Dehradun Travel:Part 2

In continuation of first part ……..
Route 02 – On this route we can see following places :-
Shiv Temple – Deer Park – MDDA Park – Sai temple – Tibet Temple – Robbers cave
1. Shiva temple :- which is located about 20 km away from Dehradun on the Mussoorie Road. It is a private temple where you can not offer any donations. Initially, the temple was made for the personal use , but later it was opened for public. In Prasad they offer Rajma- Rice, Kadhi -Rice, Fried Rice. Tea is also served as Prasad.

Shiv Temple

Shiv Temple - Inside View

The main source of earning of temple is variety of precious Gemstones, Pearls, Rudraksh etc sold in the temple premises.
2. Malsi Deer park :- Deer park is situated 10 km away from Dehradun city on Mussoorie road. It is placed at the base of Shivalik range. The park also houses a children park. The well maintained park is natural home to two horned deer , tiger , Nelgai & peacock. Unfortunately we could not visit Deer Park for the last so many years.
3. MDDA Park :- It is situated on Rajpur Road. It is designed in the trend of Step Farming. The view from the park is mesmerizing. It is advised to park the vehicle before you take the turn towards the park as there is a narrow road on the way to park. (Gali).

MDDA Park - Designed in the trend of Step Farming

Back side View from MDDA Park

4. Sai Temple :- The Sai temple is situated on Rajpur road gives the secular feeling in its zenith.

Sai Temple

Sai Temple

Built with glittering marble stone, this marvelous shrine present an eye spectacle to the visitors.

Sai Temple

5. Tibetan Temple :- Adjacent to the Sai Temple , there is a Tibetan temple which is huge & colourful temple of Lord Buddha.

Tibetan Temple

Entrance - Tibetan Temple

6. Robbers cave :- It is one of my favorite places in Dehradun. A magnificent spot that lies at the suburban area of Dehradun.

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

Localites call this place Guchhu Panni . It is bounded by majestic hills.

Dehradun Travel: Part 1

Dehradun is the capital of Uttrakhand , it is located at 230 kms from Delhi. Dehradun is surrounded by the Himalayas in the north , Shivalik Hills in the south , the river Ganga in East & river Yamuna in the west.
How Dehradun name originated
“Dera” means “Camp” & “doon” means “valley”. According to the legend Guru Ramrai , the seventh Guru of Sikh set up a dera (Camp) here , the place is very close to Dehradun Railway station. Some people relate it with Guru Dhronacharaya also.
A Brief History of Uttrakhand / Dehradun at a glance
• Uttrakhand was ruled by Kuninda Kingdom in around 200 BC.
• Later this region came under Katyuria’s.
• After the end of Katyuria’s rule, the region was divided into Kumaon which was ruled by Chand king & Garhwal by Panwar.
• In 1724 Hyderabad Nizam established Kumaon Regiment.
• For about two decades till 1815 it was under the Gorkhas.
• In 1815 Tehri Garhwal was established.
• In 1816 Except Tehri Garhwal , Uttrakhand was declared as non regulatory state & Tehri was handed over to King Sudarshan Shah.
• In 1857 Muncipal Corporation of Dehradun was formed.
• In 1859 King Sudarshan Shah died.
• The Forest research Institute (FRI) was established in 1906 by the British.
• In 1919, Narendra Shah shifted the capital from Tehri to a new town, which was named after him, Narendra Nagar.
• In 1930 Dehradun Radio Station started functioning which was closed during II World war.
• The IMA was established in 1932 by the British only.
• Manvendra Shah was the last ruling King of Garhwal Kingdom (1946–1948).
Places to Visit
Route 01 – On this route one can cover the following places:-
1. Lacchi wala :– It is about 22 kms from Dehradun on Haridwar /Rishikesh road. It comes under the forest reserve area , Forest rest house is also available for the tourists. It is an ideal place for picnic, especially in summers as one can enjoy the surroundings near the water body as well as have a splash in pool or river.

Lachchhi Wala

2. Lakshman Siddh :- It is situated 12 kms away from Dehradun City on Haridwar / Rishikesh Road. It is believed that Lakshman had penance (Tapasiya) for killing the Ravana , hence this place is known as Lakshman Siddh.

