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capital of Uttarakhand, India
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Dehradun (Hindi: Dēhrādūn, pronounced [ˈd̪ɛɦɾaːd̪uːn]), also known as Dehra Doon ( DAIR-ə DOON) is the Winter capital and most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of Dehradun district. Dehradun has served as the state's interim capital since the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000; Gairsain was designated the summer capital in 2020. The city lies in the Doon Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Shivalik Range to the south and the outer Himalayan ranges to the north. Dehradun has a generally temperate climate, with hot summers, cool winters and substantial monsoon rainfall.
Dehradun came under the rule of the Gorkhas in the early 19th century before being incorporated into the British-administered territories following the Anglo-Gorkha War. Under British rule, Dehradun developed as an administrative and military centre and later became part of the newly formed state of Uttarakhand in 2000. Dehradun is an important administrative, educational and research centre. It is home to institutions including the Indian Military Academy, Forest Research Institute, Rashtriya Indian Military College, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, as well as several prominent schools and government research and training organisations. The city also hosts the headquarters of the Survey of India and other national and state institutions.
Dehradun has a diversified service-oriented economy, with public administration, education, research, defence-related activities, healthcare, tourism and hospitality forming important components. The city also has a growing information technology and business-services sector, while traditional activities such as basmati rice production, horticulture and the manufacture of food products remain associated with the wider Dehradun area. Its role as Uttarakhand's capital and as a major educational and institutional centre has contributed to the expansion of its urban economy. The city is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation and is the largest municipal corporation city in Uttarakhand. Dehradun is connected by road, rail and air to other parts of Uttarakhand and northern India and serves as an important urban centre for the surrounding Himalayan region.
Dehradun is made up of two words "dehra" + "dun." "dehra" is a Hindi word with the meaning of temple, whose etymology is: "dev" + "ghar", from Prakrit "devahara." "dūn" (or Hindi दून derives from the Sanskrit droṇī (or द्रोणि) and means "a tract of country lying at the foot of hills; a valley".
The town was established when Ram Rai, the son of the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai built a gurudwara or temple in the area in the 17th century. Ram Rai was sent by his father as an emissary to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi. Aurangzeb objected to a verse in the Sikh scripture (Asa ki Var) that stated, "the clay from a Musalman (Muslim)'s grave is kneaded into potter's lump", considering it an insult to Islam. Ram Rai explained that the text was miscopied and modified it, substituting "Musalman" with "Beiman" (faithless, evil) which Aurangzeb approved.
This led Guru Har Rai to bar his son from his presence, and name his younger son as his successor. Aurangzeb responded by granting Ram Rai a jagir (land grant) in Garhwal region (Uttarakhand). The town later came to be known as Dehradun, after Dehra referring to Ram Rai's shrine. Many followers of Ram Rai, called Ramraiyas, settled with Ram Rai. Another early name for the settlement was Dera Ram Rai. During the days of British Raj, the official name of the town was Dehra. In due time the word Dehra was linked to Dun, and thus the city was named Dehradun.
In the Skanda Purana, Doon is mentioned as a part of the region called Kedarkhand, the abode of Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, in ancient India during the Mahabharata epic era, Dronacharya, the great teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas, lived here, hence the name of "Dronanagari" (lit. city of Drona).
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 Ravana and Rama, Rama and his brother Lakshmana visited this site. Also, known as 'Dronanagari' on the name of Dronacharya, 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 an influence on this region as the rulers of Hastinapura with the descendants of Subahu ruled the region as subsidiaries. Likewise, Rishikesh is mentioned in the pages of history when 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 Sudhanagara and was described by the Chinese traveller Huen Tsang. Sudhanagara later came to be recognised as Kalsi. Edicts of Ashoka have been found in the region along the banks of the river Yamuna in Kalsi 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. It was under control of Garhwal for many centuries.
Dehradun was invaded by Mahmud of Ghazni during his campaigns into India followed by Timur in 1368, Rohilla chief Najib ad-Dawlah in 1757 and Ghulam Qadir in 1785.
Fateh Shah, a Garhwal king, donated three villages in Dehradun to Sikh guru Ram Rai. Before the name of Dehradun was used, the place is shown on old maps as Gurudwara (a map by Webb, 1808) or Gurudwara (a map by Gerard, 1818). Gerard's map names the place as "Dehra or Gurudwara". 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 Ram Rai, the eldest son of the Seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai, 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 Maharaja of Garhwal, Fateh Shah to extend all possible help to Ram Rai. Initially, a Gurudwara (temple) was built in Dhamawala. The construction of the present building, Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib, 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 art and Mughal art. High minarets and round pinnacles are the models of Muslimarchitecture.
The huge pond in the front measuring 230 by 80 feet (70 m × 24 m) had dried up for want of water over the years. People had been dumping rubbish; it has been renovated and revived.
