The Indian state of Uttarakhand’s capital, Dehradun, has a long and eventful history. It is also mentioned in ancient scriptures. Dera Dun was the name of the town during the British Raj.
The historical fact that Baba Ram Rai, the eldest son of the Seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai, established his “Dera” (camp) in “dun” (valley) in 1676 is whence Dehradun gets its name. Later, this “Dera Dun” became Dehradun. The extraordinary abilities of charismatic Ram Rai greatly amazed the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
The city of Dehradun mainly lies in Doon Valley and is at a varying height from 410 m (1,350 ft) in Clement Town to above 700 m (2,300 ft) at Malsi which is 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city.
However, the average elevation is 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level.[31] Malsi is the starting point of Lesser Himalayan Range that extends to Mussoorie and beyond.
