Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas at an altitude of 635 metres above sea level, Dehradun is the capital of new Indian state Uttarakhand (formerly known as Uttaranchal).
The fast emerging modern Indian city Deharadun , has a legendry history. According to the Mahabharat, the teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas, Guru Dronacharya, set up his shelter (Ashram) or “Dera” here and the Dron Ashram eventually came to be known as Dehradun. Similarly, “Dehra” means camp in Hindi language. Most possibly the military camps established here during the Anglo-Gurkha war at Dehradun originated the name Dehra Dun.
The available tangible evidence of the history of Dehradun dates back to 300 BC. The rock inscriptions discovered in 1860 at the northern outskirts of the Dehradun city, Kalsi, indicate 14 edicts of King Ashoka.
Dehradun is believed to be known as Kedar Khand in the ancient Vedic times. It also used to be referred as Dronpuri because of the Guru Dronacharya’s Ashram (shelter).
It has been revealed that many rulers from different dynasties like Katyuris of Garhwal, Sikhs, Mughals and Gurkhas of Nepal ruled the gorgeous valley of Dehradun subsequently.
Most promisingly, the evidences of the brave Gurkhas are still prevalent in the Dehradun area. Khalanga, where one can see monument recalling the story of the bravery of the battle between the British and the Gurkhas is in Dehradun only. In the battle of Kalanga lieutenant Allis and general Gillespie of British force were killed.
The Nalapani Killa (Fort) lies in the north east of Dehradun (approximately 15 km) where the British force fully equipped with modern guns and cannons became unable to win the Gurkhas with arrows, Khukuris (Swords of the brave Gurkhas) and catapults. Being tired of the battle, the British force treacherously blocked the water supply to the fort. After fighting for days without food or even water, the 70 brave Gurkhas out of 670 managed to come out of the fort with bare Khukuris in their hands in command of Balabhadra Kuwar and managed to escape into the hills at night. The British force couldn’t stop itself from praising the gallantry of Gurkhas after getting the fort filled with the dead bodies of mostly women and children.
Writing “In memory of our brave enemy.........” on the walls of the fort with blood, the British Force regretted on their win.
Besides the brave history associated with it, Dehradun used to be the summer camp for the Viceroy’s bodyguards during the British regime in India. The British also established many military academies and research centres in Dehradun. The Forest Research Institute (In 1906), Royal Indian Military College recently known as Rastriya Indian Military College (in 1922) and Indian Military Academy (in 1932) all were established by the British.
In the modern day, Dehradun is the centre for education and military cantonment. Century Old Catholic and Protestant convent schools are still famous for quality education. Over 300 high schools including the famous Doon School which is considered to be the best public School in India are found in Dehradun only.
The legendry place has many interesting sites for its visitors. A picturesque picnic spot at a distance of 11 kilometres from the Dehradun city centre is Sahastra Dhara. Sahastra Dhara means the “1000 springs” and water here has a fall of about 9 metres and it leaves an incrustation of lime on all it touches. Being accumulated for more than a century, the lime particles have formed a projecting ledge and below a sort of cave. From the roof of the cave falls a perpetual shower. The cave and the shower provide a breathtaking view. A sulphur spring is also present at Sahastradhara. Visitors often take bath considering the sulphur water as a cure for skin infections.
Another worth visiting location in Deheradun is the Robber’s Cave. The beautiful cave formed by a natural rift in a mountain is 8 km away from the Dehradun city. The last one kilometre distance is to be walked to reach this natural cave. In the darkness of the cave flows a very cold stream of water gushing down the mountain. The darkness of the cave along with the sound of the fast flowing stream gives an unforgettable moment to anyone who visits it.
The temple of Tapkeshwar Mahadev Dehradun, is the next location with its ancient and natural importance. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is 5.5 km from the city bus stand and is well connected by road. The temple is named Tapkeshwar as water droplets originating from a rock fall on top of the Shivling placed in the temple. Situated under a unique formation of natural rock, the temple of Tapkeshwor is a kind of unique temple in Dehradun(India).
In a distance of approximately 5 km from Deheradun is the beautifully surrounded Tapovan. It is famous for its auspicious nature relating to Hindu mythology. One can find hermits doing all sorts of penance to appease the God in the premises of Tapoban(Dehradun). It is believed that Guru Dronacharya had done penance in the area.
Perched on the hill, 1000 feet over the bank of river Rispana is the Kalanga Monument. Located on the right side of the Deheradun-Sahastra Dhara road, the monument recalls the story of the bravery of the battle between the Gorkhas and the British. It also represents the history of the Garhwal Rulers.
A temple dedicated to Lord Buddha, situated on Rajpur Road adjacent to Sai Durbar is the Tibetan Temple of Dehradun. The temple is famous for its rich Tibetan culture and ambience.
Besides the places with natural, holy and legendry importance, Deheradun is full of many researches, survey and other locations worth visiting once or even more. The
1. Forest Research Institute (first research institute established in India) ,Dehradun
2. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology,Dehradun
3. Survey of India,Dehradun
4. Indian Military Academy,Dehradun
5. The Zoological Survey of India,Dehradun
6. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC),Dehradun
7. Rastriya Indian Military College (RIMC),Dehradun
8. Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP),Dehradun and
9. Indian Council of Forestry and Research & Education (ICFRE),Dehradun
are some of the places one will really enjoy visiting.
Dehradun is well connected by road to all the major parts of India. The Indian capital New Delhi is 230 km from Dehradun. One can get government and private buses for Dehradun from most of the major cities. One can use taxis and jeeps to move around to the nearby areas of Dehradun. The holy city Haridwar is at a distance of 52 km. Dehradun serves as a gateway to the queen of hills, Mussorie.
The Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun is well connected by private airline services to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi.
In case of rail route, Dehradun is very well connected with important cities of India. Some of the major train routes from Deheradun are:
ü Dehradun –Haridwar-Ujjain
ü Dehradun –Haridwar-Howrah (Kolkata)
ü Dehradun –Haridwar-Delhi
ü Dehradun –Haridwar-Mumbai
ü Dehradun –Haridwar-Varanashi
