Pathankot
Pathankot is a small city in the state of Punjab. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Due to its ideal location, Pathankot serves as a travel hub for the three northerly states. It is the last city in Punjab on the national highway that connects Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India. This bestows strategic importance on the city. Situated in the picturesque foothills of Kangra and Dalhousie, with the river Chakki flowing close by, the city is often used as a rest-stop before heading into the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, Dalhousie, Chamba, and Kangra, deep into the Himalayas.
Pathankot is also used as a gateway to the Himachali hill stations of Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Mcleodganj, Kangra Valley, Jwalaji, and Chintpurni.
Places of Interest
Pathankot is surrounded by picturesque spots: Shahpur Kandi with a hanging rest house, Madhopur Headworks which date back to the Mughal era. Church, Head works of Upper Bari Doab, Shahpur Kandi are the attractions of this area. There are some caves on the way to Shahpur Kandi which date to the time of the Mahabharata. According to a legend, the Pandavas stayed in those caves for a night during their "Agayatwas". A carnival or mela, called Mukesran da mela is held there each year in the month of April to mark Baisakhi. One of India's foremost hydraulic research station in Malikpur is only 7 km away. There is a Fort, called Nurpur Fort bulit by the famous Nurpur king, just 25 km away from pathankot. This fort has a Lord Krishna temple. This temple is famous for the Lord Krishna black stone murti. This murti was gifted by some rajastani king to nurpur city king. There is also two famous temples of Nagni mata near pathankot city. There is famous small lord shiva cave on the way to dharamshala city from pathankot. There is also a Lord Hanuman temple on the way to dharamshala city from pathankot where two rivers are merge with each other.it is going to have new airport very soon
Transport
Pathankot is well connected by rail and road with the rest of the country.
It has direct train links with Delhi, Jammu and other Indian cities. All trains going to Jammu pass through Pathankot. The important trains include Jammu Tawi-Mumbai Express, Pooja Express from Jammu-Jaipur. Super fast trains like Jammu Tawi- Mumbai Express do not enter city Pathankot. They stop at outer Railway Station called 'Chakki Bank'. The distance from main Railway station & Chakki Bank is just 4 km.
Pathankot is also connected by a vast network of private and public-sector bus services to other cities in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir. Important destinations include Delhi, Shimla, Chandigarh, Jammu, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, and Amritsar.
A few years ago, an airport site was proposed for Pathankot. This airport is under construction and is expected to be operational soon. This airport will serve national flights only.
Distance From:
Jammu - 110 km
Amritsar - 109 km
Jalandhar - 112 km
Chandigarh - 269 km
New Delhi - 513 km
Education
Pathankot also serves as education hub for the nearby areas of J & K and Himachal. Many students basically from rural areas of these states come to study here. Now Pathankot has also got an Engineering College at Bughal Badani. It has famous colleges like SD College, AB College, etc. It has some of the famous schools like St. Joseph Convent School,MCM DAV Public School Pathankot, Guru Harkrishan Public School, Army School, Vivekanand high school. Some of the residential schools have also sprung up near Pathankot because of its scenic beauty like, Montessary, etc.
1965 War
PAF’s air strike on 6th September, 1965 on the Indian Air Force base of Pathankot has been rated by historians and defence analysts of both India and Pakistan as one of the most successful air raids of contemporary history. Not only did the PAF pilots achieve complete surprise but they also executed the attack with text-book precision. Its details make fascinating reading. PAF’s airfield strike plan for the dusk of day one of the war in 1965 comprised of just 8 F-86 Sabres.