Situated at an average altitude of 640 meters above sea level, Dehradun district lies in the north-west border of Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand state touching Himanchal Pradesh in its west and Uttar Pradesh in its south. Dehradun district shares its border with Uttarkashi district in north and north-west, Tehri Garhwal and Pauri Garhwal districts in its east and Haridwar in the southern tip thus establishing itself as the gateway to Garhwal region and also houses major tourism spots. Sitting lovingly in the lap of Himalayas and Shivalik hills, Dehradun district falls on the Doon Valley and nestles in between holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna in its east and west.  Dehradun district also holds the honor of the holy confluence of Ganga and Yamuna in Rishikesh.

Economy of Dehradun District – Industries in Dehradun District

Currently running industries in Dehradun district are of clothes, leather, wood and wood product, paper and paper product, print and broadcast media, petroleum manufacture, chemical and chemical product, rubber and plastic product. Tourism industry along with Information Technology will potentially flourish in Dehradun district. Dehradun can be developed as a major tourist hub by encouraging varied fruit orchards- majorly mango, lichi and guava in lower regions and grapes, orange, apple and other fruits that suit in higher altitude regions. The fertile land of Dehradun district can yield more crops if agriculture is prioritized. Bee keeping will be one major business if fruit orchards are developed. Also hand-crafts, wood carving and pottery can be encouraged which the tourists will like to take back home for memory and gifts to dear ones.

History of Dehradun District

It is believed that the hero of Hindu holy epic Ramayana- lord Rama and his brother Laxman had come to Dehradun after killing the giant Ravana who had kidnapped Ram’s wife Sita. Thus its history dates back to Treta Yuga. In Dwapar Yuga, Dronacharya- the guru of Pandavas and Kauravas resided in Dehradun area. Tapkeshwar Mahadev temple and the cave nearby have the legend related to Dronacharya’s residence in the area. During that time, Dehradun was popular as Drona-Nagari meaning city of Drona. Rishikesh of Dehradun district is believed to be handed to Rishis (sages) by lord Vishnu after killing Madhu and Kaitabh giants to save the world.

Ashoka rock edict dating back to his rule 273-232BC found in Kalsi of Dehradun district is the authentic history of Dehradun. In 1676, Guru Ram Rai, the eldest son of seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai, came to settle in Dhamawala of Dehradun, called it his ‘Dera’ meaning settlement and built a gurudwara in Khurbura with support of the then King Fateh Shah. Devotees started to visit the gurudwara and gradually houses began to erupt in the surrounding area. This way, Dehradun City was established. Dehra comes from the word Dera used to denote camp or settlement of Guru Ram Rai and Dun means valley. Every year on the fifth day after Holi festival, Jhanda fair is held at Dhamawala. Dehradun, a part of Garhwal division developed during the rule of Najib-ul-Daula. Short term rules of Rajputs, Gujjars, Sikhs and Gurkhas led to its decline. In 1816 British took over the area and ruled until India’s independence in 1945.

After independence Dehradun city of Dehradun district became the capital city of Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand with its majestic natural grandeur and heavenly environment.

Population of Dehradun District

According to the national census 2011, Dehradun district has a total population of 1,696,694 with 804,495 female and 892,199 male where the child population aged 0-6 is 83,901 with 39,846 girls and 44,055 boys. The urban population is 55.52% of the total population, 941,941 in number. 44.48% of the population is rural, 754,753 in number.

84.25% people in Dehradun are literate.