Dehradun, a part of ‘Garhwal Region’ is predominantly inhabited by Garhwali people. This Himalayan city mainly portrays the pure influence of Garhwali tradition and customs. The chief languages spoken in Dehradun include Garhwali, Gorkhali, Punjabi, Sindhi, Kumaoni, Urdu, English and Hindi.
Apart from the Garhwali People, other folks belonging to differing religions and backgrounds dwell here peacefully and harmoniously. Adding to this, Dehradun being a leading tourist destination registers the torrents of most colorful population.
Religious and Tradition in Dehradun.
As the city is perched at the high altitude, the weather remains chiefly cold and windy all round the year. Due to that, people always wear woolen blankets and other woolen coverings. The traditional attire of women in Dehradun is saris with full sleeved blouses covered with a kind of jacket called Angra.
Young girls wear full skirts and cover their head and shoulders with scarves. Men folk of Dehradun traditionally wear Dhoti, Langoti and Angarkha. The style of wearing this Dhoti differs according to their background, cast and status. The people belonging to lower strata of social hierarchy wear short Dhotis and those belonging to higher classes wear long Dhotis. These days under the influence of modernism, the civilians of Dehradun have also adopted the modern attire of shirts, trousers, denims, kurta-pyjamas etc.
Jhanda Fair is held every year at the historic Guru Ram Rai Darbar in Dehradun City on the fifth day after Holi in the sacred memory of the Guru. The fair begins with putting up a new Jhanda (Flag) on the staff located in the compound of the historic complex. Besides local people, a large number of devotees turn up from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, U.P. and Himachal Pradesh etc.
Tapkeshwar is a legendary place located on the eastern bank of the river tons. Lord Shiva is the reigning deity of the ancient temple located here in a cave. In the Skandapurana, the place has been referred to as Deveshwara. It is believed that during Dwaparyuga, this place was abode of Guru Dronacharya who lived here with his family. Since then, the cave is known as Drona Gufa. One of the famous heroes of Mahabharata and son of Guru Drona, Ashwathama, was born here.
Lakshman Siddha is one of the four Siddhpeeths around Dehradun. It has immense religious importance. It is mainly a local religious fair held every Sunday.
It is about 10 kms away on Dehradun-Rishikesh road and can be easily approached by city bus or tempo. It is located about a km off the road inside jungle.
This fair is held at the Jhanda ground inBissu fair cantonment arear of Chakrata block of Dehradun district. It is about 3 kms from Chakrata.
The fair reflects cultural heritage and tradition of Jaunsari tribe. A large number of people turn up in this fair from nearby Tehri, Uttarkashi and Saharanpur districts. The fair marks harvesting season in the area and reflects the happiness of the local people.
This fair is held at Ramtal in Nagau gram sabha of Chakrata tehsil in Dehradun district.
Ramtal is a beautiful natural tank of about 30 mts long and 30 mts wide, located on a hill and is connected with a 700 mts long motorable road. The tank is surrounded by a green ground which is the venue of the fair. Every year during navratras, in the month of April a big fair is held here. A temple and a memorial dedicated to the freedom fighter Veer Kesri Chandra is located at this spot.