The provisional state capital of Uttarakhand, Dehradun is famous for being the educational hub of India. It has a historical significance behind its name, after bifurcation the name becomes dehra+dun which means a home in the foothills. It is also a part of Hindu mythological stories, where it is believed Guru Dronacharya (the teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas in Mahabharta) was born and grew in Dehradun. Dehradun is located in the foothills of the majestic Himalayas. The city was founded in the year 1676. The area that city covers is 300 sq kms. With around 5 lakhs of population and moderately high literacy percentile of 89%, Dehradun stands tall, competing with most of the metro cities when it comes to development, trend and culture.
There are multiple ways to reach the city, there are mainly three entry points to Dehraun, one which is through Delhi via Muzaffarnagar/ Roorkee, the other is from Paonta Sahib and third one is from Haridwar. With the city population increasing, new routes are being constructed like one from Rishikesh, via Thano, similarly another route to DehraDun is from Mussoorie, which is just 35km from DehraDun. There is a newly constructed ISBT in the outer of the city, the railway station is also renewed. Just in the proximity of 50kms the Jolly Grant airport is located which has many domestic flights to Dehradun.
You can also book taxis online. One can also check in the online bus booking system of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh Government sites.
Dehradun ISBT has variety of sections for Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan counters. Where you can get the bookings done then and there. You can also have quick snacks for your journey, take away, ready to eat. There is a book stall as well as a salon for convenience of all.
The Dehradun railway station is nestled in between the city. There is a great hustle and bustle in and around the station. There is a Mussorie Bus stand nearby and a taxi stand from where you can get taxis for nearby hill stations and buses for Mussorie route. The station has a inbuilt canteen as well where you can get a quick snacks. There are enquiry counters and a large space to park up the vehicles.
The Jolly Grant Airport is about 25kms from Dehradun. It is a largest commercial airport. Indigo, Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Air India are some of the airline operators of Dehradun. The airport is conveniently made and has a lot of rush in the peak season.
There are various options to travel in DehraDun, like auto rikshaw, vikram, local buses and ofcourse OLA cab service. Recently, the environment friendly e-rikshaws have also started. While travelling with vikram and local buses offer cheaper commuting opportunities for the travellers due to shared transport mode, auto riskshaw and OLA cabs cost a little more but at the same time giving travellers some comfortable ride.
After you reach here, the first question that comes to your mind is where to stay? There are many affordable and fully furnished hotels in Dehradun. You can get accommodation according to your requirements and necessities. There are many located near Prince chowk, on Tyagi road which is in close proximity to the railway station. There are few of the renowned hotels at the Haridwar bypass which will be close to ISBT. There are a few guest houses, dormitories, OYO rooms, Dharamshalas and rest rooms available at reasonable rates for the economy budget!
Once in the city, you would definitely would like to look out on what now? Well to start with, you must know what are the places you should not miss, you must visit these places according to your convenience and budget.
These are few of the many picnic spots of Dehradun you should not miss, if you are here. Some of the special mentions can be FRI, Dehradun zoo, Rajaji National Park, Asan Barrage.
#Mussoorie, Lal Tibba, Dhanaulti and Kanatal are few places which are at a reachable distance from Dehradun, but these are like must go places near Dehradun. It will take almost maximum 4 hours for them. The route to all these destinations is an adevntire in itself and gives you enthralling moments.
People say it’s not the destination, but the road that leads you there that matters!
For the big time foodies, this is a favourable place. With a lot of options when it comes to bakery products, Dehradun houses some of the best and oldest bakeries like Elora’s and Standard bakery. There are many bakeries with chains of outlet flourishing across the country. Basmati rice is also quite popular here. It is one of the highest exported staple food of the state.
Other than these there are few famous food joints with roadside, fast food stuff, some are established food joints which are common names among the localities and a welcome change for the tourists. Some like Kalsi (Chakrata), Buffet (Asley hall), Delhi Fruit Chaat (Jhakhan), Dope (Old Rajpur Road), KC food junction (Jhakhan), Doon zaika (Seemadwar), Siligudi Momos, Thapa Restaurant (Mothrowala) and so on and so forth, there are many names giving you edgy moments from head to toe with their delicious food items.
