Reasons to live in Dehradun

Top 10 reasons to live in Dehradun

The city is a club of people of various cultures. They all came across from different backgrounds and just get mixed here with everyone which is a good thing about the city. Today I'm gonna tell you " Why Dehradun is  the best place to live !!!"




1. Weather:- The city has awesome weather and climatic conditions which makes it more beautiful. In northern India, Dehradun receives the highest rainfall, which helps in making the city greener. Its cool weather is so pleasant that you hardly feel any kind of hotness here. For more check out my post on monsoon in dehradun.

A view of healthy cultivated grass

  A green shed under a tree

2. Education:- The city has provided the best education from ancient to modern times. The city has many institutions which provided the best education to the students and help them to pursue their dreams. Some Institutions like Doon School, Graphic Era, DIT, Heritage School and much more in the list, giving shape to the future.

 

Books Collection

 Books on various subjects

3. Food:- As I had mentioned earlier, the city is a cultural hub, and provides you various styles of food. From Indian, Chinese,  Mughlai, and Thai to Continental and local foods, all you can taste which the delicious flavours in many places in the city. The city seems to be a heaven for a foodie traveller and to add flavours and colours to life from food. For more check out my post on Dehradun's best food.

A Buyer from Buffet

4. Smart city:- Though the city has missed the chance to be on the smart city list of India, it has still many things which make it modern and technical. From the wi-fi services of SpeedAir, and online e-commerce to the transportation system and connected roads, the city has much to explore yet.

Clock Tower

5. Prestigious Institutions:- The city has always a developing phase which puts the citizens ahead all the time from others. The city has got many Prestigious institutions like  Forest Research Institute, Indian Military Academy, ONGC and much more from an earlier time which helps to immune the city for a long time, providing services to all. For more check out my post on Facts of Dehradun.

Central gate to FRI

6. Citizens:- The citizens live in the city in a very humble and corporate with each other, resulting in a friendly environment for living. And of course, because of higher literacy rates in the city, people tend to help others and each possible way. All here are secular and live in unity for all which is the most significant thing in today's world.

People roaming around in the park

People celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi

7. Less crime:- The city receives a small amount of crime, it is because of the strict administrative and controlling powers, all credit goes to the police department and administrative departments. You can easily see police officers and traffic patrols, helping people and thriving an eye on the culprits.

Affection of Grasshopper

8. Historic and traditional:- The city has a historic significance, as described in the holy texts as well as the city has many old monuments and shrines which uplift the spirituality of a being like-Dat Kaali Mandir, Takeshwar Mahadev, St. Francis Church and a lot more. You will never get bored here. For more check out my post on Darbar sahib and Buddha temple.

A Buddhist Temple

A view from the darbar sahib

9. Amazing locations:- The city has enormous amazing viewpoints and each one is more beautiful than the other one. The broad valley has many scenic places, from dawn to dusk you'll find many spots from all the city and that's why poets and writers find their inspirations here for starting a new way.

A hilly view

A picture in the dusk

10. Traveller's City:- The city has a large population which gets a lot more on festive seasons by the tourists who visit here every week for roaming around here all along the way. The city has also connected to various other cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh in the south, Saharanpur in the west, Ponta in the north and Hill's Queen~ Mussoorie in the east, with national highways.

Vikram's window

A mountain view

A view of blue mountain and valley

The conclusion which derives from the above points is that a person will never get bored here until he wants to explore more and that's why the city is also known as Love City because you'll fall in love here with its everything.

Top 10 Local Street Market Places At Dehradun

                            

                                     Street Markets

As I had discussed earlier in my previous posts, Dehradun is a Cultural hub and as the capital of the State, it has also the big Markets of the state as well. Today I'm gonna tell you about the top 10 street marketplaces in our love city Doon. So, hold your breath and read it out.

1. Paltan Bazaar:-  The Biggest Market in the city, you can find almost everyone here from clothes to footwear, everything you can see all around here with the Bargain Price which also makes this market a better street market for the locals and the tourists too. It is also one of the oldest marketplaces in Dehradun. This market also contains some very famous food joints like Laxmi Restaurants and more. It basically started from the clock tower and so on along the straightway. Almost all of its shops get open from morning 10 am till night 10 pm. It gets usually crowded with people all the time but on weekends and festivals, the number of people gets increases by a quite high amount.

