Dehradun

Etymology

Dehradun is made up of two words: 'Dehra' is derived from the word "dera", deriving from griha and meaning home. "Doon" is a term for the valley that lies between the Himalayas and the "Shivaliks". When Ram Rai Ji, son of Guru Har Rai Ji, came to this region with his followers, he established a camp here for them. Around this time, the modern city of Dehradun started to develop. This is when the word dehra was linked to doon, and thus the city was named Dehradun. In Skanda Purana, Dun is mentioned as a part of the region called Kedar Khand, the abode of Shiva. In ancient India during the Mahabharata epic era, Dronacharya the great teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas, lived here hence the name, "Dronanagari" (द्रोणनगरी, lit. city of Drona). Some historians believe that the word dehra can be regarded as a term for camping.

History

The history of the city of Uttarakhand, Dehradun (nicknamed "Doon Valley") is linked to the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is believed that after the battle between Ravan and Lord Ram, Lord Ram and his brother Laxman visited this site. Dronacharya, the legendary Royal guru to the Kauravas and Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata, is believed to have been born and resided in Dehradun. Evidence such as ancient temples and idols have been found in the areas surrounding Dehradun which have been linked to the mythology of Ramayana and Mahabharata. These relics and ruins are believed to be around 2000 years old. Furthermore, the location, the local traditions and the literature reflect this region's links with the events of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Even after the battle of Mahabharata, the Pandavas had influence on this region as the rulers of Hastinapur with the descendants of Subahu ruled the region as subsidiaries. Likewise, Rishikesh is mentioned in the pages of history when Lord Vishnu answered the prayers of the saints, slaughtered the demons and handed the land to the saints. The adjoining place called Chakrata has its historical impression during the time of Mahabharata.In the seventh century this area was known as Sudhnagar and was described by the Chinese traveller Huen Tsang. Sudhnagar later came to be recognised as the name of Kaalsi. Edicts of Ashoka have been found in the region along the banks of river Yamuna in Kaalsi indicating the wealth and importance of the region in ancient India. In the neighbouring region of Haripur, ruins were discovered from the time of King Rasala which also reflect the region's prosperity.Before the name of Dehradun was used, the place is shown on old maps as Gurudwara (a map by Webb, 1808) or Gooroodwara (a map by Gerard, 1818). Gerard's map names the place as "Dehra or Gooroodwara". Surrounding this original Sikh temple were many small villages that are now the names of parts of the modern city.

Dehradun itself derives its name from the historical fact that Shri Ram Rai, the eldest son of the Seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai Ji, set up his "dera" (camp) in "dun" (valley) in 1676. This 'Dera' 'Dun' later on became Dehradun.

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was highly impressed by the miraculous powers of charismatic Ram Rai. He asked the contemporary Raja of Garhwal, Fateh Shah to extend all possible help to Shri Ram Rai. Initially a Gurudwara (temple) was built in Dhamawala. The construction of the present building of Darbar Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji Maharaj was completed in 1707. There are portraits of gods, goddesses, saints, sages and religious stories on the walls. There are pictures of flowers and leaves, animals and birds, trees, similar faces with pointed noses and big eyes on the arches which are the symbol of the colour scheme of Kangra-Guler and Mughal art. High minarets and round pinnacles are the models of the Muslim architecture. The huge talab in the front measuring 230 x 80 feet had dried up for want of water over the years. People had been dumping rubbish; it has been renovated and revived.

Dehradun was invaded by Mahmud of Ghazni during his campaigns into India followed by Taimooralang in 1368, Ruahela Njibuddulo in 1757 and Ghulam Qadir in 1785. In 1806 King Prithvi Narayan Shah united many of the Indian territories that now fell under places such as Almora, Pathankot, Kumaon, Garhwal, Sirmur, Shimla, Kangra and Dehradun.

On the western front Garhwal and parts of Himachal Pradesh up to Punjab and on the eastern front the state of Sikkim up to Darjeeling became parts of Nepal for a brief period until the British East India Company went on war from 1814 to 1816. The war ended with signing of the Treaty of Sugowli where almost a third was ceded to British East India company. The British got Dehradun in 1816 and colonised Landour and Mussoorie in 1827–1828.

Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, was quite fond of the city and often visited. He spent his last few days here before passing away in Delhi in 1964. Another leader from the independence movement, Rash Behari Bose, who was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar conspiracy and, later, the Indian National Army was based in Dehradun in his early days before he was forced to move to Japan in 1915 to continue the freedom struggle.

Post independence Dehradun and other parts of Garhwal and Kumaon were merged with United Provinces which was later renamed the state of Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, Uttarakhand state (earlier called Uttaranchal) was created from the northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000. Dehradun was made its provisional capital. After becoming the capital, the city has seen continuous development.

Geography

The city of Dehradun mainly lies in Doon Valley and is at a varying height from 410m in Clement Town to above 600 m at Jakhan which is 4 km from the city. However, the general elevation is 450 m above sea level. Jakhan is the starting point of Lesser Himalayan Range that extends to Mussoorie and beyond. Jaunsar Bawar hills in Dehradun District rises to 3700m above sea level. The hilly region of Mussoorie goes up to a height of 1870–2007 metres above sea level.

The Doon valley contains the settlements including Raiwala, Haridwar, Nepali Farm, Doiwala, Harrawala, Dehradun, Doiwala, Herbertpur, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur, Rishikesh, Selakui, Raiwala and Subash Nagar, Clement Town. The district contains Rajaji National Park which is home to several elephants, Benog Wildlife Sanctuary at Mussoorie & Asan Conservation Reserve {Asan Barrage}. The Doon valley has the Terai and Bhabar forests within it as well as the Shiwalik hills and Lesser Himalayan Range containing hill stations such as Mussoorie and Chakrata. The district is bordered by the Himalayas in the north, the Sivalik Hills to the south, the river Ganges to the east, and the Yamuna river to the west. Towns in the foothills of the mountain ranges include Mussoorie, Sahastradhara, Chakrata, Lahkhamondal, Gautam Kund Chandrabani and Dakpathar.

This district is divided into two major parts: the main city Dehradun surrounded by Shivalik and the Jaunsar Bavar, which is in the foothills of Himalayas. In the north and northwest it borders on the district of Uttarkashi and in the east by Pauri. In the west, it is bordered by Yamunanagar district of Haryana and the Tons and Yamuna rivers. To the south are Haridwar and Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district.

It is between latitudes 29 °58' N and 31°2'N and longitudes 77° 34' E and 78° 18'E. This district consists of six tehsils — Dehradun, Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Kalsi, Tiuni and Rishikesh — six community development blocks — Vis, Chakrata, Kalsi, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur, Rajpur and Doiwala — 17 towns and 764 villages. Out of these 746 villages are inhabited; 18 are uninhabited.

Climate

Dehradun is India's wettest State capital this monsoon with 2,865 mm of rainfall between 1 June and 30 September, according to Director of the Dehradun Meteorological Centre Anand Sharma (Spurious claim). Panjim(Goa)-Capital of Goa receives annually 296 cm of rain which is the highest amount of rainfall received by any state capital. With 2,365 mm, Mumbai received the second highest rainfall during this monsoon season.

In 2011, the Maharashtra capital recorded the maximum rainfall amongst all State capitals during the monsoon season. However, in 2012, Dehradun outdid Mumbai to become the wettest State capital. The trend continued in 2013 too.

Mr. Sharma said, "In 2012, Dehradun recorded 2137 mm of rainfall, and Mumbai received 1867 mm." This year many records had been broken. Dehradun's maximum recorded rainfall in 24 hours was 188 mm in 1925. This year, heavy rains caused havoc in the State in June. On 17 June, the rainfall for 24 hours was 370 mm.

In 1966, rainfall for June was 964 mm. This record too was broken as Dehradun's rainfall this June was 1,095 mm.

The year 2013 has the longest monsoon since 1975.

Mumbai comes second with 2,365 mm rainfall

The climate of Dehradun is humid subtropical, although it varies from tropical: from hot in summers to severely cold, depending upon the season and the altitude. The nearby hilly regions often get snowfall during winter.