Lakshman Siddh

Lakshman Siddh Temple

Lakshman Siddh Temple

One can spend hours in the calmness of silence. The temple is surrounded by forest.

Way to Lakshman Siddh Temple

There is Akhand Dhuni where ever day Hawan is performed. Two Rudraksh trees are also there.

Lakshman Siddh - Akhand Dhuni

Lakshman Siddh - Akhand Dhuni

The main Prasad of the temple is Jaggery . In every last Sunday of April the temple committee conducts a huge Bhandara.
3. Sahastradhara :- It means “thousand fold springs” an ideal place for picnic. There are three caves known as Shiva Cave , Parvati Cave & Inderesh Cave opposite to Baldi river. The way to Shiva’s cave is very slippery.

Sahastradhara - Shiva Cave (Inside View)

Sahastradhara - Parvati Cave

3. Sahastradhara - Indresh Cave

Way to Caves opp. Baldi river

It is also famous for Cold sulphure springs where visitor take bath which helps in curing the skin infection. It contains Medicated / Therapeutic properties.

Sahastradhara

It can be visited at any time but the best time to visit is during rainy season when the streams appear of a gushing torrent.

Way to Sahastradhara

4. Tapovan :- There is a Dronacharya Ashram. According to legend Dronacharya had done penance here. The ambience in and around this holy place is so divine that it sooths all the sorrow.

Tapovan - Dronacharya Ashram

Tapovan - Dronacharya temple inside the ashram

Tapovan

Tapovan

5. Kalinga war Memorial :- It is the only martyr memorial of its kind in history where victorious army built the memorial on the bank of river Rispana in memory of General GILASPY with other army men as well as Gorkha General BALBHADRA THAPA their adversary to pay tribute to their courage jointly.

Kalinga war Memorial

6. Kalinga Fort :- Kalinga fort was known as Nalapani fort also. In 1814 the battle of Nalapani which took place between Gorkha Army & British Army. In this battle women & childen joined hand in fighting along with the Ghorkha Army against British Army. The British general GILASPY lost his life on 31st oct. 1814 with fellow military men. The most of the fort part was damaged during the war , gradually it was damaged. The only left over thing is a broken Trishul. Now a new monument has been built by authorities.

Way to Kalinga Fort

Kalinga Fort

Kalinga Fort -- only left over thing is a broken Trishul

Tibten Settlment colony at Nalapani , on the way to Kalinga Fort

Fearing defeat, Sheila delaying DSGMC poll: Badal

Jalandhar/Chandigarh, November 18
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today hit back at his Delhi counterpart Sheila Dixit saying that she was deliberately delaying elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). Talking to newsmen at Khiala village near Jalandhar, Badal accused the Delhi Chief Minister of helping DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna whose defeat in the next DSGMC poll was inevitable. He said that as it would have an impact on the Delhi Assembly elections, Sheila wanted to delay elections to the Sikh institution. In a separate statement, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) took a strong note of the remarks of the Delhi Chief Minister asking her Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal to “keep off Delhi gurdwara affairs”. The SAD described her reaction as irrational and indicative of the fact that Dixit was not aware of the history of the DSGMC. The SAD said that it was strange that the Congress leader was asking the founding fathers of the DSGMC to become mute spectators to the denigration of the management committee responsible for the maintenance of historic Sikh shrines in the national capital. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Will someone please go and tell her that Sikh affairs are very much a business of the Sikhs, and of the Sikhs alone, and that she or her government should stay away from the internal religious matters of the Sikh community. “Let her instead use her position to ensure better law and order in Delhi. By openly talking about an issue which concerns our shrines, Dixit has only confirmed Parkash Singh Badal’s observation that the Congress government in Delhi is indeed interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs,” he said.
Party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema reminded the Congress leader that it was in 1970 that the then SAD president Sant Fateh Singh led a ‘morcha’ in Delhi demanding a similar democratic body on the pattern of the SGPC for the management of Sikh shrines in Delhi.
“Parkash Singh Badal, all his senior colleagues and 16,000 other SAD leaders and workers went to jail in this morcha,” added Cheema.
“So the present DSGMC came into being in 1971 as a result of the sacrifices made by the Sant Fateh Singh, Parkash Singh Badal and other SAD workers,” he said.