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Amidst sal and shisham
forests in the foothills of the Shivaliks lies nestled the valley of
Doon. You have a glimpse of the Himalayas in the north. The mighty
Ganga lies east of the town and the Jamuna to the west. This sylvan
valley was once a heaven for retired officers. Rapid
industrialization of the town has taken its toll on the scenic beauty
and it remains today a gateway to Mussoorie, the queen of hills.
Dehra Dun is fast
expanding though in a somewhat haphazard fashion. The crowded main
streets with buses, cars, cycles and carts, and the ubiquitous
autorickshaws weaving in and out of the traffic are a symbol of this
expansion. Diesel fumes hang heavy in the air, which at one time was
clear and pure.
For tourists Dehra Dun
and Mussoorie come in a package. Doon being the gateway to Mussoorie
and much cheaper is used as a base. This town is also the gateway
for visits to Hardwar and Rishikesh, the two pilgrim spots of the
Hindus. It is because of Doon’s gentle pace and cool environs
that private boarding schools and other institutions were built here.
It was a town that revolved around its institutions and schools.
Possibly the Indian Military Academy is best known of the educational
institutions. This is where cadets are trained to become officers in
the army. It takes two years of rigorous training before they march
out. The marching out ceremony is really worth watching. Very often
diving through the large estate one sees cadets hard at games or
work. After a whole week of training one finds the young cadets out
to enjoy themselves on Saturday evenings. You will find the main
market flooded with young men in grey uniform and pretty girls
dressed in their loveliest clothes.
Further down the IMA road
lies the Forest Research Institute surrounded by rows and rows of
tall trees. The building which sprawls gracefully from end to end
with its high colonnaded verandahs is well worth seeing. The whole
estate has a wonderful variety of trees which have been planted by
the institute itself. The trees are old and stand graceful and green
and are home for a variety of birds.
Some of the other well
known institutions are the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, the Survey
of India, the Indian Institute of Wildlife and the Wadia Institute of
Himalayan Geology. At one time the Viceroy’s Bodyguard was
stationed here as this was the summer headquarters. They came in
March and left for Calcutta in October.
Coming to the schools,
the Doon school is set in a large and beautiful estate. It is among
the best known schools in the country. Other schools are Welhams
both for boys and girls, and the Convent of Jesus and Mary which has
branches in other parts of the country also.
The British had at one
time tried planting tea around Dehra Dun because of the suitable
climate. Some tea estates which are not really functional still
stand on the outskirts of the town. Dehra Dun however has a number
of lychee, mango and guava orchards. The best lychees come from
these hills. The months of June and July sees trees laden with red
lychees. Nurseries for seedlings and some rare plants can also be
located in the valley.
On the outskirts of the
city one finds a Tibetan settlement. These are the Tibetan refugees
who fled from China with the Dalai Lama. You will find fine carpets
made by them and you can also ask them to weave you a carpet. They
also have a market in the heart of town where they sell imported
goods.
Dehra Dun’s history
dates back to 250 B.C. and Ashoka’s inscription at Kalsi on the
outskirts is proof. There are 14 edicts carved on this rock. Also
near Kalsi is the site of three horse sacrifices, by Raja Shilvarma
of the Vrisheri dynasty. Large bricks with writing on them are laid
out in the shape of a huge bird with a fire altar in the middle.
Historians think that Shilvarma ruled in the 3rd century
just before the Guptas.
There is no dearth of
scenic spots. About 15 kilometres from the town is Sahastradhara
which has a sulphur spring. The medicinal waters of the spring are
used for drinking and bathing. Once the surrounding hills in this
area were well forested but today; the area has a denuded look.
However all efforts are being made by the residents to reforest the
area.
Parts of the Doon valley
are still thickly forested. These have been declared sanctuaries.
There are three sanctuaries in the area basically all a part of the
same forest block. These are called Rajaji, Chilla and Motichur
sanctuaries. There are still some elephant herds, leopards, tigers,
fishing ghurals and a varied bird life. Each of these places has a
forest rest house for those who want to stay. Mussoorie is just 35
kilometres away from Dehra Dun. It takes around 90 minutes to reach
there by bus.
Landour, as the older
part of Mussoorie is known, is perhaps the oldest hill station.
Captain Young, who established the town by building its first house,
can be called the founding father. His house which was built in 1829
still stands below Landour. Mussoorie straddles a horseshoe shaped
ridge. On a clear day one can see the Himalayan ranges in the north
in all their splendour. Fabled peaks, Swaragrohini, Bandarpoonch,
the Gangotri Massiff, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Nilkanth and on the
extreme right Nanda Devi and Trisul, can be viewed in one unbroken
line. The silver threads of the Ganga and Jamuna can also be seen
meandering along the green valley and then disappearing when the eye
can focus no further.