Although the temperature in Dehradun can reach below freezing during severe cold snaps, this is not common. Summer temperatures can reach up to 44 °C for a few days and hot wind called Loo blows over North India, whereas winter temperatures are usually between 1 and 20 °C and fog is quite common in winters like plains. During the monsoon season, there is often heavy and protracted rainfall. Dehradun and other plains areas of Uttarakhand see almost as much rainfall as coastal Maharashtra and more than Assam. Agriculture benefits from fertile alluvial soil, adequate drainage and plentiful rain. Mountain areas are also used for agriculture. Dehradun is known internationally for its variety of Basmati rice and Lychees.

Demographics

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Dehradun in 2011 was 578,420; male and female are 303,411 and 275,009 respectively. The sex ratio of the city is 906 per 1000 males. The number of literates in Dehradun city is 463,791, of which 251,832 are males and 211,959 are females. Average literacy rate of Dehradun city is 89.32 percent, whereas male literacy and female literacy rates are 92.65 and 85.66 percent, respectively. The number of children of age under six in Dehradun city is 59,180 as per figure from Census India report on 2011. There are 31,600 boys and 27,580 are girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 873 per 1000 boys.

Places of interest

There are many small towns and scenic places in Dehradun District.

Maa Bala Sundari Mandir

Maa Bala Sundri Devi Darshan is considered to be the 'Bal Roop' of Maa Vaishno Devi There are various temples of Maa Bala Sundari Devi situated in India and this is one of those temple. The Main temple is in tirlokpur, himachal pradesh. This Mata Temple is situated approximately 3 Kms South-West Direction of Sudhowala. This great temple is situated inside a forest. The temple is at a scenic spot.

Gaur Niwas Sudhowala

This is a very beautiful place. and a city centre of sudhowala. this place has been developed by Pandit Shri Devi Dutt Gaur.

Derhradun International Cricket Stadium

Dehradun International Cricket Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Raipur area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It is the first international level stadium in the state. It was constructed by Shapoorji Pallonji Engineering and Construction. The cost of this stadium is 237 crore.

Robbers Cave

Robber's Cave (locally known as Guchhupani), located near Sahastradhara (thousand fold spring), is a river cave formation in Himalaya, located approximately 8 km from the centre of Dehradun City in Uttarakhand state of India.

The cave is about 600 metres long, divided into two main parts. The cave has a highest fall of about 10 metres. In the central part there is a fort wall structure which is now broken. It consists of an extremely narrow gorge formed in a conglomerate limestone area on Doon Valley's Dehra plateau.

It is a natural cave formation where rivers flows inside the cave. The place is a popular tourist spot and is now being maintained by Uttarakhand State. Local bus services are available up to Anarwala Village, from where it is a kilometre's trek away..

Education

Dehradun has higher education institutions for engineering, law, medical, management and other fields. It is the home of Doon University, Uttaranchal University, ICFAI University, Dehradun, Graphic Era University and Uttarakhand Technical University. Other educational institutions include St. Joseph's Academy, Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Summer Valley School, Rashtriya Indian Military College, Doon International School, Welham Girls School, Welham Boys School, The Doon School, Ecole globale, Doon Cambridge School, SelaQui International School, Army Public School, Cambrian Hall, St. Thomas' College, Brightlands School, and Marshall School. Several Indian and international luminaries have attended these schools. In addition to these schools there are many other state board schools mainly Shri Guru Nanak Boys School, Nari shilp Mandir Girls school, M.K.P. Girls, DAV Inter college, Shri Guru Ram Rai Inter college, Gandhi School and many others. There are numerous forest officials in India who have attended the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. It is home to many religious schools as well. Yoga, Ayurveda and meditation have great influence in Dehradun.

National Institute for Visually Handicapped (NIVH) plays a key role in helping the blind people. It is the first such institute in India and the first press for Braille script in the country which provides education and service to the blind children.

Some of the law universities include, Faculty of Law, ICFAI University, Uttaranchal University, UPES. Guitarmonk school for guitar classes is also available at various locations in Dehradun.

Dehradun houses organisations like the Latika Roy Foundation for people with disabilities to access education, employment, and full inclusion in the community. The ASK Foundation, an educational charity, is also located in Dehradun.

