Dehradun Travel Guide

Being the capital city of Uttaranchal, your Dehradun travel will enable you to explore all tourism possibility. Travel Dehradun, in order to explore the bounteous nature of the city.

About Dehradun
Nestled in the mountains of the Himalaya, Dehradun in one of the oldest cities of India. Also known as the abode of Drona (the mentor of Pandavas), Dehradun has always been an important centre of the Garhwal rulers which was captured by the British. The headuarters of many national institute like ONGC , Survey of India , I.I.P. etc. are located in the city. Dehradun has a string of premier educational institutes like the Forest Research Institute, Rashtriya Indian Military College and the India Military Academy. It is favoured tourist destination as it attracts tourists, piligrims and enthusiasts from various parts of India and world. Add to this the abundance of special Basmati rice, tea and leechi gardens which contribute in turning the city into a paradise.

Getting There
Air : There is an airport called Jolly Grant Airport, which has direct flghts to Delhi, a major international airport of India.
Rail : Dehradun is the terminus of the Northern Railway well connected to places like Amritsar, Howrah, Bombay, Delhi, Lucknow and Varanasi etc. A Delhi Dehradun Shatabdi Express has recently been introduced.
Road : Dehradun is on the NH 45. The Himachal road transport, Delhi and Haryana road transport, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan state transport buses, ply regularly to Dehradun. Taxis, cars, coaches are available with private operators. Most of the buses start from the Gandhi Road Interstate Bus Terminus. It is also the Gateway city to the hilly regions of Mussoorie and beyond and is connected with them with good all weather roads.

Tourist Attractions
Sahastra Dhara : Sahastra Dhara, literally meaning, the 'thousand fold spring' is situated at a distance of 11 Km from Dehradun. The place makes an ideal picnic spot and is of immense attraction to visitors. There is a sulphur spring in which visitors often take bath. Its water is said to cure skin infections and possess other medicinal properties.

Rajaji National Park : Rajaji National park is situated 20 Km from Dehradun and is one of the best national parks of Uttaranchal. The sanctuary is famous for its population of elephants, tigers and leopards. The park is perfect for the lovers of jungle safari, especially the elephant safari.

Tapovan : Five kms away is Tapovan, where the legendary Dronacharya, the great guru of the heroes of the Mahabharata, is believed to have performed years of intensive penance.

Tapkeshwar Mahadev : Tapkeshwar Mahadev, a cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located 6 kms from the centre of the town, by the banks of a river. According to a tale from the Mahabharata, Shiva made milk flow from this cave for Asvathama, the son of guru Dronacharya

Mussoorie : Mussorie, often called as 'Queen of hill stations' is 38 Km from Dehradun. The uphill journey to Mussoorie from Dehradun can make anyone feel excited. The place is so beautiful, that it requires a full trip, rather than spending a couple of days. Mussoorie has been a favorite summer resort of Britishers and was developed heavily by them.

Accommodations
Dehradun offers some of best stay facilities in Uttaranchal. One can go for a luxury or economic stay option, depending on the budget. The restaurants here offer Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisine.

Doon to have international cricket stadium



The foundation stone-laying ceremony of the cricket stadium
and the sports complex at Raipur in Dehradun on Thursday.

CM lays foundations of ground and mega sports complex at Maharana Pratap Sports College complex at Raipur
Dehradun, November 15
With the laying of foundation stones of Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and mega sports complex at Maharana Pratap Sports College complex at Raipur here today, Dehradun is all set to be on the international cricket map. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, speaking on the occasion, after laying the foundation stone, hoped that the stadium would bring Dehradun on the international cricket map and added that the shortage of money would not be a hurdle in the completion of the Rajiv Gandhi stadium and mega sports complex. He said adventure sports activities would also be encouraged and spoke about the inauguration of the Adventure Sports Academy at Tehri lake which is being set up at a cost of Rs.20 crore. He further said Uttarakhand had given many sportpersons to the country and his government would do everything to encourage and honour the deserving sportpersons. He said Unmukt Chand, Captain of the Indian Cricket (under-19) team would be given a cheque for Rs 11 lakh by the state government. Bahuguna stated that Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and mega sports complex would be constructed as per international norms. The stadium and sports complex would be built in 23 acres. The Oil and Natural gas Coporation (ONGC) has already given Rs 50 crore for the purpose to the state government. The Chief Minister hoped that the ONGC would further help the state government in its endeavour to encourage sports and sportpersons. Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla, who is also Commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was also present on the occasion. He said the international-level cricket stadium would give a boost to sports as well as tourism in the state. He assured the state all help from the Union Government for the construction of the stadium and mega sports complex. He also announced that international cricket test matches and IPL matches would be played once the stadium was complete. Uttarakhand Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, Revenue Minister and state Congress chief Yashpal Arya, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay, ONGC chief managing director (CMD) Sudhir Vasudeva, Rajkumar, Umesh Sharma, Subodh Uniyal, Kanwar Parnav Champion, all legislators, were also present on the occasion.

