Kathua

Kathua is one of the districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The district of Kathua is bound by Pakistan in the south- west, Udhampur in the north- west, Jammu in the west, Doda in the north, Himachal Pradesh in the north- east and Punjab in the south- east. Legend has it that about 2000 years ago, Jodh Singh of the Andotra Dynasty, who was a popular Rajput King, settled here along with his three sons. All the three sons founded three small towns namely, Taraf Manjali, Taraf Tajwal, and Taraf Bhajwal. Together these three towns were known as Kathai by local people and eventually, Kathai became Kathua. The district is considered as one of the most beautiful districts of the state and is popular for various tourist attractions and religious centres. Bani, Panyalag Chandel, Sarthal, Duggan and Bansal are some of the famous tourist spots in the district. The valley of Bani is situated amidst nature and is known for its thick forests, numerous waterfalls, and beautiful meadows.

Kathua is the largest town of the district and is about 88 km away from Jammu, the winter capital of the state. It is believed that a famous Rajput, Jodh Singh of the Andotra clan migrated here about 2000 years ago from Hastinapur and settled down here. Later, his three sons established three hamlets known as Taraf Tajwal, Taraf Bhajwal and Taraf Manjali and the conglomeration of these hamlets were locally termed as Kathai. Over time, it came to be known as Kathua. Basohli, a famous town in t