The tourists initially wanted to visit the Vaishno Devi temple but were redirected to the unexplored tourist spot in Panchari due to landslides near the temple

Amid-heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, several tourists on Sunday thronged the Panchari hill station in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir to enjoy the chilly weather and fresh snowfall in the area.

The tourists initially wanted to visit the Vaishno Devi temple but were redirected to the unexplored tourist spot in Panchari due to landslides near the temple.

Speaking to ANI, Amit Paul, a tourist from New Delhi, said: "We were told that heavy snowfall had taken place in the area. So we came to visit Panchari instead of Vaishno Devi temple. It is a very good place to visit. Since it is an unexplored visit, the natural beauty of the place is intact."

However, he further stated that the place was in need of certain developments.

Prasad, a tourist from Mumbai, Maharashtra, said: "It was an unfortunate thing that we could not go to the temple because of landslides. However, this place is a very good tourist spot, and more people should visit the area."

"I would request other people to make this area a priority during winters," said Vaytika, a tourist from Faridabad.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) observed rain and thundershowers at some places of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, East Madhya Pradesh, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

ANI