Till early 90s for higher education there were only 4 colleges where graduate and post graduate courses were offered DAV PG College, DBS College and SGRR PG College, MKP PG Girls college Later on other educational opportunities came and new institutions opened. In fact there were no engineering college till that time and after 12th students had to leave Dehradun for their engineering studies.

Higher Educational Institutions in Dehradun

Doon University

Uttaranchal University

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies

ICFAI University, Dehradun

Graphic Era University

IMS Unison University

Himgiri Zee University

Dehradun Institute of Technology

Tula’s Institute

Dolphin Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences

Quantum School of Technology

Economy

Because of the low population and, on the whole, competent education institutes, Dehradun garners a good per capita income close to $2400 (per 2012 figures: national average $800). It has enjoyed strong economic growth in the last 20 years. Dehradun today has experienced a commercial and information technology upswing, amplified by the establishment of software technology parks of India (STPI) and SEZs (Special economic zones) throughout. Regional offices of Genpact, Spice Digital, Serco, IMSI, Spanco, Aptara, IndiaMART, Jubilant Genrics Ltd, RMSI are present in Dehradun. A number of manufacturing units are present in the Selaqui area. The construction of the Delhi-Dehradun four-lane highway may enable more economic development.

Dehradun is also known for being a centre for national defence production. Major defence production establishments include the Ordnance Factory Dehradun, the Opto Electronics Factory of the Ordnance Factories Board, Defence Electronics Application Laboratory and Instruments Research and Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation which manufactures products for the Indian Armed Forces. Many of these are located in Raipur area. The Ordnance Factory estate is located in the middle of mountains. Dulhani river flows in the heart of the colony.

Tourism

Tourist destinations include the Dehradun zoo, Kalanga monument, Chandrabani, himalayan gallary cum regional science centre Guchhupani, Forest Research Institute, Tapovan, Lakshman Siddh Peeth, Tapkeshwar Temple, Santala Devi temple, Mindrolling Monastery, Prakasheshwar Mahadev Temple, Sai Mandir, Central Braille Press and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.

The tourist destinations can be divided into four or five areas: nature, sports, sanctuary, museums and institutions. The nearby hill stations are well known for their natural beauty, temples for its faith dimensions, sanctuary for animal and bird lovers. Hill stations include Mussoorie, Sahastradhara, Chakrata, and Dakpathar. Famous temples Tapkeshwar, Lakhamandal and Santala Devi are here.

In sports tourism, the Doon Ice Rink at Maharana Pratap Sports Complex, Raipur is the first full-sized ice arena in India. It has hosted ice skating competitions and ice hockey tournaments, including the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia.

Maa Bala Sundari Mandir (Hindi: माँ बाला सुंदरी मंदिर ) is a Hindu temple located in Sudhowala near Dehradun. It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Maa Bala Sundari, also known as Bal Roop of Maa Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess Mahalakshmi. The words "maa" and "mata" are commonly used in India for "mother", and thus are often used in connection with Maa Bala Sundari. The Temple or Bhawan is 3.5 km from Sudhowala and various modes of transportation are available from Sudhowala, including ponies, electric vehicles and paalkhis operated by 2 or 4 persons. Many pilgrims visit from the northern Indian states to get the blessings of Mahmaya Balasundari. A Trust is also run by Mandir Maa Bala Sundari Trust, Sudhowala.

Transport

Transport options include:

By air: Air India, Indigo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet offer daily flights from Delhi while Jet Airways operates a daily hopping flight (stop at Delhi) from Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram (via Bangalore and Delhi) and Air India has a direct 50 minute flight from Lucknow to Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport 25 km from the valley of Dehradun.

Railways: Dehradun railway station has service to major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Trivandrum, Vadodara and Varanasi. Some fast trains running to and from Dehradun include the Shatabdi Express, Jan Shatabdi Express and Nanda Devi Express. Dehradun will soon got a metro rail in near future, The project in under Designing phase.

Culture

Dehradun is a part of the Garhwal region, therefore the local customs of the Garhwali people have had a great influence on its culture. Hindi and Garhwali are the primary languages spoken. Other languages spoken in the region are English, Punjabi, Nepali, Tibetan, and Kumaoni. There are people from different religions and backgrounds residing here. After becoming the capital, there has been continuous growth in education, communication and transport. As the state capital, Dehradun is home to many government institutions. Dehradun is renowned all over India for its educational institutions.

