Situated at the foothills of Mussoorie, Dehradun is the capital city of Uttarakhand. Dehradun city is also the headquarters of Dehradun District. It is located 230 km north of Delhi in the Doon Valley. Dehradun district has the Himalayan Mountains in the north, Shivalik Hills in the south, the river Ganga in the east, and the Yamuna to the west.  The city recently came to limelight when Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got married here with Sakshi Rawat.

The history of Dehradun goes back to 300 BC, as it was found on a rock inscription at Kalsi, discovered in 1860. These inscriptions are attributed to King Ashoka. In the inscription, there are 14 edicts carved on a rock and adjacent to these is the site where Raja Shilvarma of the Vrisheri dynasty made three horse sacrifices during his rule in the 3rd century BC.

Mythology associates Dehradun to Guru Dronacharaya, the teacher of the Kauravas and Pandavas in Mahabharata. It is believed that he set up his ashram or 'dera' here and eventually, the Dron Ashram came to be known as Dehradun.

There are a number of tourist attractions in and around Dehradun city. One can visit Sahasradhara, Tapkeshwar Temple, Forest Research Institute, Rajaji National Park, Tapovan, and Dakpatthar. The most popular tourist attraction near Dehradun is Mussoorie, which is hardly 34 km away. Mussoorie is a day trip from Dehradun.

There are quite a few picnic spots around Dehradun, which a traveller can easily visit. About 10 km from Dehradun city is the Malsi Deer Park, which is set amidst the green environs along the right hand side of the new Mussoorie Road. If you are travelling with kids, this is the must visit place on your trip to Dehradun. The waterfall at Sahastradhara, 11 km away, created by the Baldi River, is even more exciting. It is just half an hour’s drive away from the Dehradun city.

Dehradun has well developed tourism infrastructure. There are quite a few hotels in Dehradun, which provide comfortable accommodation to visitors to Dehradun.  Hotels and resorts in Dehradun are well equipped with modern facilities.

Dehradun is easily accessible from Delhi. There are direct buses from ISBT at Kashmere Gate and you can find them every half an hour. If it is train journey you love, you can take an overnight train to Dehradun. The city also has a domestic airport at Jolly Grant, which is approximately 30 km away from the Dehradun city.

General Information

Altitude : 2200ft above the sea-level.
Location : Dehradun set amidst a valley in the Shivaliks, the foothills of the Himalayas.
Best Time : April to July.