Dehra Dun History, India

Dehradun happens to be the capital of Uttarakhand (which was known as Uttaranchal in its early years). Dehradun was earlier the part of Uttar Pradesh (a state in Northern India) but later on, when Uttar Pradesh was split and Uttaranchal was formed, Dehradun was named as capital of this newly formed state. This is when the economical growth of Dehradun actually started as it became the hub of all political movements for the state of Uttaranchal.

The word Dehra means ‘camp’ while Doon (or the recently known Dun) refers to the river valley between the huge Himalayas and the smaller Shivaliks. Dun is actually a local term for this valley.

In historical documents, one will find Dun mentioned in Skanda Purana. It says Dun was a part of Kedar Khand which was Shiva’s Abode in those historical years. On the other hand, another theory says that the teacher responsible for shaping the brains of Pandavas and Kauravas (the famous Drona) used to live in this very land during those days and hence it was named as Drona - Nagri and later Dun was born after amendments to this name.

A famous rock, which is located around 55 kilometers from the city, was discovered by the famous traveler John Forest. This rock is one of the 33 edicts that were built by the Mauryan King Asoka during his reign over the sub - continent.

This was the medieval history of Dehradun. The current city of Dehradun came into existence when Guru Ram Rai settled in the tiny village called as Dhamawala. Even today a fair famous by the name of Jhanda Mela (or Flag Fair in English) is organized every year in the memory of the famous Sikh Guru.

The present city of Dehradun slowly started to take shape after the  settlement started to take toll around this village. To leave a proof a Gurudwara was built in the city somewhere in 1699 by Guru Ram Rai. The shape of this Gurudwara was inspired from the tomb which was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

Since then, Dehradun has seen every change of Indian History and today it is an important tourist spot plus a political hub as it has become the capital of Uttarakhand.