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About Jammu |
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While the references of Jammu in epic sources give an indication about the ancient civilizations that flourished here, the findings of the excavations carried out near Akhnoor, 20 miles from the modern city, made it pretty clear that it was a part of the Harappan civilization. The archaeological surveys have also come to know about the sources that connect it to some of the greatest empires that were ruling most part of the country at different eras of the Indian history.
There are remains of the empires, like the Maurya, Guptas, Kushans and Kushanshahs found at different places in Jammu. Thus, it can now safely be said that Jammu had a history of civilizations that seemed to be flowing since the beginning continuously along the entire length of its timeline, without having to face interruption by some unknown forces of destiny.
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Local beliefs attribute the foundation of Jammu City to a king known by the name of Raja Jamboolchan. According to a legend, he happened to reach the Tawi River during one of his hunting expeditions when he caught sight of an unbelievable scene wherein a lion and a goat were drinking water standing side by side. He was pleasingly amazed at this truly incredible view and instantly took the decision of building a palace here and founding a city around it. The Bahu fort present even to this date not only supports the view of the locals but also prompts some historians to form a conjecture to this effect.
In the latter part of the fifth century AD, Jammu came under the influence of Hephthalites who ruled it from Kabul and Kapisa, presently part of Afghanistan. Then came Kushano-Hephthalite dynasty who dominated the region from 565 to 670 AD. Jammu remained a part of the empire formed by the Shahi rulers of the central Asia who continued to rule the region until they are overthrown by the Ghaznavids by the end of the first millennium. Jammu is also found to be mentioned in the various expeditions led by Timur against India.
The medieval history of Jammu is dominated by Mughal and Sikh rulers, and it underwent a tremendous change in its social, cultural and economic fabrics during their reigns. The rising power of the British engulfing the entire nation, one by one, soon reaches Jammu, it found itself slipping into the hands of the colonial rulers. After independence, it chose to be a part of the Indian Union, and it was made the winter capital of the Jammu & Kashmir State.
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