Stone of cricket stadium to be laid at Raipur today

 

Dehradun, November 14
The state's demand for an international-class cricket stadium has finally been fulfilled with Oil Giant Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) Limited giving its nod to take up the project. The foundation stone of the complex will be laid at Raipur in Dehradun tomorrow. The ONGC will be making an investment of Rs 100 crore for the cricket complex that will include a stadium and cricket academy. While cricket is regularly played in almost all boarding schools of Dehradun, Haridwar, Halwani and Nainital, the talent fails to get right encouragement in the state due to the absence of adequate infrastructure. There is no international-level cricket stadium in the entire state. Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal said the cricket complex would come up on a 23 acres in Raipur and would be one of its kind in the country. He said Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and President, Indian Premier League Rajeev Shukla, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, ONGC Chairman Sudhir Vasudeva, Cabinet minister Yashpal Arya and Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma would be present at the stone laying ceremony that would be held on the Maharana Pratap Sports College campus, Raipur, here tomorrow. Dinesh Agarwal said besides the ONGC, the Uttarakhand Government would also invest Rs 100 crore in the ambitious project. Meanwhile, sources in the ONGC said it was constructing the stadium under its corporate social responsibility initiative. Welcoming this move, Ajay Pandey, a Dehradun-based senior cricketer, said a cricket stadium in Dehradun was like a dream come true for the budding cricket talent of Dehradun. He said at least, youngsters would now get an opportunity to showcase their talent. He said it would also attract international matches to Dehradun.

Attack by wild animals becoming more frequent in Uttarakhand

Dehra Dun : Uttarakhand is a small mountain state of contrasts. Where on one side poachers are having field day, killing animals at will, including the national animal tiger, on the other man-animal conflict has peaked and leopards, bears and even elephants are striking at will sending shivers down the spine of the rural population.
Sunday was a classic example of the man-animal conflict, when a leopard attacked a woman, but thankfully she was able to get away with minor injuries, but another woman was badly mauled by a bear and died on her way to hospital and an elephant played havoc in a village mealing upon the standing crop, till it was scared away by bursting fire crackers by the forest department staff.
According to report, 52-year-old Darshani Devi, of Panchur village in Pauri district of the state went to answer the call of nature behind her house. A leopard which was waiting in the bushes, perhaps to pick up a calf or dog attacked her. She raises an alarm on which villagers came running, but luckily a scythe lying nearby came into her hand and she attacked the animal, which fled. Injured, she is lucky to be alive to tell the tale, though admitted in the hospital.
In the other incident, 35-year-old Kansri Devi, resident of Banari Banchauri village also in Pauri district, was working alone in the filed when a huge sloth bear attacked and mauled her badly. Desperately she put a bold fight with the animal, but could not match the strength and big claws of the bear. The unconscious Kansri Devi was later picked up by villagers and taken to the local hospital who referred her to a specialist hospital here. She, however, succumbed to her injuries on way.
For Nakraunda villagers, it was a trying Sunday, as they were pitched against a wild elephant who came to their fields and started mealing on their standing crops. The villagers tried to scare the animal, which would go back, only to return anmd start eating the crops again. This continued for quite some time and a situation came when the elephant refused to go back to the forest and continued eating in the fields.
Exasperated, the villagers rushed to seek help of the forest department staff, who also tried that the elephant return to the forests, but the pachyderm refused to go back. Left with no alternative, they got some fire crackers (thankfully Dewali is round the corner) and burst them near the animal which scared it back.
Meanwhile senior forest officers, on anonymity, admitted that the man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand had reached serious proportions, as it was not confined to one part of the state alsone, but was affecting the entire state, specially in the rural areas. “It is quite apparent that the state government is waking up the situation, after the damage has been done and it will be years before green infrastructure can be created, which will partially resolve the problem”, they felt

Gangotri shrine closed for winter

Dehradun, November 14
The Gangotri shrine was closed for the winter today. A large number of pilgrims queued up to have the last darshan of 'Akhand Jyoti' before the closure of the shrine. The ceremonial closure took place at 12 noon amid the recitation of Vedic mantras. The idol of Goddess Ganga was taken to nearby village Mukhba, where it will be worshipped during the winter. Situated at a height of 10,000 ft above the sea level in Uttarkashi, the Gangotri shrine is closed for pilgrims every year during October-November and reopens in April-May, as the area remains snowbound during the winter. The portals of the Yamunotri shrine in Uttarkashi and the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district will be closed for the winter on November 16. The closure of the Badrinath shrine, the last to be closed among the Char Dham shrines, will take place on November 18.

Virasat-2012 comes to close

Dehradun, November 11
Folk dances from Garhwal enthralled the audience on the last day of Virasat-2012, a cultural festival, last night. The dance group first performed ‘Mandanh’, followed by ‘Chachari’, a dance in which artistes form a human chain as they dance. The second performance of the evening was that of Ziya Azazi and his representation of the whirling dervishes called, “Dervish in progress”. He was born in 1969 in Antakya, Turkey. Since 1994, he has been based in Vienna, Austria. He speaks Arabic, English, German and Turkish. Ziya Azazi and his troupe held the audience spellbound with an entirely different Austrian-Sufi flavour. The next performance was by Murray Molly from Ireland. His repertoire includes escapology, clown, comedy, magic, fire manipulation, fakirism, pyrotechnics and contortionism. The show began with interaction with the audience. By building the crowd with the techniques of theatre and clown, he formed a bond with the spectators. After winning the crowd’s confidence, the show began with Murray’s stunts. From Australian stockwhips to hilarious contortionist’s stunts of squeezing his entire body through a toilet seat, Murray enthralled Doonites. A comedy piece with members of the audience was followed by the grand finale, his most impressive, original and spectacular sword swallowing stunt. The last performance of the evening was Sufiana Quwwali by Mohd Ahmed Warsi. Warsi Brothers are excellent representatives of the Quwwali form of musical expression. They belong to the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana of Quwwals. They are a very popular Qawwali musical group, consisting of brothers Mohammad Ahmed Khan Warsi and Khalid Hussain Khan Warsi. They were accompanied by their next generation - son Waris Nawab Warsi Sahib. Their singing is best known for the purity of raaga’s, measured tones and taals which are special to original Delhi Gharana Gayaki.