SAMBA DISTRICT
Now let us know about another district of Jammu that is the Samba District.
(Map of Samba District)(Source- Wikipedia)
Samba District was founded in 2006, Samba District is a district of Indian Union Territory, Jammu, and Kashmir. Samba district is also called the ‘City of Sheets’. Before the formation of the Samba District, this sector was part of the Jammu District and the Kathua District. Samba Town is located on the foothills of Shivalik Hills by the side of the National Highway at 384 meters above sea level, on the river Basantar that is at a distance of 40 kilometers from the Jammu City. Samba District is surrounded by the Udhampur District in the North, Kathua District in the East, Tehsil Jammu and Bishnath of District Jammu in the West, while in the Southern side of Samba District it has a 55.5 kilometers long International Border with Pakistan. Around two-third part of the Samba District is Rain Fed. Samba District comprises four blocks- Samba, Vijay Pur, Purmandal, Ghagwal.
Rath Kharda Mela is the most popular fair in Samba District. An eight-day fair is arranged in Narsingh and Annapurna Temple in Ghagwal of Samba district of Jammu division. This fair requires taking out the procession of creator on a Chariot. Hence, this fair was named Rath Kharda Mela. Thousands of devotees are extracted from neighboring states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and also the other areas of the Jammu region. People of other hilly areas of Jammu like- Doda, Kishtwar, Basohli, Bani, Dudu Basantgarh set their stalls in this fair and sell the handicrafts and woolen items like- Blankets, Pattus, and Shawls.
During this fair, the temple is ornamented with lights and flowers. Devotees look up the temple and pay adoration to the main deity, Bhagwan Narsimha. A Bhandara is also arranged for devotees.
The climatic condition of the Samba District is sub-tropical. Samba district is warm and dry in summers and cold in winters. As Samba is in the hillocks of the mountains so the nights of the Samba district are moderately cooler than those in the neighboring places of Punjab. The languages which are spoken in the Samba district are Dogri, Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, and English.
One of the famous landmarks of the Samba district is Mansar Lake which is located on the Samba-Udhampur road about 22 kilometers from Samba. The lake is covered with hills with different Hindu temples and enchants a large number of tourists, religious pilgrims, in the area. Purmandal is a village which is situated 39 kilometers away from Jammu. Purmandal is attached to Samba via the Purmandal-Utterbani-Vijaypur Road. Purmandal is commonly called ‘Chotta Kashi’ and has old Shiva Temples, which have pious importance, covered with the Shivalik hills. The temple Aap Shambhu Mandir is discovered in Jammu. Chichi Mata Mandir is a temple that is discovered in Samba is one of the shaktipeeths where the little finger of Goddess Sati fell. Samba District is also famous for its Traditional Calico Printing where wooden blocks and local dyes are used for block printing of weaved cotton fabrics.
(The road from Samba to Mansar Lake)
