment in frame on my lens.....
After twigs were gathered...The vegs to be roasted are attached to a wire lying in the car...what innovative idea... then firstly went the sweet potatoes into the fire, along the vegs...next come the potatoes and chicken pieces and then the bread toasting on a piece of wood.....Just loving it....as the food was ready....its Happy Lunch time on the river bed on looking the Bhimgarh  Fort of Reasi....what a way to  make good times.....Definitely  will remember these moments we have been enjoying during our tenure at Jammu......just the way one should look onto life.....Cheers!!!!!!

Our visit to Baba Dhansar at Reasi.

It was one fine Sunday morning that I and my husband along with our neighbour  thought to drive off to NH1C. .....Our intension was to go on a short drive and the picnic on the river bed. As we left jammu city , we took along with us some raw vegs and half prepared chicken...and off  we go.
Once we reached katra cross on nh1a,  my neighbour asked me whether I did any research work about any place of tourist interest on NH1C  or not...It soon clicked on my mind about Baba Dhansar  , some 10km+from katra.....and so it was decided to visit baba Dhansar.  Basically it's Lord shiva's  temple.  On reaching the site and seeing the deep gorge,  we were bit upset as it's more than 150 steps to make it to the cave of baba Dhansar.  Anyways, we all intended to walk down. As we walked down it wasn't that tough...Moreover the river bed was really tempting....Once we were down below the cave was baba Dhansar  was just too beautiful. ...its cascading waterfall....lovely serene atmosphere  mesmerised all of us...after darshan at the cave ...We all intended to go farther down to the river bed....what a beautiful  picture perfect site....sat there for a while and clicked some beautiful  sceneries  , before making it back to the top...... just too beautiful a spot to be and so close to katra.... recommended as must visit if coming to katra.

MAHAKALI TEMPLE, TIKRI I(REHEMBAL)

The Maha Kali temple of Tikri or Rehembal ,is located 9kms away from Udhampur City towards katra side of NH1A..... location is very beautiful with the Trikut range of Mata Vaishnodevi at its backdrop..... Everyone pass thru' this way make a stopover to pay their respect to Ma Kali here onto their journey across the Himalayas..Back of the main temple site which is bit down below from the main highway , a small stream with cascading water flows by.....

Mahakali temple, Tikri( Rehembal).

MY VISIT TO THE KIRMACHI GROUP OF TEMPLES, UDHAMPUR.

Kirmachi is located,at a distance of 12kms north of Udhampur-Lander road....the group of temples are locally known as PANDAVA temples. The complex consists of 5 temples & 2 small shrines. All the temples are facing East except 3.The temples ,on plan consists of Garbagriha with curvilinear Shikharas & elongated antarala.Some of the temples have mandapa in front of antarala.
 During execution of conservation works ,a large nos of terracotta figurines, copper coins , earthern pots & beads of semiprecious stones were found. A chance discovery has revealed, that it stands on a  earlier brick structure datable to post Gupta period.

There is presently 1 kms trekking to reach the site from the main road, which is horrible to walk upto..... Just couldn't understand how a place taken up by archeological survey of India, has no proper route to walk up thru'.... it looks like an adventurous trek presently, walking down the slopes holding the roots of tall trees but amazingly saw so many people making it there ....A  new road to this place is being under construction & will surely make it good for future people making it here...

Alluring drive off from Jammu to Udhampur.

It use to be a very tedious drive from Jammu City to Udhampur, but the newly built 4 lane drive across the Himalayas which stands completed upto Udhampur has made a pleasant drive off..... The 61kms stretch looks like a thrilling drive at 120km/hr, though 2 tunnels are yet to get connected with this 4lanes drive, whatsoever ....... the road has been fantastically made, hope we citizen maintain it & enjoy driving across..................... 
    I would rather add pics to let my readers experience the drive themselves....