Jammu
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Jammu is one of the three regions comprising the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It consists of six districts of the state, namely Jammu (the largest city), Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda. Approximately 66% of the population is Hindu. Jammu is well connected with rest of India by rail from Jammu Tawi railway station: long-distance trains from many parts of the country serve Jammu Tawi.
Vaishno Devi shrine
The city of Jammu is home to the famous Vaishno Devi shrine. Nestling on top of the Trikuta Hills at a height of 1700m is the sacred cave shrine of Vaishno Devi, the mother goddess. At a distance of 61km from Jammu, the cave is 30 metres long and just 1.5m high. At the end of the cave are shrines dedicated to the three forms of the mother goddess—Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati. Pilgrims enter in small groups through a narrow opening and walk through ice-cold waters to reach the shrines. According to legend, the mother goddess hid in the cave while escaping a demon whom she ultimately killed.
History of Jammu
According to the most popular legend, Jammu city was founded by Raja Jamboolochan in 14th century BC as he found divine power here. During one of his hunting campaigns he reached near a river (Tawi) where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place. The king was impressed and decided to set up a town after his name, Jamboo. With the passage of time the name got corrupted and became "Jammu". The city name figures in the ancient book Mahabharata. Name of Jammu city is also found in the memories of Timur.Excavation near Akhnoor provide evidences that Jammu was a part of Harappan civiliaziation. Remains of Mauryan, Kushan, and Gupta periods have also been found.cs:Džammú