Jai Valley (/ʒæɪ ˈvæli/) is an enchanting valley located northeast of

Bhaderwah Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah (also ''Bhaderwah Valley'') is a town, tehsil, and sub-district in the Doda district of Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. Bhaderwah Valley is famous for its beauty, nature. B ...

town in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

, India. The ''Bhaderwah-Jai'' road, which passes through the corniferous

deodar forests Deodar forests are forests dominated by ''Cedrus deodara'', the deodar cedar. This tree is found naturally in the Western Himalayas from the Gandaki River in central Nepal to the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan. The deodar cedar is nativ ...

of Nakshri, Balote, Bhalara and Chinta Valley connects the valley with the Bhaderwah town. The valley has green meadows which act as the attraction for tourists in summers and the snow-covered landscape during winters. Jai valley has about long meadows, bisected by a stream called ''Jai Nallah'' which merges with a tributary of river

Chenab The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Himac ...

at ''Kahara'' in tehsil Thathri. It is also known by the names ''Jai Garh'' and ''Jai Top''. The valley is also connected through a long road with Gandoh. There is no Mobile Network in this valley.

About

Jai, located in Bhaderwah tehsil (subdistrict) of

Doda district Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kash ...

in the

Jammu division The Jammu division (; ) is a Divisions of India, revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to t ...

, it is a high altitude tourist destination, 32 kilometers northeast of Bhaderwah by ''Bhaderwah-Chinta-Jai Road''. Every year thousands of tourist visits there, including the locals also. It is also connected with ''

Bhalessa Bhalessa is a geographical area within Doda district in the Jammu region of India-administered Kashmir. It consists of the Bunjwah and Bhalessa Valleys, and comprises the three Tehsils of Kahara, Chilly Pingal and Gandoh. Name The name is w ...

-Jai-Bhaderwah'' road. In summers, local

Gurjar The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

s visit Jai along with their cattles where they have own ''mudhouses''. The valley is surrounded with corniferous trees and towards its east lies the Bhalessa Valley which is connected through 46 kilometers Jai-Bhalessa Road, encompasses the hunting grounds of ''Bachdhar''. Another 27 Kilometers Kahara-Jai Road also linked Kahara tehsil (subdistrict) to this valley. Wild herbs like ''Guchchi'' (

Morels ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales ( division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges w ...

), ''Kasrod'' (

Fiddlehead fern Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds from a fledgling fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond ( circinate vernation). As fiddleheads are harvested early in ...

)

Foxglove ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sha ...

Aconitum ''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family (biology), family Ranunculaceae. These herbaceous perennial ...

, Mayapple and more can be found here.

Tourism

Jai gets thousands of tourist visits every year mostly in summers. The Bhaderwah-Jai road climbs uphill in the last 30 kilometres to Jai passing through forests of pine and fir of Nakshri, Balote, Bhalara and Chinta Valley. It is one of the scenic tourist spot in Bhaderwah. There are various natural waterfalls and the activities such as rock-climbing and hard-core trekking can be performed here. The ''Jai Nallah'' is famous for Trout Fish Culture. The source of water in Jai Nallah stream are the different natural springs which are found at various places of Jai, while

Chenab Valley The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Himac ...

have hundreds of these natural springs found commonly in every village and forest areas. Due to these natural springs, this stream remain running all the year. Winter sports like

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...

and sledging can be played when the snow covers entire valley in winters. There are

igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the ...

huts for tourists to stay in the valley. Chinta and Jai valleys have the favourable climate and environment for basics and training in

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

. Paragliding is the special attraction of hilly areas but it is feasible all over the year except wet seasons.

Road connectivity

There are three roads which connects Jai Valley to other parts, which are as follows;

Main road

#Bhaderwah-Jai Road, a road from Bhaderwah town to Jai Valley, having blacktop except some areas, is the main road which is commonly used to visit Jai. This road is located on the southwestern direction from Jai towards Bhaderwah town.

Alternate link roads

#Gandoh-Jai Road, a road from Gandoh (Bhalessa) to Jai, constructed but it lacks blacktop at maximum locations. This road is located in eastern side of Jai. #Kahara-Jai Road, a road from Kahara tehsil (subdistrict) to Jai, which is under construction in 2020. This road is located on northern side of Jai.

Notes

References

{{reflist Doda district Valleys of Jammu and Kashmir River valleys of India Tourist attractions in Doda district