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Nestled in the
mountain ranges of the Himalaya, Dehradun is one of the oldest
cities of India and is recently declared as the Pr ovisional
Capital of newly created Uttaranchal State in the month of
Nov’2000. Also known as the ‘Adobe 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 Military
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.
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