Dehradun
About the city
Dehra dun, the capital of Uttrakhand sprawls in the foot hills of Himalayas at the centre of the 120 ks. long Doon valley. The name Dehra dun is literally made up of two words where Dera (camp) and Dun (valley). The beautiful town referred as the ‘gateway' to Mussoorie and Garhwal interior is perhaps one of the oldest cities in India. It was occupied in turns by the sikhs, Mughals and Gurkhas before coming under the reigns of the British. Elite educational and other institutions were established during the British period. Dehra Dun is today proud of its institutions like the Forest Research Institute of Himalayan studies. Survey of India and Botanical survey of India etc. Dehra dun is also famous for aromatic long grain rice basmati and delicious lychees. It was included in the kingdom of Ashoka by the end of the 3rd century BC.It is revealed by history that for centuries the region formed part of the Garhwal kingdom with some interruption from Rohillas. For about two decades till 1815 it was under the occupation of the Gorkhas. In April 1815 Gorkhas were ousted from Garhwal region and Garhwal was annexed by the British. In that year the area now comprising tehsil Dehra Dun was added to 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 is being administered as separate district. In 1968 the district was taken out from Meerut division and included in the Garhwal Division.
Nestled in the mountain ranges of the Himalaya, Dehradun is one of the oldest cities of India and is recently declared as the Provisional Capital of newly created Uttaranchal State in the month of Nov'2000. Also known as the 'abode of Drona', Dehradun has always been an important center for Garhwal rulers, which was captured by the British. The headquarters of many National Institutes and Organizations like ONGC, Survey Of India, Forest Research Institute; Indian Institute of Petroleum etc are located in the city. Some of the premier educational and Training Institutes like Indian Miltary Academy, RIMC (Rashtriya Indian Military College), Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Lal Bahadur Shahstri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) etc are also there in Dehradun. It is a favoured tourist destination as it attracts tourists, pilgrims and enthusiasts from various walks of life to its serene environs. Add to this the abundance of special Basmati rice, tea and leechi gardens, which contribute in turning the city into a paradise.
The district is named after its chief city Dehra Dun. Dehra appears to be a corruption of dera signifying a temporary abode or camp. During the reign of Aurangzeb, Ram Rai, Guru of the Udasi Sikhs on being ordered by the Mughal king to retire to the wilderness of the Dun, had pitched his tents here in what is now the Khurbura locality of the town and has also built a temple near Dhanawala. Around these two sites, grew up the town popularly known as Dehra. The term dun or doon means the low lands at the foot of a mountain range, and as the bulk of the district lies in such a terrain, it justified the dun part of the name.
Another derivation of the term dun is stated to be from Dronashram, hermitage of Guru Dronacharya of Mahabharata fame, who sojourned for a season in the village of Devara, situated near to Dehra to perform his devotions at a lonely spot.
Dehradun, the city, headquarters of the district is visited by a large number of tourist every year, many of them en-route to Mussoorie. The climate of the city is temperate. Even during summer, it is not so warm at Dehra Dun as in the district south of it. The Forest Research Institute, which is world famous for its research work in forestry and is the only institution of its kind in Asia is situated here. Besides, headquarters of the important establishment like the Oil and Natural Commission; Survey of India etc., the Military Academy are also located here. The Gurudwara built by Guru Ram Raj during the reign of Aurangzeb in the Dhamanwala locality, o the town is a religious place of eminence. The other place of importance is the Robber's cave, situated at a distance of about 8 kms from Dehra Dun. The cave is a natural picnic spot surrounded by hills where water suddenly disappears from sight and goes underground only to reappear after a few yards in the form of a stream. The city has many beautiful rest houses and good hotels to provide accommodation to the tourist. For many years, it has been one of the best known educational centres in northern India. Dehra Dun is well linked by rail and road with Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Lucknow and Varanasi.
Demography
The total population of the city is about 5, 20,000 according to the 2001 census.History
A popular legend says that Guru Dronacharaya, a Brahmin teacher of warfare, onsidered the place fit for meditation and worship and theefore, the valley of Doon was christened Drona Ashram, meaning, "The Abode of Drona". During the British Raj, It was the summer base of the Viceroy's Bodyguard and at present, the base of the Indian Military Academy.Topography
Dehra Dun can be divided into two distinct tracts ie. the montane tract and the sub-montane tract. The montane tract covers whole Chakrata tehsil of the district and consists entirely of a succession of mountains and gorges and comprises Jaunsar Bhabar. The mountains are very rough with steep slopes. The most important features of the tract is the ridge which separates the drainage are of Tons on the west from that of Yamuna on the east.Below the montane tract follows the sub-montane tract, which is the famous Dun valley bounded by Shivalik hills in the south and outer scarp of the Himalayas in the north.