Dehradun (Uttaranchal)

Dehradun is situated in the newly formed Himalayan state of Uttaranchal around 235 km from Delhi at the center of the Doon valley. The city has the Himalayas to its north, the Shivalik range to its south, the sacred Ganges to its east and the Yamuna to its west. Dehradun is the part of Garhwal Himalayan region, which was earlier known as Kedar Khand. Katyuris of Garhwal were the initial rulers of this region. Later, this stronghold of the Katyuri dynasty passed into the hands of the Sikhs and Mughals. The Gorkhas of Nepal also ruled here for a long time till the British came into the picture. Following a war between the Gorkhas and the British, the Treaty of Sugauli was signed in 1816. With this, the British established their hold over the entire Garhwal and Kumaon regions including Dehradun. Today this enchanting city still retains the quaint flavours of the Raj, though the influences of the tourism are gradually turning it into a metropolitan. The people of the city pride themselves for having a smile for all those who come to their lovely city. Dehradun at present is the capital of Uttaranchal and poised for major developments in the coming future.

Population: Around 270,159 people lives here

Climate: Due to its location in the hilly part of the state, the climate of Dehradun is salubrious. During the summer months, the temperature ranges between 36°C and 16.7° C. The winter months are colder with the maximum and minimum temperatures touching 23.4°C and 5.2° C respectively.

Best Time to Visit: November - December and April - July

Places of Interest

Robbers’ Cave
8 km away from the city bus stand and is an ideal picnic spot. Local bus service is available upto Anarwala village, from where the caves are only a kilometer away.

Tapkeshwar
A cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the banks of a seasonal river. Here, water falls on a shivling drop by drop from a rock and hence the name Tapkeshwar. It is 5.5 km from the city bus stand and is situated in the Garhi Cantonment area.

Tapovan
Tapowan is about 5 km from the city bus stand on the Dehradun-Rajpur Road. The place is situated amidst beautiful surroundings and legend has it that Guru Dronacharaya underwent his penance here.

The Malsi Deer Park
A newly developed tourist spot at the foothills of the Shivalik range. The place is situated about 10 km from Dehradun on the road leading to Mussorie. A mini-zoo with children’s park and lovely natural surroundings make it an ideal sightseeing cum picnic spot.

The Forest Research Institute
The biggest forest based product-training institute in India. All Forest Officers in India are trained here.

Kalsi
Kalsi is a historical place with an Ashokan Pillar, which has inscriptions in Devanagari. An Ashokan rock edict built in AD 450 is also situated here.

There are a number of important institutions located in Dehradun that provide different academic and research facilities. Some of them are the Anthropological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Survey of India, Indian Institute of Petroleum, Rashtriya Indian Military College, Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, and Indian Military Academ

Excursion

Clouds End
The resort is surrounded by thick deodar forest and is ideally suited for foreigners and honeymooners. The bungalow built in 1838 by a British major was one of the first four buildings of Mussoorie has now been converted into a hotel. The place provides peace and calm and is full of flora and fauna.

Sir George Everest house
The place called Park Estate where building & laboratory of first Surveyor General of India Sir George Everest after whom worlds highest peak Mt. Everest is named stills stands. It is 6 kms from Gandhi Chowk and vehicle can go right upto the place. The place provides an enchanting view of Doon Valley on one side and view of Yamuna Valley & snow bound Himalayan ranges on the other. An ideal place for picnic and trekking.

Triveni Ghat
A sacred bathing spot on the bank of the river Ganga where devotees take holy dips and offer prayers. Triveni Ghat is believed to be the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati river. The Aarti ceremony at Triveni Ghat, on the south end of Rishikesh, takes place at the sundown.

Lakshman Jhoola
A suspension bridge across Ganga situated 5kms.from Rishikesh, on the way to Badrinath. Originally, there was a hanging jute (rope) bridge till 1889. This was rebuilt with iron ropes. It is believed that Ram's brother Lakshman crossed the river here on a jute rope. On the west bank, there is a Lakshman temple also.
On the side of this famous bridge is the well-known Shri Raghunathji temple. ie. Shri Ram is said to have visited this beautiful place.
This bridge is the main way for people going up the hills and down to the Gita Bahvan and Swarg Ashram.

Ram Jhoola
A suspension bridge between the Shivanand Ashram and the Swargashram. It provides an atternative to a boat ride from one bank of Ganga to another. Its construction is similar to that of the Lakshman Jhoola.

Shivanand Ashram (The Divine Society)
Founded by Swami Shivanand, This well-known spiritual centre is renowned for its lectures on spiritual life. Meditation and Yoga classes can be attended in the morning and evenings. A person can stay here for short-term study and for longer three - month courses, one must write at least a month in advance.

How to get there

By Road:
Dehradun is well connected to other cities of Uttaranchal and Delhi with regular bus services. Distances of some major cities from Dehradun are Agra 381 km, Calcutta 1562 km, Chennai 2365 km, Delhi 235 km, Jaipur 493 km, Lucknow 582 km, and Mumbai 1578 km.

By Air:
The nearest airport from Dehradun is the Jolly Grant around 25 km away, on the outskirts of the town. There is a daily flight from here to Delhi, which is the nearest international airport.

By Rail:
Dehradun is a major railhead on the Northern Railway line with direct trains to almost all the metropolitan cities of India and some important tourist destinations in Uttaranchal. The Shatabdi Express is the best option for the tourists coming from Delhi and the other good option is the Mussorie Express. The Dehradun-Mumbai Express connects the city to Mumbai. There are also trains to Varanasi, Calcutta and Lucknow.