page_title: History of Dehradun
section_title: Ancient history
hierarchical_section_title: History of Dehradun / History / Ancient history
caption_attribution_description: English: A map of the Maurya Dynasty, showing major ciies, early Buddhist sites, Ashokan Edicts, etc.
context_page_description: Dehradun is the capital of The Indian state of Uttarakhand, and has a rich and eventful history, it also finds mention in scriptures as well.
  During the British Raj, the town was known as Dera Dun.
context_section_description: In Skanda Purana, Dun is mentioned as a part of the region called Kedarkhand, the abode of Shiva. In ancient India during the Mahabharata epic era, Dronacharya the great teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas lived here hence the name, "Dronanagari".
  A rock edict of Ashoka, the legendary Mauryan King, who ruled between  273 BCE to 232 BCE, was discovered at Kalsi, 44 km from Dehradun by John Forest, in 1860. The edict was known as Chhatra Shila by the local residents until it was protected by the Archaeological Survey of India following its discovery. Situated on the banks of the Yamuna, Kalsi was earlier known as Kalkut and was a part of the flourishing Kulind janapada. It was the northernmost limit of the surveys done by the founder of ASI Alexander Cunningham who surveyed areas stretching from Kalsi in the north to Narmada in the south.
caption: Extent of Mauryan Empire during reign of Ashoka, 273 BC – 232 BC
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