Some of the premier educational and Training Institutes like Indian Miltary Academy, RIMC(Rashtriya Indian Military College), Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy(IGNFA), Lal Bahadur Shahstri National Academy of Administration(LBSNAA)etc are also there in Dehradun. It is a favoured tourist destination as it attracts tourists, pilgrims and enthusiasts from various walks of life to its serene environs. Add to this the abundance of special Basmati rice, tea and leechi gardens which contribute in turning the city into a paradise.
The district is named after its chief city Dehra Dun. Dehra appears to be a corruption of dera signifying a temporary abode or camp. During the reign of Aurangzeb, Ram Rai, Guru of the Udasi Sikhs on being ordered by the Mughal king to retire to the wilderness of the Dun, had pitched his tents here in what is now the Khurbura locality of the town and has also built a temple near Dhanawala. Around these two sites, grew up the town popularly known as Dehra. The term dun or doon means the low lands at the foot of a mountain range, and as the bulk of the district lies in such a terrain, it justified the dun part of the name.
Another derivation of the term dun is stated to be from Dronashram, hermitage of Guru Dronacharya of Mahabharata fame, who sojourned for a season in the village of Devara, situated near to Dehra to perform his devotions at a lonely spot.
District Boundaries and other Details
- The district is situated in the north-west corner of the state.
- It is bounded on the north and to some distance in the north-west by the district of Uttarkashi.
- In the east by the district Tehri Garhwal and Pauri-Garhwal.
- In the south by the district of Saharanpur(Uttar Pradesh).
- At its southern tip touching the boundary of district Haridwar.
- Its western boundary adjoins the Sirmur(Nahan) district of Himachal Pradesh with the rivers Tons and Yamuna separating the two.
- Lies between 29 degrees 58′ and 31 degrees 2′ 30″ north latitudes and 77 degrees 34′ 45″ and 78 degrees 18′ 30″ east longitudes.