Dehradun - is the Capital of the North Indian state of Uttarakhand which was moved
out of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000. The city is also the headquarters of the
Dehradun district. The city is located in the Doon valley in the north west of the
state. The valley is situated between the Himalayas in the North and the Shivalik
hills to the South. The two holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna divide Dehradun on the
eastern and western sides respectively. The beauty of the city has been captivating
generations of tourists and settlers ever since the first group of Sikh wanderers
camped in these valleys after being banished by the mughul emperor Aurangzeb. It
is the gateway to many other places of tourist interest like Haridwar, Rishikesh,
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Garhwal region in the north eastern
state of Uttaranchal. The Jolly Grant airport, nearest from Dehradun is 25 km away.
It is linked with flights to Delhi, which is major international airport of India.
The excellent rail network links Dehradun with other important places of India.
The Shatabdi Express, Mussorie Express and the Dehradun-Mumbai Express cater to
the rail transport between Dehradun and Delhi, Mussorie, Mumbai, Varanasi, Calcutta,
Lucknow.
If we reveal the past of Dehradun, this region was been ruled by many groups over
the centuries. The Katyuris of Garhwal ruled here for a long time to be followed
by the Sikhs and the Mughuls. The area went under the control of the Gurkhas after
that. Following the war between the Gurkhas and the British. The treaty of Sugauli
was signed in 1816 and the area came under British control. The British were captivated
by the climate of Dehradun and turned it into their residential resort. They also
set up several important institutions and schools here. The office of Survey of
India, founded in 1767 is an important landmark of Dehradun. The organization had
determined the height of Mount Everest under the leadership of the then Surveyor
Gehoneral, Sir George Everest. Then there is the Forest Research Institute on the
Kaulagarh road of Dehradun. The institute trains forest officers in India. It has
six museums that display the best species of flora and fauna to be found in India.
Wood samples, insects, furniture, wildlife, few stuffed animals, library and bookshop
are the other places you may check out at the institute. Dehradun is also having
the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology. It has a museum that displays the geological
diversity of India. Rock samples, semi-precious stones and fossils are the various
exhibits in the museum There are many interesting places to visit in Dehradun. The
city and its surroundings have many places of religious importance associated with
history and legend. Tapovan and Tapkeshwar temple are two religious places associated with the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. The former is believed to be the location
of the ashram of Dronacharya, the legendary teacher of the Pandavas. Laxman Sidd
temple, Maldevta, Santhla Devi and Pointa Sahib are some of the other important
religious places in and around Dehradun. Robbers cave and Dakpathar are scenic spots
from where tourists can enjoy the beauty of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
From Dehradun, tourists can visit Rishikesh, Haridwar, Auli, Mussoorie and other
tourist destinations in Uttarakhand.