Dehradun is situated in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal around 235 km from Delhi. Dehradun extends from the latitude 30° 19' in the North to longitude 78° 04' in the East. The city of Dehradun is well connected to other cities of north India by rail, road, and air.

Dehradun is one of the oldest cities in India. In the Vedic times, the Garhwal Mandal, of which Dehradun is a part, was known as the Kedar Khand. Legend has it that Guru Dronacharaya, a Brahmin teacher of warfare, considered Dehradun a place fit for meditation & worship and therefore, the valley of Doon was christened Drona Ashram, which means "The Abode of Drona".
The written history of Dehradun dates back to 250 BC and King Ashoka's inscription at Kalsi, on the outskirts of the city, is proof of this. There are 14 edicts carved on a rock and nearby 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.

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The place is situated amidst beautiful surroundings and legend has it that Guru Dronacharaya underwent his penance here.
The Malsi Deer Park is a newly developed tourist spot at the foothills of the Shivalik range. The place is situated about 10 km from Dehradun on the road leading to Mussorie. A mini-zoo with a children's park and lovely natural surroundings make it an ideal sightseeing cum picnic spot.

The Forest Research Institute here is the biggest forest based product-training institute in India. All Forest Officers in India are trained here.

Kalsi is a historical place with an Ashokan Pillar, which has inscriptions in Devanagari. An Ashokan rock edict built in AD 450 is also situated here.

There are a number of important institutions located in Dehradun that provide different academic and research facilities. Some of them are the Anthropological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Survey of India, Indian Institute of Petroleum, Rashtriya Indian Military College, Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, and Indian Military Academy