Buses are identified with blue bars. There are autorickshaws which are often used for transportation but blamed for pollution and noise. The evening buzz of Rajpur road is an attraction. After becoming the capital of Uttarakhand, the growth of the city has accelerated; it is still known as a peaceful city with pleasant weather. The city centre is easily recognised by the Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar), a structure with six functioning clocks. The statue of San Dijen placed in Shanti Niketan contributes to the beauty of the city. Dehradun has been home to artists and writers including Stephen Alter, Nayantara Sahgal, Allan Sealy, Ruskin Bond and also to country singer Bobby Cash.

Dehradun was home to freedom fighters whose names are engraved in gold on the Clock Tower. It was called "The Gray City" in the initial days because ex-Army officers and VIPs considered this place ideal for residence after retirement. Woolen blankets are typical of this region and worn by people living at high altitude. Women wear saris with full-sleeve blouses along with angora jackets. Girls wear full skirts with scarfs covering their head and shoulders; more recently, they have adopted modern wear like salwar suits. In villages and to a lesser extent in towns, men wear the traditional dhoti, angarkha and langoti. The way dhotis are worn represents backgrounds and castes: short dhotis represent low status whereas long dhotis represent high. It is more common in urban areas for men to wear shirts and trousers, jeans and kurta-pyjamas. In winter, men usually dress in jackets, hats and overcoats. Hemp is grown in great quantities in this region, so its yarn is frequently used as lining.

The largest profession in Dehradun is agriculture. There are large numbers of people in the military, businesses and education. Staple foods are rice and dal with raita, curd and salad. Dehradun is known for its lychees and for growing the world's finest basmati rice.

There are fairs (melas) throughout the year. Notable fairs include Magh Mela, held on 14 January and Jhanda Mela in March, a fair for the Hindu community, that attracts Hindus from all over India and abroad.

Sport

The first indoor ice rink in India that meets the size requirements for ice hockey, figure skating, short track and rink bandy was built in Dehradun. Uttarakhand Cricket Association is the governing body of the Cricket activities in the Uttarakhand state of India and the Uttarakhand cricket team.

Grounds

The city has an international cricket stadium called Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium & a Mega Sports Complex in the Raipur area. It is the first international level stadium in the state. Since, the formation of the state 2000, the state suffered a blow to its sport facilities as Uttar Pradesh had the entire infrastructure for sports. Uttarakhand had hosted very few matches of Ranji Trophy. Due to lack of infrastructure the player started moving to different states.

In November 2012, Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Vijay Bahuguna laid the foundation of the stadium hoped that the stadium would bring Dehradun on the international cricket map and added that the shortage of money would not be a hurdle in the completion of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and the Mega Sports Complex. The stadium would be constructed as per international norms. The stadium and sports complex would be built in 23 acres.

Architecture

After Dehradun was made the capital of Uttarakhand, there was a construction boom, especially in residential property. Modern buildings have gradually supplanted older architectural styles including those related to the British colonial rule of India. Important older buildings still upstanding include the Clock Tower, Forest Research Institute, CNI College, Morrison Memorial Church, Inamullah Building, Jama Masjid, Osho Meditation Centre, Indian Military Academy and Darbar Sahib.

Shopping and entertainment

Paltan Bazaar and Rajpur Road are the economic heart of Dehradun. The largest mall in Dehradun is currently Pacific Mall at Jakhan. Other malls are also in various stages of proposal, consideration or development, in response to changing demographics, globalisation and purchasing power.

Malls include Crossroads, Pacific, City Junction, Parsvanath Eleganza and Vikas Cine Mall. There are five multiplexes:

Carnival Cinemas near ISBT,

Silvercity Multiplex on Rajpur Road,

PVR Cinemas in the Pacific Mall,

Big Cinemas inside the Vikas CineMall in Indira Nagar (now defunct.),

Movie Lounge in Crossroad Mall.

There are also some cinema halls which have been here for many years:

Prabhat Cinemas at Chakrata Road,

Natraj Cinema at Connaught Place,

Orient Cinema Hall at Rajpur Road,