Dehradun

Dehradun, the capital of Uttaranchal is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. The lush green valley in which this beautiful city is located, is surrounding by the Himalayas in north, the Shivalik range in south, river Ganga to its east and the river Yamuna to its west.

• According to scientific evidence, the Dun valley was under the sea in the Neolithic age and the presence of massive limestone reserves in the surrounding mountains and the find of millions of fossils of aquatic life in the valley clearly supports this theory.
• There are many stories associated with Dehradun, According to our religious scripture the word of Dehradun is made of two Hindi words one of "Dera" which means camp and second is "Dun" which means Valley.
• Some say that Dehradun was a part of Kedar khand (as mentioned in our religious scripture- The Mahabharat) ; at a latter date included in the kingdom of Emperor Ashoka at the end of the 3rd century B.C.
• Guru Dronacharya (the teacher of the Kauravs and Pandavs) found a place that was well suited for peaceful mediation and worship and therefore the valley of Dun named of Drona Ashram, which means 'Abode of Drona".
• According to another myth, Lord Shiva, the Hindu Lord of destruction, stamped his foot in anger in the Dun valley, creating a depression, and causing the formation of the valley.
• Yet another lore has it that that Lord Rama and his brother, Laxmana, came here and did penance after killing of Ravana, the King of Lanka.

Dehradun is also an important city for Sikhs. Guru Ram Rai, the seventh Sikh Guru, made the place his home in the second half of the 17th century.. Ram Rai was welcomed by the ruler of Dehradun, and built a Gurudwara (Sikh temple) here. Every year after the Holi, a festival of colors, thousands of Sikh devotees comes to Gurudwara and celebrates an annual fair called Jhanda Mela.

In subsequent centuries, the Katyuris, Pawars, Gorkhas and other ruler ruled it. Eventually the British regiments had captured this region in 1815 and ruled till India got freedom.

Areas connected to Dehra Dun :

Dehradun is the doorway to many other places of tourist like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Tungnath, Rudranath, and Madmaheshwar. At nearby there are many interesting places for excursions like Tepkeshwar Temple, Malsi Deer Park, Kalanga Monument, Laxaman Siddh, Chandrabani, Sai Darbar, Robber's Cave, Santaula Devi Temple, Tapovan, Forest Research Institute and so many other beautifull place & also Fairs and Festivals such as Jhanda Mela, Tapkeshwar Meala, Shvaratri, Laxaman Sidh Mela, Chadarbani Mela were really worth seeing.