Jammu is said to be founded by an ancient king known by the name of Raja Jamboolchan. According to a legend, he happened to reach the Tawi River during one of his hunting expeditions when he caught sight of an unbelievable scene wherein a lion and a goat were drinking water standing side by side. He was pleasingly amazed at this truly incredible view and instantly took the decision of building a palace here and founding a city around it. The Bahu fort present even to this date not only supports the view of the locals but also prompts some historians to form a conjecture to this effect.

Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture. Historically, Ladakh was a Buddhist kingdom which included Baltistan and Aksai Chin which are now administered by Pakistan and China respectively. It had a strategic location at the crossroads of major trade routes but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960s, international trade has dwindled except for tourism. Since 1974 the Indian Government has successfully encouraged tourism in Ladakh. Ladakh has been a focal point of numerous wars between India and Pakistan and the Sino-Indian War of 1962. The Saltoro ridge in the Siachen glacier region is an active military zone even today.