A busy route in the Market

A Mosque in Paltan Bazaar

 2. Rama Market:- This Street market is a house of cloth Merchants and printing press workers. You can find various cloth qualities for different purposes here. It has been located next to Paltan Bazaar. Another end of this market also consists of some stationary shops which provide printing works at low costs with other relatable items. Even it has a series of shops which can provide you with the best Invitation cards for marriage and other purposes and this portion is usually visited by the locals for their works. Here the cloth shop has also dying facilities for their customers which makes this market a better marketplace for cloth and relatable items.

A Cloth Shop in Rama Market

3. Indira Market:- This market is a hub for all kind of fashion wears especially for men. from wallet, and glasses to jeans and shirts all the relatable items you can find here at a Bargain price. The market has two openings, one is from Lansdowne Chowk and another one is on Rajpur Road. You can also find some mobile accessories and relatable gadgets at a cheap price. It has almost 200 or more shops which are small in size but gives you a better product for use. It does not get open every day, you must for it till weekends as with every weekend new items and stuff get to come to the market. This marketplace is usually small than other markets but it is the busiest one too. Its structure is basically a small and thin street along which shops are on both sides.

A casual day in Indira Market

4. Tibetan Market:- It is another market that resides on the other side of Lansdowne Chowk which is opposite Hindi Bhawan i.e. Parade Ground. It gets open at two locations, the other one is at Rispana Pull. This market is basically famous for representing Tibetan culture as it specializes their woollen garments, traditional dresses, winter clothes, wooden crafts and jewellery items. It's a bit more costly market than others but its products have the finest quality. It has also some food joints which provide you Tibetan food in its authentic state. It mainly works on Weekends with the collaboration of Sunday Market which sells out cheap clothes, fashion wears and foot wears.

A Gateway to Tibetan Market

Shops In Tibetan Market

5. Arhat Bazaar:- This is one of the oldest ration markets in the city, here you can find many shops which provide you ration and food items at wholesale prices. It basically resides near the Saharanpur Chowk and it is spread over to the Hanuman Chowk which actually covers almost the whole Damawala. All the small shops all over the city get their products from this market at wholesale prices and get distributed among retailers.

A Ration Shop In Arhat Bazaar

6. Machii Bazaar:- This street market is a hub of all kinds of non-vegetarian food. You can easily find many shops here which can provide you chicken, eggs, pork and goat meat as well but in a raw state and you can hardly find any cooked meat shop here. The smell across the street is so foul for vegetarians that they even get passed over here. But meanwhile, you can find here Kabir Dairy which is one of the oldest dairies in the city.  Some other works like Tourist luggage and relatable items also get sales here by the shopkeepers. It lies next to Paltan Bazaar where its other end put you at Chakrata Road.

Sant Kabir Dairy

7. Connaught Place:- This is a Market Complex that lies on Chakrata Road. Here you can find all kinds of accessories related to computers and other relatable items like- printers and display screens. You can also find here some Mobile Accessories and their Service Centers which makes this market a hub of IT accessories. Even they can provide you with a trade-in computer.


8. Rajpur Road:- From earlier times even before the establishment of Dehradun Rajpur is famous for its famous green view walking alongside the market. In the early times here some vegetable vendors use to reside along the road but in the present times they have all get replaced with new Branded showrooms and their merchandise makes this road market a standard one. Here you can find almost all famous brands from all over the world. Also, you can find many handicraft materials here which are offered by some local shops.

Big Bazaar on Rajpur Road

Umang Shop at Rajpur Road

9. Ashley Hall:- This place is famous for the number of restaurants here which offers you some very delicious foods, even you can find here some Bamboo cane carved artefacts, paintings and book stalls which are quite impressive to tourists. The place gets its name from a famous cinema hall named- Ashley.

Shops at Ashley Hall

Ashley Hall Chowk

10. Hanuman Chowk Mandi:-This is also one of the oldest Vegetable Market in the city. It runs parallel to the paltan bazaar. Here you can all kinds of spices and vegetables at very cheap prices. The market is still in the old structure. It gets messy in rainy seasons, besides that, you can find here all types of vegetables. also, you will find some dairy shops here which provide you with some milk and milk-made products.

Small Shop Vendors at Hanuman Chowk Mandi

An old Building at Hanuman Chowk Building

All I can hope with this information is that you if you are crossing these markets you should buy some things from here. All the markets that I had listed here are done only from the people's votes if some marketplace is get left then mention it in the comments. Have a happy shopping day to you across these markets.

