Samot Sar

 Samot Sar is a blue water lake of oval shape. The northern part of Badjari Marg has this beautiful blue water lake at an altitude of 3550 meters. The lake is a kilometer long is at a distance of four hours from Budhal where one can enjoy the different and the beautiful nature which is also in the part of Pir Panjal Range. This lake is said to be one of the most picturesque lakes of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

Jammu and Kashmir has this beautiful district named as Rajouri, the name is taken from the town which used to be earlier known as Rajapuri. This was a part of the Poonch district before 1967 and was then bifurcated into different districts on 22nd September 1967 to increase the pace of development and also keep a check on the activities of the area better. Then, it was declared that Rajouri was a separate district from the 1st January 1968 with an area of 2630 sq km. This district is famously known as the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir and is 154 km away from Jammu and Kashmir. The limitation to reach this district is that it can only be reached by road which is located at the foothill of the Peer Panchal Range.

Rajouri district holds a very important place in the historical times. There was a kingdom named as Panchal Desa during the Mahabharata times. Panchal Naresh was the king of the place who got his daughter Draupadi married to the Pandvas. Rajouri was then a part of the Panchal Naresh’s kingdom. The district in east is bound by Jammu and Udhampur whereas the southern side has the line of control passing through, Poonch district by the west and Pulwama on the north.

The semi tropical climate of Rajouri prevails for most of the months in a year. The monsoons are good with a good amount of rainfall measures. Frequent hailstorms can be seen at some districts with the rains being regular and not playing truant. The best time to visit is the summers as the weather is soothing and are warm.

The maximum heat that one can think of in this district is to be around 37 degrees and starts around April and goes on till June. The lowest that dips during summers is around 20 degrees.

The monsoon starts from July and continues till September with hailstorms being very common in the season. Those thinking to visit during monsoons, be sure to be armed with protective clothes to brave through the rains. August receives the highest amount of rainfall.

The winter chill starts from December and can be witnessed till February. The minimum being 7 degrees and the maximum being 15 degrees but the temperature after sunset falls rapidly and suddenly.

Jammu has the closest airport from Rajouri and is one of the most sought after options to come by air. There are very frequent flights to Srinagar from Goa, Jammu, Delhi, Mumbai and Leh. It is apt to hire taxis from the airport to go till Rajouri as this place can only be reached by road. Different options in cars are made available by the car operators.