In 1804 battles of Khurbura at Dehradun fought between Garhwal king Pradyuman shah and Gorakhali forces led by General Amar Singh thapa in which king Pradyuman shah died and came under control of Gorakha. In 1806 the Nepalese Commander Kaji Amar Singh Thapa under the central leadership of Prime Minister Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa 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 to war from 1814 to 1816. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli 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 returning to Delhi shortly before his death in 1964. Rash Behari Bose, 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 (part of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh) was merged with three other princely states and made part of United Provinces which was later renamed the state of Uttar Pradesh. In 2000, Uttarakhand state (Named Uttaranchal till 2008) was created from the northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000. Dehradun was made its interim capital.
Dehradun's Afghan connection dated back to the First Anglo-Afghan War, after which the Afghan Emir Dost Mohammad Khan was exiled by the British to Dehradun. He stayed in Mussoorie for over 6 years. The Balahissar ward under the Mussoorie municipality has been named after the palace of Dost Mohammad. The famous Dehradooni Basmati was brought along by him from Kunar Province in Afghanistan and it continues to be counted as a delicacy of the valley.
According to Dehradun historian and heritage activist Lokesh Ohri, "Dost Mohammad Khan was fond of pulao and missed it during his exile. He brought Basmati rice to the Doon valley and is credited with improving its genetic variety. His grandson Yaqub Khan gave Basmati seeds to a Paltan Bazaar trader and asked him to cultivate them in Dehradun. Surprisingly, the Doon valley's weather suited the rice and it turned out even better than the variety in Afghanistan."
Forty years later, after the Second Anglo-Afghan War, his grandson, Mohammad Yaqub Khan, was sent to exile to India in 1879. Just like his grandfather, he chose Doon valley as his abode. Yakoob became the first Afghan to formally settle in Dehradun. The present Mangla Devi Inter College was once the Kabul Palace where Yakoob spent a few years of his life. The extended family and servants of the King were also relocated to Dehradun.
The Afghan royal family maintained a presence in Dehra Dun. It was the birthplace of the second to last King of Afghanistan, Mohammed Nadir Shah. Two quaint palaces – the Kabul Palace in Dehradun and Bala Hissar Palace in Mussoorie – stand testimony to this connection with Afghanistan. They were built by these Afghan rulers in exile in India in the early part of the 20th Century and are palaces are a miniature replica of the palatial structures owned by the kings in Afghanistan. The Bala Hissar Palace has now been turned into Mussoorie's Wynberg Allen School. Doon-based heritage enthusiast Ghanshyam told the Times of India, "The police station at Karanpur used to be the royal guard room of Yakoob way back in 1879. The electrical office located at the Survey Chowk was the royal servants quarter."
Today the descendants of the former royalty, Yakub Khan and his grandson Sardar Azim Khan's family have integrated with the mainstream of Dehradun life. The Doon connection was revived when Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan while undergoing treatment in New Delhi during the last years of his life expressed a desire to meet his Doon cousins but the meeting could not take place as the family members were away. Ashraf Ghani, former President of Afghanistan has mentioned that his grandmother grew up in Dehra Dun. "I speak of Tagore because I was raised on Tagore by my grandmother who lived in Dehradun...," Dr Ghani said while talking about India's vision and the remarkable transformation. Dehradun is also being selected to be the second "home" ground of the Afghan cricket team. and Afghan cricket fans recall this "centuries old link" with the town.
Dehradun is located in the Doon Valley, a valley in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern Uttarakhand. The city lies between the Shivalik Range to the south and the Himalayan foothills to the north. Much of the urban area occupies relatively level terrain on the valley floor, while the surrounding landscape rises towards the Shivaliks and the Himalayan foothills. The central part of Dehradun lies at an elevation of approximately 435–450 metres above sea level. The physical geography of the city and its surroundings is influenced by the geology and geomorphology of the Doon Valley, which contains extensive deposits of gravel, sand and other alluvial material derived from the surrounding mountains. To the north, the terrain rises towards the Mussoorie and Lesser Himalayan ranges, while the Shivaliks extend along the southern margin of the valley.
Since the city lies in a natural trough between the Himalayas and the Shivalik Hills, its surroundings form a watershed drained by multiple seasonal and perennial watercourses. The Rispana and Bindal are among the principal watercourses flowing through the urban area, generally towards the south. Other significant watercourses include the Asan, Song, Tons and Suswa. The Asan drains the western part of the valley towards the Yamuna river system, while the Song and Suswa are part of the drainage towards the Ganges. Several of these watercourses have a strongly seasonal flow regime. During the monsoon, heavy rainfall produces substantial increases in stream discharge, while urban development has increased the city's exposure to localised flooding.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dehradun”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.