Dehradun
Dehradun is situated at an altitude of 2,200 ft in the Doon Valley between two of the most important rivers in India, the Ganga and Yamuna. It offers beautiful scenery and a moderate climate in summer, and so is an ideal place to relax and escape the heat of the plains below. The town also serves as a convenient base for visiting the area’s many tourist sites. Forest Research Institute or the FRI in Dehradun, is one of the best research institutes devoted to the same purpose all around the world. A vast extensive museum in its premises displays a wide range of diverse botanical specimens.
Established as Imperial Forest Research Institute in 1906, Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun, is a premier institution under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Styled in Greeko Roman Architecture by C.G. Blomfield, the main building is a National Heritage which was inaugurated in 1929.
The Indian Military Academy became functional from 1st October 1932 with a course strength of 40 Gentlemen Cadets. Brigadier L. P. Collins, DSO, OBE was the first Commandant. The first course had on its rolls Sam Manekshaw, Smith Dun and Mohd Musa. All of them later became the Chiefs of the armies of their respective countries namely India, Burma and Pakistan.
Mussoorie
Being at an average altitude of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), Mussoorie, with its green hills and varied flora and fauna, is a fascinating hill resort. Commanding snow ranges to the north-east, and glittering views of the Doon Valley and Shiwalik ranges in the south, the town was once said to present a ‘fairyland’ atmosphere to tourists, and is also referred as ‘Queen of the Hill Stations’.
Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib, a city sacred to the memory of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, is also bustling township with growing industries. It retains tangibly memorials to the martial Guru in the form of his weapons and a majestic Gurudwara and recalls his presence even in the name of the city which is derived from “paon” meaning “foot” either because he set foot in this place or according to an alternative story, because he lost an ornament which he wore on his foot called a “Paonta” while bathing in the river Yamuna which flows here. Gurudwara Paonta Sahib (200m): This site was Guru Gobind Singh’s home for over four years and it was here that he wrote the ‘Dasam Granth’.
