Dehradun - The capital city of Uttarachal is a complete blend of city and hill culture. It is set in the foot hills of Himalayas at the centre of the 120 kms long Doon Valley. The name Dehradun is literally made up of two words where Dera means Camp and Dun stands for Valley.
The beautiful town is referred as the gateway to Mussoorie and Garhwal interior. It is perhaps one of the oldest cities in India and was occupied in turns by the Sikhs, Mughals and Gurkhas before coming under the reigns of the British. Elite educational and other institutions were established during the British period.
Dehradun is today proud of its institutions like the Forest Research Institute, Doon School and Welham Schools, ONGC, Indian Military Academy, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Studies, Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India etc. The Survey of India was established in 1767 and its greatest achievement was to determine the height of Mt. Everest.
Being a host of large Cantonment area, the city is a popular retirement spot. It is also famous for aromatic long grain rice - Basmati Chawal (Rice) and delicious litchies.
Famous places to visit : Statue of Tara and Great Stupa, Ghanta Ghar, Forest Research Institute