Sources of Jammu History :

Jammu is a ancient principality Indeed, but Jammu lacks  a, “kalhana” like chronicle writer, who can write and describe about the beginning and evolution of Jammu principality.
The Sources are:-
1.  Literary
2.  Archeological
3.  Numismatic
4.  Folk
5.  Dogra art
6.  Inscription

1. Literary sources:- “Salvas” and “Madra” are  some of the earliest inhabitant of  Jammu, who were known to Vedic people, and in Atharvaved and Brihadaryanka Upanishad, there are reference to “Madra”, in the work of “Panini”  we also find the reference of Madra, which is a work of 700 BCE.
The geographical features of Jammu region are also found in the “Padam purana”, Brihat Samhita, Vishnu Purana, Nilamat Purana, Mahabharat also.
In these texts Jammu area is regarded as “Darva Abhisara” and there is reference of holy Devika stream, Chandrabhaga, Aapaga, Udda, Revati and even Basantar also, Alexander also writes about the Darva Abhisara.

Travelogue of Yuan Chwang, the area is regarded as Tak-desa, but he had visited the Rajpuri, which is Rajouri presently. In Persian and Urdu, Jammu find early reference in the Kitab ul Hind of al Beruni, where he had defined and wrote about the myths and trade routes of jammu.

Other are, Malfuzat-e-Timuri, Tarikh-e-Firozshahi, Tarikh-e-Daudi , Tarikh-e-Farishta, and number of many other. Tarikh-e-Gulshan-e-Punjab by Debi Parsad , Tarikh-e-Guru Khalsa by Gian Singh, and many more. And Persian “Sanad” between the Delhi rulers and Jammu kings, and letters in Takri script of Dogri, between the local raja of Chamba and hills of jammu.

These are old chronicles which deals with the Jammu kings and their ancestors and these are taken as sources for writing of Rajdarashini by Ganesh Das and in Gulab Nama by Diwan Kirpa Ram.
Others are, Tarikh-e-Jammu by Hashmutallah khan , Tarikh-e-Jammu Thakur Kanth Singh, Tarikh-e Dogra Desh by Narsingh Das.

2. Archeological sources : Archeological remain are ample in jammu region, ASI had done extensive excavation in region from 1960’s. Stone tools are discovered in jammu, kathua and Udhampur, which resembles to Sohan river valley (Rawalpindi)  tools. In the Kathua, Pleistocene age sites are found ranging from3 lakhs years to about 30,000 years from today were found.

Here tools like hammer, ace, chopper are discovered, pleolithic age sites discovered  in samba, some sites are excavated, in Paith, Nandi and Mananu, and in Kathua’s, Dyalachak. 

In southern slope of Udhampur, near Gambhir Khad in Kishanpur-Nagrota, some stone artifacts are discovered. In Ambaran near Akhnoor, terracotta figure are discovered which resembles greatly with Gandhara style of Pakistan. Krimchi temple and Babor stone temples are also a masterpiece.

3. Folk traditions : The ballads and lyrics are found extensively among Duggars. In lyrics, there are Dhotru, Bishanpate, Jhanjhotiya, Pakhan, Naustra, Swashi and Gugrian.

In ballads, there are Barans and Karkan, of Mian dido, Mehta basti ram, Wazir Ratnu and folk deities.
                                                                                                                                                                                        
4. Numismatic : The finds in this area is poor, not much is found in numismatic field. Some Hindushahi coin are founded here, now in Srinagar museum, some coins of Kunindas rulers of Himachal are now in jammu art gallery .

5. Dogra art : The dogra painting is famous worldwide, the centre like Basholi, Mankot , Jasrota, Jammu, Nurpur and  Bhadarwah, and whole jammu hills.
And the palace of Billawar was famous worldwide, it Sheeshmahal and all.

6. Inscription : Two copper plates which were found in Chamba, and Takri script engraved stones in Akhnoor and Uttarbehni are also vital for reconstructing jammu history and as sources for an historian.