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

Bhaderwah Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah (also ''Bhaderwah Valley'') is a town, tehsil, sub-division and also additional district in the Doda district of the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is also known as Chota Kashmir (Mini Kashmir) for its sce ...

town in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

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

About

Jai, located in Bhaderwah tehsil (subdistrict) of

Doda district Doda is a district in the eastern part of Jammu Division in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district consists of 18 tehsils viz. Thathri, Bhaderwah, Doda, Mohalla, Bhagwa, Assar, Bhalla, Gundna, Marmat, Kahara, Ga ...

in the

Jammu division The Jammu division (; ) is a revenue and administrative division within Jammu and Kashmir, a union territory of India. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Mos ...

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

Gurjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were trad ...

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), ''Kasrod'' ( Fiddlehead fern) Foxglove,

Aconitum ''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. ...

Mayapple ''Podophyllum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native from Afghanistan to China, and from southeast Canada to the central and eastern United States. The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Taxonomy Th ...

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 A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust ( pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of f ...

which are found at various places of Jai, while Chenab Valley 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. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

ice skating Ice skating is the 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. Ice skating may be per ...

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 ...

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), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...

. 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) Gandoh is a tehsil in district Doda of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region ...

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