According to the Greater Kashmir Newspaper, Patnitop a scenic hill station located in Jammu and Kashmir has been experiencing heavy snowfall for a couple of days. Now, the question to be asked is, Apart from snowing what makes this quaint hill station popular? So, here is presenting a few facts about this picturesque hill station which includes its relation with “snow”.
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a. The basic “Background” of Patnitop:
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Patnitop Map
“Shivalik” is the mountain range in the Himalayas upon which Patnitop is located. It is situated along “National Highway-44” at a distance of about 112 km from Jammu. Furthermore, in terms of elevation this picturesque hill station is nestled high up at an altitude of 2024 meter above sea level. It also belongs to the Udhampur district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, the River Chenab flows along this hill station.
b. The “Beautiful” landscape that surrounds Patnitop:
“Magnificent” is an adjective that quite perfectly describes the beautiful landscape which surrounds Patnitop, which includes beautiful evergreen meadows. It also comprises of dense lush green forests consisting of trees such as Deodar/Cedar and Kail/Blue Pine. Furthermore, the landscape of this quaint hill station also provides for the magnificent views of the surrounding Pir Panjal Range and the Chenab basin.
c. A few “Tourist Activities” popular at Patnitop:
Patnitop, apart from its overall scenic beauty is also popular for a number of tourist activities. They include trekking, horse riding, and paragliding. In addition, during winter due to the heavy snowfall and presence of ideal slopes activities such as skiing and sledging are also extremely popular with tourists. In fact, skiing courses are provided for at this extremely beautiful hill station.
d. The creation of “Patnitop Bypass Tunnel”:
During winters in Patnitop it was found that, “National Highway-44” frequently had this tendency of getting blocked due to heavy snowfall or avalanche thereby causing inconvenience to travelers. And so, to avoid such a problem a road tunnel called “Chenani-Nashri” (supposedly India’s longest) was created from the south of this hill station to the north.
e. The “heavy” snowfall received at Patnitop:
“Severely cold” would be the best way to describe the climate especially during winter at Patnitop. The temperature ranging from a maximum of 40 degree Celsius with the minimum touching sub zero temperatures. Such is snowfall received at this hill station during winters that it completely blocks “National Highway-44” which has compelled travelers to use the bypass tunnel.
It is therefore a combination of beautiful landscape and of course lots of snow (mainly during winter) which makes Patnitop, a hill station in India truly worth visiting.
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Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons and Wikimedia Commons