Incidentally, the man who
surveyed the subcontinent, George Everest, lied in Mussoorie from
1832 to 1843. He was the Surveyor-General of India. An interesting
story about him tells how he kept a luscious harem behind his
bungalow. Today this Bibi Khana stands in ruins. It is known as
Park Estate and is just a few minutes drive from the centre of town.
Mussoorie today is a
bustling town. As one drives up there is evidence of much building
activity, multi-storyed buildings and cottages taking shape on
precarious hillsides. Every second or third house is either a
private hotel or a school. The once wooded hillsides are quite bare.
In summer and autumn which are the main tourist seasons, crowds
converge on the Mall Road which is the centre of town. Sometimes in
the evening there is hardly place to walk. Shops which have no local
handicrafts worthy of note except for some fine walking sticks, do
brisk business in goods brought up from the plains. An aerial
ropeway which starts from near Hackman’s on the Mall will take
you up to Gun Hill for an overall view. There are crowds milling
around the starting point waiting to go up. Gun Hill was so named
because in the old days a gun kept there was fired at mid-day to
denote the time. Today there is no gun but the hilltop is quite
popular.
The Mall boasts of eating
houses of all types form south Indian to Chinese cuisine. The Kulri
Bazaar has shops which offer Indian fare. In keeping with the times a
new and rather good pizza parlour is the latest addition on the Mall.
It seemed very popular, we tried the food and found it good.
In pre-war summers
Mussoorie had the reputation of being a carefree fun loving hill
station. It had no bureaucrats, no visible hierarchial system as
Shimla and Nainital, where the governments moved up for the summer.
No one wore a social strait jacket. It had a great reputation for
being a place for amours and secret laisons. Indeed, in one of the
better known hotels, they rang a bell just before dawn, so that the
pious may say their prayers and the impious may get back to their own
beds!
Hackman’s on the
Mall had some luscious cabaret artistes who were reputed to have
performed at Monte Carlo. Hackman’s is still a running hotel
but nowhere near its former glory. The Savoy was the grandest hotel
in Mussoorie. It was a p lace where every one came in holiday in
style. It was built in 1902, even though there was no proper road
and no lorries – everything was brought up by bullock-cart. It
was in the gay twenties that the Savoy had its heydey – gorgeous
balls were held, often in fancy dress, perfumed ladies and tuxedoed
gentlemen danced to the music of banks which came all the way form
Europe. The famous and the wealthy lived as guests including
bejeweled maharajas who occupied whole suites and threw lavish
parties. There was a glamorous atmosphere about the place which drew
everyone to it. Pandit Nehru used to holiday here. Exiled heads of
state like Haile Selassie and the Dalai Lama have also been on the
guest list of the Savoy. The splendid days have gone but the Savoy
still stands serenely in its setting of ancient deodar trees. If the
imagination is extended one can picture something of its former
glory.
Mussoorie’s roller
skating rinks are very popular with the younger set of tourists.
Others like long walks. For trekkers this town is a convenient base.
Roads from here lead to Gangotri and Yamunotri and Black Peak area,
Har-ki-Doon and other treks in the Garhwal Himalayas and to nearby
Himachal Pradesh.
Two old graveyards, one
on Camel’s Back Road and the other at Landour have some old
interesting graves if you like wandering around. There are generals,
tummies, authors, children and memsahibs. A good way to spend a lazy
afternnon if you want to recapture a sense of the past. A good way
to spend the evening if you want to brush shoulders with ghosts!
Mussoorie like all hill stations has its fair share of ghost stories,
mostly perpetuated by school children.
One can drive down to
Kempty Falls, which is about half an hour away on a motorable road.
There are plenty of people viewing the water which splits into five
distinct falls. When we went a film team from Bombay was there.
Everyone was very excited about the film starts!
On some days the water is
used for irrigation and the magnificent spectacle is denied to the
tourist.
Dhanoulti which lies on
the Tehri road about 25 kilometres from Mussoorie, is a charming
little hamlet set in deodar groves. A nice peaceful spot to picnic
in. Here again the Himalayas offer a splendid picture. The air is
clear and wildflowers dot the glens and roadsides.
VISITING DEHRADUN AND MUSSOORIE
GETTING THERE
Dehra Dun is located in
the lower Shivaliks, the lowest Himalayan ranges. It is 320
kilometres from Delhi. Mussoorie is 35 kilometres beyond Dehra Dun.
By Air
Daily Vayudoot flights
connect Delhi with Dehra Dun.
By Rail
Dehra Dun is connected
with all major north Indian cities by train. An overnight rail
journey from Delhi.
By Road
Deluxe bus service
connections available from Delhi. A six hour journey. Frequent bus
service from Dehra Dun to Mussoorie. Taxis also available.
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