Dehradun, the state capital of Uttarakhand is surrounded by the Himalayas in the north, the Shivalik hills in the south, the Ganges in the east and the Yamuna River in the west. Dehradun was part of the region of Kendarkhand, which was the abode of Lord Shiva who gave his name to the Shivalik Hills. Many lords and famous personalities have visited Dehradun, Uttarakhand for peace and self-punishment. Rama and Laxman gave themselves self-punishment for killing the Lanka King, Ravana. Drona also came here in search of peace; the place was then called Drona Ashram the habitat of Drona. The five Pandvas came on their way to the Himalayas to sacrifice themselves.

In 1469, reformer Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, sought shelter in the city of Dehradun, Uttarakhand from when the Sikhs drove him from Punjab. It was he who gave the names as Dehra-Camp, Doon-Valley etc.

In 1757, Nazib-ud-Daula, Governor of Saharanpur, captured Dehradun in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, but after his death it lay prone to the attack of many invaders, the last were the Gurkhas from Nepal, who annexed it. With the decline of the colonial power in Delhi, the British defeated the forces of 20 years old Siraj-ud-Daula, Moghul Viceroy, at the Battle of Plessey with the help of rebellion led by unfaithful Mr. Jafar. In 1764, Robert Clive, leading the British forces, defeated the reformed colonial army at Buxar. Under the leadership of Nadir Shah there were repeated invasions from the Afghans and Persians, which had left the Moghul Empire in complete darkness. In 1761 the defeat of the battle of Panipat had left India in a position that of a high tide, angry and violent but still divided and lacking in direction. In 1765, the British acquired from the Moghul Emperor, Shah Alam the Diwani Right (revenue collection rights) of the three provinces Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The East India Company was able to infiltrate into the center slowly, but progressively it had brought into security the weak viceroyalties of the Moghuls, endangered by the Marathas.

The imaginary deputy of Ahmed Shah ruled Delhi. On behalf of them traveling Shah Alam who was blinded by a distraughted Afghan Chief in 1788. From this arose the Kingdom of Delhi, a short indication of former Moghul glory. In 1803, in a short but significant campaign, Col. Lord Wellesley destroyed the power of the Marathas. The primary objective of the Company had been trade and commerce. Threatened with bankruptcy, the Company appointed Warren Hastings as Governor in 1774. One of his first acts was to clear the dominions of the Nawab of Oudh of the Rohilla menance. Oudh was important as a defense state from the Marathas. The Rohilla ruler, Rehmat Khan was defeated in the battle of Miranpur Katra. As a result of treaty with the ruler of Oudh in 1801, the whole of Uttar Pradesh was in the hands of the British. After the defeat of the Marathas by Wellesley and General Lake in 1803, the rest of U.P. also came under their province. In 1815, after the defeat of Nepolean by Lord Wellesley later Duke of Wellington, the clearing of the European skies provided the opportunity for England to extend its domination over India, continued as a profitable necessity for the internal flow of trade. The final stage started with a war with the Gurkhas in Nepal from which both emerged with joint respect. The frontier war gained, with the Treaty of Sugauli, in 1816 the districts of Garhwal, Nainital, Kumaon and Dehra Dun. From this starts the modern history of Dehradun. Till 1835, the whole area was included in the Presidency of Bengal when it was divided and called the North West Frontier Province, under a Lt. Governor. Due to lovely natural beauty, it is a favourite residential city and an important educational centre in U.P. The Indian Military Academy, rated Dehradun as on par with England`s Sand Hurst and the United States` West Point.