Patnitop – A Hill Station Named After The Pond Of The Princess

Patnitop is one of the famous hill stations and tourist destination situated in the Udhampur district of the northernmost Jammu and Kashmir state in India. It is on the National Highway 1A of Udhampur to Srinagar, occupies a portion of the Shivalik range of the Himalayas, and is near to the River Chenab.

Enclosing a beauty of mountains, it is an eye-catching plateau at the height of 2,024 m and meadow bordered with dense woods and greenery of pines. For people on holidays here, it is an ideal place for a picnic spot, calm walk, and heart throbbing scenes of mountains. During winters, this hill resort envelopes thick layers of snow that stimulates the snow games.

History and Legend

The original name of the hill resort was “Patan Da Talab”, which means Pond of the Princess. This so-called name was given due to the fact that there was a pond in the meadows wherein the princess used to bath. Even today, a small portion of the pond does exist near the youth hostel. However, the British could not translate this name into English for their records and finally the name of Patnitop was given.

According to a legend, Patnitop is in the heaven, not because it is in Jammu and Kashmir that is already considered a heaven on the Earth. Actually, when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan came along with his wife Mumtaz Mahal here, he said the following words about this place: “If there is a heaven on the earth, then it is here, here, and only here!”

Tourists’ Attractions

• Kud and Batote
  The raised pathways through the wooded lanes connect Patnitop to two nearby towns namely, Kud (famous for Patissa sweet) and Batote (famous for Kidney beans).
• Springs
  Total, there are three ice-cold fresh springs that contain medicinal properties.
• Trekking
  This is a place for short and long treks in Kud along with the facility of trekking items at Tourism Department at Kud. Trekking to ShivaGarh (11 kms away) at a height of 3,500 m is a striking one-day walk. In summers, all trekking routes are open. The Sundarani-Jungal Gali-Jasarkote-Sanasar route in Jangal Gali (meaning forest lane) is the place from where you can select a trekking route from the three existing ones.
• Paragliding
  Patnitop is especially for flying in the air with a pilot in a parachute from 7 to 15 minutes based on the weather conditions to land at Kud. The paragliding joyrides are available at Dawariyai (meaning gateway) that is at the distance of 2 km on the Patnitop-Sanasar route. You can request this ride at the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) barrier. This area is popularly known as the Billoo Di Powri point from where above 400 steps have been made on the rock face to reach Dawariyai. You can also shoot your flight here by requesting the organizers to do so. Another flying is from Natha Top to Kud that ranges from 15 minutes to an hour based on the wind conditions.
• Other Aero Sports
  This includes parasailing and hot air ballooning that are the upcoming ones.
• Skiing
  The softly shaped ski slopes are preferred for the beginners. In the months of January and February, ski courses are conducted here, whereas during winters, only an introductory course is available for tourists.
• Sanasar
  This is located at a distance of 20 kms from Patnitop and is well known for paragliding, trekking, camping, abseiling, rock climbing, and scenic walks. The organization named Extreme Himalayan Adventures encourages eco-adventure here. This place also offers pony rides and 9-holes golf course.
• Handicrafts Shopping
  This can be done in Patnitop, as there are many sellers of such arts in Patnitop and Kud.
• Boating
  This is available at a beautiful lake away from the hill resort. A food and crafts festival is organized every year around Baisakhi (April/May) at this place by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism.

The complete tourist area includes Jammu-Katra-Vaishno Deviji, Kud-Sanasar, Patnitop-Gourikund, Sudmahadev, Mantali, and Latti-Dhuna.

• Jammu
  It is known as the city of temples. It is believed that these temples protects its palaces, forts, forests, shrines
• Vaishno Devi
  This is a holy cave shrine of Vaishno Devi (a form of power) in the Trikuta Mountains in the lower Himalayas. It is at a distance of 61 km north of Jammu. In the cave, there are three pindis (rocks) acting as one of three goddesses namely, the Mahakali (symbol of goodness’ victory over evil), Mahalakshmi (symbol of wealth and prosperity), and Mahasaraswati (symbol of truth).

• Bahu Fort & Temple
  This is located on the left bank of the River Tawi and is the oldest fort in Jammu. The fort was built some 3,000 years ago, but the present one is the rebuilt effort of the Dogra rulers.
• Buddha Amarnath Temple
  It is a distinct temple dedicated to Hindu Lord Shiva situated on the foothill; instead on the hilltop as compared to other temples. In addition, the Shivling is not made on its own here, which is a noteworthy aspect.
• Kishtwar
  This is situated on a plateau below the Nagin Sheer glacier and above the Chenab River. It is famous for the production of fine saffron and waterfalls.
• Mubarak Mandi Palace
  This is an architectural masterpiece that blends Rajasthani, Mughal, and Baroque European styles. The worth seeing section is the Sheesh Mahal and the Pink Hall. The hall has the Dogra Art Museum exhibiting hill school paintings.
• Raghunath Temple
  This is located in the center of the Jammu city and is dedicated to Lord Ram.
• Sudh Mahadev
  This is located on the banks of the Dewak River, which is considered as holy as the Ganges.

Days of Attraction

The best time to visit Patnitop is summer – the May-June period and autumn – the September-October period.

Reaching Patnitop

By road, you can get avail of buses and taxis from Jammu/Katra/Udhampur. However, taxis are faster as compared to buses.

By air and rail, Jammu is the nearest stop located at a distance of 110 kms.