Jai Valley (/ʒæɪ ˈvæli/) is an enchanting valley located northeast of Bhaderwah town in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The ''Bhaderwah-Jai'' road, which passes through the corniferous

deodar forests Deodar Forests are forests dominated by ''Cedru''s ''deodara'', also known as Deodar Cedars. These types of trees are found naturally in Western Himalayas from Gandaki river in central Nepal to Hindukush Mountain range in Afghanistan. Deodar C ...

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 that flows 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, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul ...

at ''Kahara'' in tehsil

Thathri Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thathri valley is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, about 85 km from Batote. Apart from having ample ...

. It is also known by the names ''Jai Garh'' and ''Jai Top''. The valley is also connected through a long road with

Gandoh Gandoh is a tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place th ...

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, ...

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. Most o ...

, 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 writt ...

-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 tra ...

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 ...

), ''Kasrod'' ( Fiddlehead fern)

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 shap ...

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 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 fresh w ...

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 (IO ...

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 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 lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

. 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