Jammu’s Legacy: Memories of a City in Transition

Cities evolve. They grow, prosper, and redevelop with the changing times. Streets once familiar are renamed. Old homes and havelis are demolished to make way for markets and sprawling business centres. The families who once filled those spaces cherished the rhythm of daily life, sharing moments of pride as well as hardship. What remains is an oral record of stories inscribed in memories and surviving in nostalgia.

After leaving my village of Karloop in Marh to study and later begin my career in the quieter streets of Jammu, I watched the city flourish rapidly. The people and workplaces I once knew have also progressed. While I have remained in touch with many, I lost contact with a few over the years.

During brief visits this winter, memories resurfaced of the streets and spaces I had often wandered, sometimes aimlessly. Their cultural and historical significance still lies at the heart of Jammu’s civic life, heritage and Dogra identity.

From time-worn bazaars to timeless landmarks, these places stand as quiet witnesses to generations. Even in changing times and transition, Jammu’s past is still interwoven with its present. 

Most of the old mohallas were close-knit neighbourhoods, where residents shared courtyards, water taps, cooking spaces and even interlinked rooftops in harmony. Differences of faith, occupation or social standing rarely disrupted the strong sense of community that shaped Jammu’s cultural heritage and collective identity. Mosques, shrines, temples, ponds and community wells, now largely vanished, once formed the vital links and spirit of “Duggar land”.

Jammu, regarded as one of the oldest urban settlements in the region, stands on the banks of the Tawi River, its lifeline flowing from the high Himalayas. It is believed to have been founded by Raja Jambu Lochan. Over the centuries, the city grew from a small settlement into a centre of art, culture and trade.

Till many years ago, or before Jammu came on India’s railway network, the first train from Delhi arrived on 2 December 1972, and the old city was confined between Panjtirthi to the Tawi River. Soon after, Jammu had started expanding across the Tawi River, connected with a sturdy steel girder bridge, also remembered as ‘Dogra Bridge’, built during the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh of the Dogra dynasty.

Jammu’s early rail connectivity is itself a chapter of history. During the British era, many of the city’s elders, then young careerists, went to Lahore and Sialkot to pursue their education. They still vividly recall journeys on the Jammu–Sialkot train, a vintage railway line constructed in 1890. Following Partition, the service was discontinued, yet for many years the abandoned tracks remained, reminding about old memories of a bygone era.

My bond with Jammu and its vignettes had evolved naturally, never by chance. It even got strengthened when I moved to the city and started living in a rented room near Moti Nazar, next to Pacca Danga.

Morning walks to Rani Park, quiet strolls through the lanes, and long conversations with Raju Kerni, Jammu’s noted photojournalist who later became a respected media figure, deepened my bond with the city.

His father, Bansi Lal Kerni, known affectionately as ‘Kerni Sahib’, was a prominent personality who had once appeared in Bollywood and remained closely involved in Jammu’s social and cultural life. He ran a leading photo studio in Pacca Danga, just a short distance from my room. It was there that I gained a deeper understanding of old Jammu, its places, history and heritage, guided by his truly encyclopaedic knowledge.

Yet to revisit those moments, I had to return to the “reporter’s diary” I once kept, only to realise it had disappeared years ago. It was through oral accounts and anecdotes from my journalist friend, Manu Srivastava, that my memories slowly resurfaced. I clearly remembered my first stop: “Khilone Wali Gali”, where I went to meet Mohan Lal Sapolia, the seasoned Dogri poet and writer, in the early 1980s.

Both Mohan Lal Sapolia, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his contributions to modern Dogri literature, and Khilone Wali Gali, which still exists, albeit in a completely transformed form, proved to be valuable additions to my literary pursuits—the journalistic writing. 

‘Gali Khilonia’, as it was fondly known, was a narrow lane famed for its handmade traditional toys, a heritage that has faded with time and the decline of rural household craftsmanship.

Presently, this street is a bustling market for clothing and textiles. It serves as a key commercial hub.

The streets of Jammu make an interesting sequence of their names and identities, linked either to occupational activities or names of prominent social and historical figures who have been natives there. Even the workshops around, which revolved around daily life.  

Every mohalla in old Jammu city is thus not merely a geographical marker but a key identification of its history and communities.

Jullaka Mohalla was home to the indigenous weaving community, reflecting the city’s traditional occupations. Afghan Mohalla housed families who had migrated from Afghanistan and settled there for many years.

Ustad Mohalla derived its name from the ‘ustads’, highly skilled artisans who served the Dogra rulers and elite households. These included master craftsmen, teachers, musicians and architects, held in higher regard than ordinary artisans. Some accounts also mention Ustad Ghaus Mohammad Khan, renowned for his expertise with horses, bows and arrows.

Other localities reveal similar origins. Pacca Danga, a key market area, takes its name from ‘danga’, meaning raised ground in the local dialect. Panjtirthi means ‘five sacred places’, while Purani Mandi, or ‘Old Market’, was the city’s oldest commercial hub. Fattu Chaugan was named after a man known for treating skin ailments; ‘chaugan’ denotes an open gathering space. Mast Garh was named after a Sufi saint.

Chowk Chabutra refers to a raised platform (chabutra) used for gatherings. It is also a central crossing linking many neighbourhoods. Upper Gumut and Lower Gumut mean "dome structure," named after a domed monument. Pacci Dhakki happens to be another historic street leading towards the Tawi River, paved with bricks by Maharaja Pratap Singh to assist water carriers. Siraja di Dhakki is said to be named after the skilled artisans (Siraja) who manufactured horse saddles (Khathi), and Purani Mandi happened to be a historic area and the former seat of the Dogra rulers established by Raja Mal Dev. 

Bansi Lal Sharma, a social activist and medical professional, says Jammu's changing urban landscape and expanding infrastructure are signs of prosperity and a necessity. The "City of Temples", which was known for its warmth, community feeling, and old family bonds, is on a fast-forward life.

There is far greater scope to preserve Jammu’s historic identity, Dogra culture and the Dogri language, which form the basis of emotional connection and mutual respect. He emphasises that Jammu will endure through its values, remaining a timeless witness to the sacred waters of the Tawi.