patnitop

Patnitop Hill station of Jammu Region is a charming plateau situated at an altitude of 2024 mts. from sea level . The meadow is surrounded by dense woods and lush greenery of Pines. Patnitop lies at a distance of 112 kilometers from Jammu on the way to Shrinagar. This famous hill resort is perched on a beautiful plateau, across which the Jammu-Srinagar Highway passes. Enveloped by thickly wooded forests, Patnitop offers beautiful picnic spots, peaceful walks and breathtaking views of the mountainscape of the Chenab basin. In winter, the resort is generally covered with a thick mantle of snow thus providing opportunities for various snow games including skiing. It is the best developed tourist spot of Jammu and is second to none in its natural charm, climate, pine forests and lush green cover.

 

What To See

 

Sanasar

 

Sanasar at 19 kms from Patnitop offers cup shaped meadow surrounded by a thick  conifer forest, is also having a small beautiful lake . The drive from Patnitop to Sanasar is excellent and provides a brilliant option for tourists arriving in Summer and Autumn to explore. In Winters, it starts to snow in Sanasar, a few days before it does in Patnitop and Sanasar meadows turn into a point where tourists arrive for have some fun with snow.

 

Madhatop

 

Madhatop at 5 kms from Patnitop offers excellent views of the area. During winters Madhatop provides excellent opportunity for Ski Lovers as the thick blanket of fresh snow envelops Madhtop and the entire place become paradise for Ski lovers.

 

Sudh Mahadev Temple 

 

Sudh Mahadevi is nearly 100 year old Shiva temple near Patnitop. The shrine is visited by pilgrims all round the year especially on the full moon night of Shravan month of Hindu Calendar (July-August). Just ahead of Sudh Mahadev is Gouri Kund (A Spring) and Mantalai Forest, both having signficance in mythology linked to Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati.

 

Nag Temple

 

The 600 years old Nag Temple of Patnitop is one of the ancient Hindu temples in the region and worth watching while you are in Patnitop.

 

Nathatop

 

A short trek from Patnitop brings you to Nathatop, wonderful place which is thickly covered by snow during the winter months. Nathatop is an excellent choice for skiing activities. A favorite attraction for novice and expert skiers this place also has three scenic fresh water springs in its proximity which are known for their medicinal qualities. Nathatop has become very famous for the Paragliding options available here. Nathatop also offers amazing views of western Himalayas.

 

Mantalai

 

Mantalai is a very famous hill station near patnitop. The place is 60 kms from udhampur and 15 kms from Patnitop. The Mantalai Temple is worth to visit situated at an elevation of 1450 metres from the sea level, surrounded by deodar trees. The surrounding area is peaceful, during the festivals and fairs people visit this temple to just listen to the songs sung by the sages and saints. These songs are dedicated to love shared between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

This temple is of great archaeological significance as red earthenware and terra cotta figures were discovered at this place.

An ancient temple of Lord Shiva, also known as Aparneswar is located near Mantalai Lake. This is the place where mother Parvati was born and got married to Lord Shiva. The main shrine is very small and having an idol of Parvati as kanya. Another set of idols of Shiva and Parvati together and Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha is also found. However, the shiva lingam is the main idol of the temple.

 

What To Do

 

Trekking

 

A range of trekking options is available here. Summer is the season when all trekking routes are open while some are open in winter too. There are excellent camping sites also enroute.The Sundarani- Jungal Gali-Jasarkote-Sanasar route in Jangal Gali area lets you choose any of three exciting treks.

 

Skiing

 

Skiing courses are conducted at Patnitop in the months of January and Feburary. During winter months there are introductory courses for tourists/beginners at gentle gradient slopes of Patnitop. At Madhatop (5/6 Kms from Patni top on Sanasar Road) excellent possibilities for all kind of skiing exist. A ski-lift in the area is also proposed.

 

Paragliding

 

Paragliding has been introduced at Sanasar near Patnitop. Equipment is available on Hire from tourist office in Jammu city. May-June and Septemer October are best suited for paragliding. Other aero sports like Parasailing and Hotair ballooning are also available here.

 

How To Reach

 

By Road

 

You can easily get number of buses from Pathankot, Jammu and Srinagar to reach Patnitop. These three cities are the major places in the state which are well linked with transport services from where you can easily access Patnitop. It will take three hours to reach Patnitop from Jammu. Jammu (101km), Delhi (695km) and Pahalgam (153km) can be travelled to from Patnitop by road.

 

By Air

 

The nearest Airport from Patnitop is Jammu the travellers have to get down at Jammu airport and then they have to take bus or direct taxi to reach Patnitop.

 

By Rail

The nearest railway station is Udhampur is 60 Km away from Patnitop and the other one is located in Jammu. There are numbers of buses and taxis available outside the railway stations to reach the town conveniently.