DEHRA DUN

city, northwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies in the Himalayan foothills, at an elevation of 2,200 feet (670 m). Dehra Dun was founded in 1699, when the heretical Sikh Guru Ram Rai, driven out of the Punjab, built a temple there. During the 18th century, the area succumbed to successive invaders, the last of whom were the Gurkhas. When the Gurkha War ended in 1816, the area was ceded to the British. Dehra Dun is now a hill resort and the terminus of a road and a rail line from the south. Tea processing is the main industry. Dehra Dun is also the headquarters of the Survey of India and of the forest department; it houses the Forest Research Institute, the Archaeological Survey Laboratory, and several military academies. The city also has colleges and museums. A few miles northeast is a sulphur spring used for bathing. In the surrounding area peaks rise to 8,000 feet (2,500 m). The section called the Dun is a valley between the Himalayan foothills and the Siwalik Range. Rice, wheat, millet, tea, and other crops are grown; and the locality produces valuable timber. Mussoorie, a hill station north of Dehra Dun city, is a popular summer resort; and Rishikesh is an important pilgrimage centre. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 270,028; metropolitan area, 367,411.