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             DEHRADUN TRAVEL GUIDE

Dehradun  is the capital city of the Uttarakhand , and the headquarters of Dehradun
District. It is located in the Doon valley, 230 kilometers north of India's capital New
Delhi and the Delhi metropolitan area. The district is surrounded by the Himalayas in
the north, Shivalik Hills in the south, the river Ganga in the east, and the river
Yamuna in the west. The water divide of Ganga and Yamuna passes through the
city. It is also located on the north western side of the fertile Gangetic plains of India.

The earliest tangible evidence of the history of Dehradun dates back to 300 BC, as
indicated by a rock inscription at Kalsi, discovered in 1860. This inscriptions located
at the northern outskirts of the city are attributed to King Ashoka. In the inscription,
there are 14 edicts carved on a rock and adjacent to these is the site where Raja
Shilvarma of the Vrisheri dynasty made three horse sacrifices during his rule in the
3rd century BC. At the site, large inscribed bricks are arranged to form the shape of a
bird with a fire altar in the middle.

It is also believed that in Vedic times, the Garhwal Mandal, of which Dehradun is a
part, was known as the Kedar Khand. Legend has it that Guru Dronacharaya, a
Brahmin teacher of the Kauravas and Pandavas in Mahabharat , set up his ashram
or 'dera' here. Eventually, the Dron Ashram came to be known as Dehradun.
Therefore, it is also referred to as Dronpuri in history. According to the Ramayana,
Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana undertook a penance in Dehradun for killing
Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

For about two decades till 1815 it was under the occupation of Nepal. In April 1815
Gorkhas were ousted from Garhwal region and Garhwal was annexed by the British.
In that year the area now comprising the tehsil of Dehra Dun was added to the
district Saharanpur. In 1825, however, it was transferred to the Kumaon Division. In
1828, Dehra Dun and Jaunsar Bhabar were placed under the charge of a separate
Deputy Commissioner and in 1829, the Dehra Dun district was transferred from the
Kumaon Division to the Meerut Division. In 1842, Dun was attached to Saharanpur
district and placed under an officer subordinate to the Collector of the district, but
since 1871 it has been administered as separate district. In 1968 the district was
taken out from the Meerut Division and included in the Garhwal Division.

Following a war between the Nepal and the British, the Treaty of Sugauli was signed
in 1816 that established the current boundaries of Nepal. Garhwal and Kumaon
regions, including Dehradun were ceded to the British. While territories west of the
Alaknanda were returned to the Garhwal Raja now established at Tehri, Eastern
Garhwal (later British Garhwal) and Dehradun were retained under direct British
control.

During British rule, Dehradun used to be the summer base for the Viceroy's
bodyguards. The British established: The Forest Research Institute in 1906; The
Royal Indian Military College (Rashtriya Indian Military College) in 1922; and The
Indian Military Academy in 1932. Dehradun also has a large number of distinguished
people living in it.


PLACE TO VISIT


The Kalunga War Memorial - Sahastradhara Road. The only war
memorial of its kind in the world which was erected by the British to honour their foe,
the Gurkhas

The Museum - Forest Research Institute. Lavish environs and one of the
largest institutes of its kind. Guided tours available. Open:9AM-1PM and
2:30PM-5:30PM. Admission free. Photographs are allowed, but no flash indoors.

Ram Rai Gurudwara - Jhanda Mohalla. Built by Guru Har Rai's son, it attracts
many Sikh pilgrims from the nearby state of Punjab. Admission is free and
non-Sikhs are welcome.

Tapkeshwar Temple - Garhi Cantt. An ancient temple dedicated to Lord
Shive, Tapkeshwar is situated on the banks of a rivulet.

Sai Darbar Temple - Rajpur Road. This place of worship holds a high
spiritual value, and is thus visited by tourists across the country.

Robbers Cave - Also known as Guchu Pani, and situated at a distance of eight
km from the city center, Robbers cave is a beautiful picnic spot. On display here is
one of natures strange phenomena; a stream of water goes underground here and
reappears a few meters away. The cave is surrounded by hills and is a beautiful
getaway for those looking for peace and quiet of the hills.

Sahastradhara - Around 14 km from Dehradun is the cold Sulphur water
spring called Sahastradhara. The spring is believed to have exceptional medicinal
value and the dripping caves and a bath in the Baldi River near the spring are said to
rejuvenate the body and soul.


HOW TO REACH

By plane -      Jolly Grant Airport (IATA: DED) (ICAO: VIDN) - light aircraft only -
currently only Air Deccan [2] flies to Dehradun, and there are two daily flights from
Delhi, departing at 10:55AM and 1:40PM. The flights take around 1 hour.

By train -  Dehradun is a major station and a terminus in the state of
Uttarakhand. It is connected by rail to all parts of the country, and the Shatabdi, Jan
Shatabdi and Mussourie Express from New Delhi are some of the important
services. There are also expresses to other major cities including the
Bandra-Dehradun Express from Mumbai which is reputed to be one of the slowest
expresses in India. Some other expresses connect Dehradun to Varanasi, Kolkata,
Gorakhpur, Amritsar, Indore, Ujjain and Chennai. Some do not run every day.

By bus - Semi-deluxe and ordinary Uttarakhand State buses depart every hour
from ISBT, Kashmere Gate in New Delhi. There is also an overnight deluxe A/C
service run by Uttarakhand Tourism. It is a six to seven hour journey from Delhi.