Dehradun serves as the gateway to some of the country’s most popular hill stations such as Musssorie and Nainital. Located 235 km from Delhi, Dehradun serves as the capital of Uttarakhand.
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalyan mountain ranges, Dehradun sits cozily between the two most prominent rivers of the country – Ganga and Yamuna. The landscape of Dehradun is bright and colourful, giving the city a majestic charm to complement its beautiful temples and structures.
Dehradun is also very near to some of India’s most popular pilgrimage sites such as Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Apart from the innumerable fairs, temples and museums that attracts lakhs of tourists to Dehradun, the city also houses some of the most well regarded Military schools in the country.
The pleasant weather that the city enjoys, apart from good connectivity, has only added reasons for tourists to bring Dehradun up on their list of places to visit.
The Doon School, one of India's leading boarding schools, is located in Dehradun. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Olympic medallist Abhinav Bindra, eminent writer Amitav Ghosh, media tycoon Aroon Purie are some of the alumni of Doon School.
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalyan mountain ranges, Dehradun sits cozily between the two most prominent rivers of the country – Ganga and Yamuna. The landscape of Dehradun is bright and colourful, giving the city a majestic charm to complement its beautiful temples and structures.
Dehradun is also very near to some of India’s most popular pilgrimage sites such as Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Apart from the innumerable fairs, temples and museums that attracts lakhs of tourists to Dehradun, the city also houses some of the most well regarded Military schools in the country.
The pleasant weather that the city enjoys, apart from good connectivity, has only added reasons for tourists to bring Dehradun up on their list of places to visit.
The Doon School, one of India's leading boarding schools, is located in Dehradun. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Olympic medallist Abhinav Bindra, eminent writer Amitav Ghosh, media tycoon Aroon Purie are some of the alumni of Doon School.
History
The region of Dehradun has its earliest reference in the Ramayan and Mahabharat. It is believed that Lord Ram and Lakshman had visited the region on their way back from Lanka. Guru Dronacharya was born and resided in Dehradun.Ruins and artifacts dating back to more than 2000 years found near the banks of Yamuna point to the fact that Emperor Ashok ruled the region of Dehradun. The region was named as Sudhnagar during the seventh century.
Mahmud of Ghazni invaded Dehradun in the 14th century. In the late 17th century control of Dehradun fell into the hands of the Sikhs who ruled for 24 years. In 1803, Gurkhas took over Dehradun making it a part of Nepal province. After the treaty of Sugowli, British got control of the city in 1816.
In the year 2000, the state of Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. Dehradun was declared as its capital.
Fun facts
Dehradun has been an inspiration for many eminent writers and painters like Ruskin Bond, Bil Acne, David Cling, Nayantra Sahgal, etc who have stayed at Dehradun for a long period in their life or have done their work during their stay in the city.Culture
Hindi and Garhwali are the main languages spoken in Dehradun. Apart from that, Gorkhali, Kumaoni, Punjabi and English are also spoken in the city.There are two museums in Dehradun that explain the origin and customs of the people living in the foothills of the Himalyan ranges. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology educates people about Himalayan geology and general geology using various mediums like books, videos, charts, etc.
Dehradun is extremely famous for its fairs that attract a lot of people to the city. Amongst the famous one’s are Jhanda fair, Tapkeshwar Mela, Lakhawar fair, etc.
Shopping
There are a lot of shopping outlets in Dehradun from where exquisite locally made woodcrafts and paintings can be bought. Paltan Bazaar, Rajpur Road and Astley Hall are the major shopping centres of Dehradun.Beautiful carpets weaved by the Tibetan refugees in Dehradun are available in the Tibetan market.
Where to stay
Dehradun offers a lot in terms of accommodation options ranging from budget to mid-range to luxury hotels. Most of the hotels are located on Rajpur Road, close to the railway station. Almost all the luxury and mid-range hotels provide pick-up services from the airport along with other modern amenities.Where to eat
There are a lot of eating options available in Dehradun ranging from street side joints to international fast food outlets. Most of the restaurants serving Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines are located on Rajpur Road. North Indian delicacies are extremely popular in these restaurants.Tibetean delicacies are extremely famous in Dehradun and can be found in the Tibetan Market. Small stalls that serve noodles in a unique way are thronged by tourists.
Tourits also prefer going to international fast food joints like McDonalds and Pizza Hut that are located on Rajpur Road.
Apart from that, in-house restaurants are present in hotels that serve a wide variety of cuisines.