Top 10 Food Destinations At Dehradun

 Dehradun's Food

Food items were always a part of making a place more famous for which people come from far places to taste that one amazing cuisine.
As the capital of the state, Dehradun is a cultural hub where people came from various backgrounds and joined the major community of the city and also give their food to the city which makes the city more popular among the tourists.

Today I will tell you about some top food destinations that you can take during the trip to Dehradun.

1. Kumar Sweet Shop:- One of the oldest sweet shops in Dehradun. It gets established in 1951 in Dehradun near Clock tower. The Shop is famous for a variety of sweets of Indian Cuisine like - Jalebi, White Barfi, Guldana, Ras Malai and much more. At present time it has many branches all over the city.
 

2. Standard Bakers:-  It is one of the oldest bakeries founded in Dehradun in 1947. The place is famous for making the finest cakes and pastries in the city. Its rusks and biscuits are famous worldwide as they also import their products to foreign countries. It has two branches one is on Kaulagarh road and the other is at Jakhan.

Standard's Bakers

Standard Bakers (The old shop, since 1947)

3. Ellora's  Melting Moment:- It had been set up in the city since the British Era. The place is the best destination for Chocolate cakes, Muffins, and cupcakes. Another speciality of the shop is its Stick jaws toffee(Candy) which is also famous worldwide. It has its last shop at Rajpur Road.

Ellora's Bakery

4. The Buffet Snack Shop:- The shop is opposite Gandhi Park on Rajpur Road. It is the best place for taking a meal at a food joint. it serves Vegetable sandwiches, Burgers, Vada Pao and Bhajiya which are fast food items but in a healthy way. Its Burger and Sandwiches are too good as people take them as mid-day snacks.

The Buffet Burger Shop

A Burger at Buffet

5. Chaat Wali Gali:-  As the name suggests, the street is famous for Gol Gappe and Chaat Papdi. The Street has many shops which are only serving these to their customers. It's the best destination for the people who love these Indegenic cuisine items. It resides at the Clock tower over Chakrata road.

Chaat wali Gali

6. Gaylord Ice Cream Parlour:- The place is too famous for its Softy Ice cream which has many flavours like- Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Butter Scotch, Black Forest and much more. You can find it near Clock Tower, It is at the starting point of the Paltan Bazar. The shop is a hub of people especially children as they are fond of its Ice cream.

Gaylord Express

7. Madrasi Dosa Hut:- It is actually a stall in Prade Ground which gives you  Delicious authentic South Indian Food at reasonable prices. It is on the opposite side of the Kanak Cinema. They gave their service from 5 pm evening to 11 pm night. It is especially famous for the Dosa they made.

8. Chetan Puri Wala:- Tried eating junk food and stuff all around well then you should move on to authentic Indian food here. They serve you the famous Puri Bhaji with delicious Sabji and sweets too. The place is next to Hanuman Mandir at Hanuman Chowk, which is small in size. Despite its size, people came here and stand in long queues to taste the food.

Chetan Puri Wala

9. Inamullah Building:- The place gets established in 1911 by Inamullah. At that time it was suggested that the route on which the building is well en route a railway track to Mussoorie, but never happen. At present time the place is famous for its non-veg as well as its Mughlai Cuisine, especially serving various hot and juicy kebabs.

The Main entrance to the Building

The shops along the road in the Building

 10.  Maggie point:- Last but not least, as the name suggests famous for Maggie noodles. It is a hub of couples where they take noodles and get amazed by the valley look from the mountain. They are on the Mussoorie route after the Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple. The point is actually different small restaurants on the side of the road.

Maggie

Maybe I have left some other food destinations but the places I have listed out are on people's vote.



 

Shri Guru Ram Rai

 Darbar Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji Maharaj

It is well known that whenever the earth requires a distinction between the holy texts and their meanings, Maha Purush( Holy Man) take birth and gave their message to the world by giving examples from the ancient texts.

Darbar Sahib

One of them was Shri Guru Ram Rai, he is the eldest son of the seventh Sikh guru, Guru Har Rai Ji. He was born on the 5th day of Holi( An Indian Festival) at Kiratpur, Ropar in Punjab in the year  1646.
According to ancient texts, it is said that Guru Hargobind ji was imprisoned by Aurangzeb and demanded Guru Har Rai Ji to come to Delhi in his court to confer with the Emperor. Instead of going himself, Guru Har Rai Ji sends his eldest son to Aurangzeb's Court. There Ram Rai Ji was able to concern all the satisfactory levels of the Aurangzeb and also become able the Emperor. As a result, he was rewarded with the honour of being a guest at the Palace.

