- History of Dehradun
Dehradun is the capital of Indian state of
Uttarakhand , and has rich and eventful history, it also finds mention in scriptures as well.In British period, the town was known as Dehra, while the district was known as Dehradun .
History
Ancient history
[
Mauryan Empire during reign ofAshoka , 273 BC - 232 BC.] InSkanda Purana , Dun is mentioned as a part of the region called 'Kedar Khand', the abode of Shiva. Another belief states thatDrona , the great teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas lived here, for a brief period hence the name, "Drona-nagri" [ [http://gov.ua.nic.in/schooleducation/DIET/diet_dehradun/district_profile.htm A Brief History and profile of Dehradun] Government ofUttarakhand website.] .A rock edict of Ashoka, the legendary
Mauryan King, who ruled between 273 BC to 232 BC., was discovered at Kalsi, 56 km. fromDehradun , by John Forest, in1860 [. [http://210.212.78.56/dehradun/English/form_kalsi.htm Rock edict] ] [ [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V02_076.gifEpigraphy - Rocks] "The Imperial Gazetteer of India ", 1909, v. 2, p. 41.] .Present Dehradun
The present town of Dehradun was founded in the early eighteenth century by 'Guru Ram Rai', the elder son of seventh Sikh Guru,
Guru Har Rai , who was part of theUdasi sect of Sikh Asceticism [ [http://www.satnamnetwork.com/Gurus/Guru_Har_Rai_Sahib_home.htm.] , who came here in1675 , and first settled in village 'Dhamawala', which even today hosts the annual 'Jhanda Fair' on the fifth day afterHoli in his memory [ [http://210.212.78.56/dehradun/English/form_ram_rai.html Guru Ram Rai Darbar] Official website ofDehradun .] . Thus the name refers to his Dera or settlement in the valley, around which the present down gradually developed [ Other cities with similar names areDera Ismail Khan ,Dera Bugti andDera Ghazi Khan inPakistan .] , and marking this settlement is aGurudwara called 'Guru Ram Rai Darbar', built in1699 with the help of Raja of Garhwal, Fateh Shah, who was succeeded by his grandson in the same year, Pratap Shah [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Dehra Dehra] 1911] , and modelled on the tomb ofMughal Emperor Jehangir [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_227.gifDehra Town] "The Imperial Gazetteer of India ",1909 , v. 11, p. 221-223.] .Historically, Dehradun has remained part of the
Garhwal Kingdom also known as 'Kedarkhand', which was founded by Ajai Pal, around 1400, by capturing all the minor principalities of the Garhwal region, under his own sway, and thereafter, he and his descendants ruled overGarhwal and the adjacent state ofTehri-Garhwal , in an uninterrupted line till 1803, when Gurkhas invaded Kumaon and Garhwal [ [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Garhwal Garhwal] 1911.] .In between, until
Najib-ul-Daula , the governor ofSaharanpur , who later founded city ofNajibabad , invaded the city with his army ofRohillas in1757 , and ruled here, leading to its wide spread development, though after his death in1770 , it was successively annexed by surrounding tribes of Rajputs, Gujjars, Sikhs and Gurkhas who ruled the region in quick succession, and lead to its steady downfall.Finally in
1803 , it was annexed by theGurkhas , who made the king ofGarhwal , Pradyumna Shah, flee to Saharanpur, leaving the region to be ruled by an iron fist by the Gurkha king. Later, King Pradyumna Shah and his sons Kuwar Parakrama Shah and Kuwar Pritam Shah, and a 12,000 strong army fought with the Gorkhas at Khurhbure, where the king was killed.[
1903 .] In the same year, the British has already taken over Saharanpur, which lead to contious skirmishes between the two armies, leading to theGurkha War (1814 –1816 ), also known as theAnglo-Nepalese War , when eventually the Gurkhas were ousted after the siege of the fort of Nalapani.The
Sugauli Treaty , signed onDecember 2 ,1815 and ratified byMarch 4 ,1816 , between theBritish East India Company andThe Kingdom of Nepal , ending the second British invasion of theHimalaya n kingdom during theAnglo-Nepalese War (1814 -1816 ). The signatory for Nepal was Raj Guru Gajaraj Mishra aided by Chandra Sekher Upadhyaya and Lieutenant-Colonel Paris Bradshaw signed for the Company.The treaty led to the annexation of the Dehradun and east
Garhwal Kingdom into theBritish Empire , and they became part of theGarhwal District , in theKumaon Division of the United Provinces, and had an area of 5629 sq. mi, and that is when it slowly started regaining its lost glory [ [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_217.gifHistory, Dehra Dun District]The Imperial Gazetteer of India , 1909, v. 11, p. 211-214. ] [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Dehra_Dun Dehra Dun] 1911.] [ [http://dehradun.nic.in/history.htm History] Official website ofDehradun district . ] . Meanwhile, the west Garhwal was reinstituted to theGarhwal Kingdom , and Sudarshan Shah, son of slain king, was made the king ofTehri Garhwal , who madeTehri his capital.'Dehra Dun' municipality was established in
1867 , and in1900 railways made its way to Dehradun viaHaridwar , which was earlier connected in1886 [ [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Mussoorie Mussoorie] 1911.] .In 1901, Dehradun had a population of 24, 039 in
1901 , and was a district of British India, in theMeerut division of the United Provinces , while the neighbouring town of Rajpur, which lay en route to the hill-station ofMussourie , and from where pure-drinking water was supplied to the city through pipes, had a population of 2,900 [ [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V21_088.gifRajpur Town (2)] "The Imperial Gazetteer of India ",1909 , v. 21, p. 82.] .ee also
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Landour References
External links
* [http://dehradun.nic.in/history.htm History of Dehradun at Official website of Dehradun]
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