With many cafe's to serve some of the delicious beverages, Dehradun also house customised food, from extremities of North Indian delicacies to Southie food, there would be hardly anything you would miss over here.
Dehradun is believed to be a trendy and highly cultured state. The state has been one of popular trend originators. With almost every corner of the city giving away something new and different to the society, Dehradun is special for many reasons. There is a common Scooty culture in the city, here the female population rides as much as the male, no matter the age, and Scooty is their riding vehicle. Scooty has been associated with females from here only.
Dehradun majorly doesn’t really have a night life, even though parts of Rajpur road is alive, ISBT and station has a little hustle bustle but still people here believe in the moral of “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise".
Most people say, this is the city of most unpredictable rains. Dehradun gets maximum rainfall in the northern region, it has even faced around more than 300mm rainfall in June 16th and 17th (year), when the Kedarnath cloud burst incident took place, Dehradun was wet for days.
But the best time to visit here is from August – November, the cold is bearable, but you cannot get rid of rainfall here, even in those months, they are like pleasant surprises (If you are not stuck in water logging somewhere!) Even months of March and April is also pleasant here in the educational city busy with examinations fever and you can get empty roads and less traffic.
Those who are travelling here or new to the place may get confused about the number of banks here and the locations. There are a number of nationalized and private banks in Dehradun. To name some:
Other than these branches, there are many other branches as well of these banks. Almost all these banks have ATMs accompanied with them there are also single ATM units detached from bank units in places like Dharampur, Nehru Colony, Rajpur road, Gandhi road, Paltan Bazaar etc.
Dehradun is one of the major cities of Uttarakhand, it is house to many of the super speciality hospitals. The city has some of the famous doctors, specialists, Ayurveda and homeopathic doctors . One can look for the following famous names when it comes to hospitals in Dehradun:
Other than these there are smaller units of health care centres throughout Dehradun with famous doctors.
#There are animal hospitals as well if you are looking for, one is in Mothrowala, Bengali Kothi, other is located at Saharanpur Road and the third one is on the Shimla bypass road.
There are many government operational institutions and organizations across Dehradun. Some are state controlled, but majorly are centrally controlled ones. ONGC has its headquarters in Dehradun. Other than that there is FRI, the Forest Research Institure with a majestic campus. The Soil conservation office is also located at kaulagarh Road. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology is also located at Ballupur Dehradun. The wildlife Institute of India is located in Chandrabani. Other than these there are crucial state government offices as well.
Eventhough the Paltan Market, Indra Market and Rajpur road are the main areas for shopping and get all sorts of entertaining biz for you. Rajpur road is the hub of all multinational and national brands available in the city, the rest is housed in the various malls of Dehradun. Times Square, Pacific Mall, Parsvnath, City Junction and Crossroad Mall are some of the very few malls available in Dehradun.
The city also has groceries and everyday essentials available in the form of Suvidha Bazar, Vishal Mega Mart and Easy Day. The Capri Trade Centre is the hub of electronics, especially the laptop and desktop accessories.If you are low on budget, then Paltan Bazar is a perfect choice, but if you have a hefty purse to ease on then malls can give you a real good deal.
It is great fun to be in the city of hustle nad bustle. Dehradun is a premiere class city when it comes to entertainments from best of shopping plazas, malls and cinema halls. There are some of the prominent cinema halls in Dehradun like:
The schools of Dehradun are famous for the best education, faculty and other facilities they provide. There are many schools which are more than 100 years old like St. Thomas and Convent of Jesus and Mary. There are other reputed names like Colonel Brown Cambridge, Doon School and Marshall school. Dehradun is also known for the world class higher education it delivers. Graphic Era, DIT, Tula’s Institute, Himgiri Zee University and Wadia Insitute are some of the reputed names in the variety of fields the city excels in offering education.
Other than calling up as the epitome of education, Dehradun is a city hustling and bustling one. It is the most active city across the state. Wonderful people, amazing places and cosy climate are reason enough to arrive Dehradun.
#Welcome to the state of integrity, dignity and serenity!