A portrait of Ram Rai Ji on his Court Seat

One day, Aurangzeb asked Ram Rai Ji as he was being prodded by some Ulema," Why did Guru Nanak Criticize Muslims in his Bani, as the Bani said, Mitti Musalman ki ". Ram Rai Ji gathered all the Ulema and gave a talk on this line and said that this line is miscopied from the original text as the original one says " Mitti Baiman ki ". As Ram Rai Ji got blessed with powers he was satisfied with his talks and also performed many miracles at the Aurangzeb's Court which consists of making the dead alive, getting moved out of prison, giving gifts to Aurangzeb, saying curses to cruel and greedy people and much more.
When Ram Rai Ji's Father Guru Har Rai Ji heard about all of these acts, he forbade his son from ever coming home, as according to Guru Har Rai ji, giving talks on Bani is only could be done only if he is a Guru, as well as Bani, is complete in itself and no changes would be made in it. Even performing miracles for someone's pleasure is a presentation of arrogance against the Lord's will. 

The Samadhi of Mata Panjab Kaur

A Samadhi in the Dera showing the Architectural design

The central entrance to the Gurudwara

Ram Rai Ji then moved towards Dehradun. The day actually coincides with his birthday. On that day till today, a Fair is organized in his memory, named "Jhanda Mela". In Dehradun, Raja Fateh Singh was ordered by Aurangzeb to provide land to Ram Rai Ji. As the area was earlier known as "Doon" by locals, but when Ram Rai Ji put their " DERA"  here, the place becomes to be known as "DERADOON". With the change in time, the names get changed to "DEHRADUN".

The Jhanda used to host new clothes on every Jhanda Mela

A view of the Gurudwara from the back entrance

With the disown of Ram Rai ji, his younger brother Guru Har Kishan Ji chose to be the next Guru of the Lineage. Here at Dehradun, Ram Rai Ji continued his Sewa to the people and by this selfless work, he got a little following of people from Guru Har Rai Ji's Hukam.
Though Ram Rai Ji misspelt the Bani, He was still considered a Holy Man by many peoples and did many good deeds in helping people. His followers were known as Masands. As Ram Rai Ji has no children, he said his wife, Mata Panjab Kaur, in his final days to don't allow anyone to enclosure him. He also said to her that he is going into deep meditation and it was very important after that he entered in a day and sat in meditation for numerous days.

A portrait of Ram Rai Ji with his things in the closet

Another ancient portrait of Ram Rai Ji

Some greedy Masand tries to occupy Ram Rai Ji's wealth and after getting news of having no presence of Ram Rai Ji, they try to enter his room. Mata Panjab Kaur stops them but they refuse to listen to her and suggested that Ram Rai Ji become desolate. Masands entered the room and found Ram Rai Ji lying on the ground. After debating on their own they came to a result, to cremate the body. Mata Panjab Kaur was watching all this so saddened and prayed to Ram Rai Ji to come back into his body. But it was too late, and Masands cremated the body which lamented her into a shock.

The Murals of flowers in the main court

The Murals decorating the building

It is said that when Ram Rai Ji saw all these from a spiritual plane, he gets so angry that he cursed all the Masands and as a result, Mata Panjab Kaur moved to Guru Gobind Singh( Tenth Sikh Guru) and tell him everything and asked him to help her in taking revenge as Guru Gobind Singh was Ram Rai Ji's Cousin Brother.

Carving on the marble pillars in the Dera

Murals in the outer portion of the building

Murals on the Musem building

Guru Gobind Singh came to Dehradun and punishes all the guilty Masands with deadly punishments. Guru Gobind Singh Ji knew of the power of Ram Rai Ji and also knew that he was a holy man and that what his follower had done to him was shameful.

Back entrance of the Gurudwara

The central court seat of Ram Rai ji

After the Death of  Ram Rai ji in 1687, Mata Panjab Kaur looked over the Dera and its working, but in ancient times, it isn't possible for women to look over it and took administration into her hands. Even women were forbidden to take "Gaddi". Therefore she looks over the Dera with the help of an experienced devotee to Darbar Sahib, Shri Aud Das Ji. After then he is appointed as the First " Mahant " to the Dera.

At present time Mahant, "Devendra Das"( tenth Mahant in the Lineage) is looking over the Dera administration. With the service of Mahants, they have Established SGRR Education Mission and Mahant Indersh Hospitality Services in Dehradun.
At present times the Dera has an Architectural design of the Hindu-Mughal era having murals on the walls describing the stories of the time.