Etymology
Dehradun is made up of two words Dehra and doon. 'Dehra' is derived from the word "dera", meaning camp, and "doon" is a term for the valley that lies between the Himalayas and the "Shivaliks". When Ram Rai, son of Guru Har Rai, came to this region along with his followers, he established a camp here for their stay. It was around this time that the modern city of Dehradun started to develop. This is when the word Dehra was linked to doon, and thus the city was named Dehradun. Some historians also believe that the word Dehra cannot be regarded as a term for camping. This term is still used in Punjabi and Hindi.
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