Asan Barrage- An Imperative Part of Dehradun

Dehradun is a wonderful city that not just adorns the nation but also helps in the growth of tourism in India.  The city is the capital of the state of Uttarakhand and is also a district with an area covering 3088 sq. km. of diverse land. Aptly set amidst the beautiful hills in a valley, the city is also frequently referred to as the Doon Valley.

Asan Barrage, Uttarakhand

It owns a moderately high reverence, as it is believed that the very base of the city’s foundation was laid by the Sikh guru Ram Rai, who was put in exile by Aurangzeb. It is said that he visited the site where the city today exists during his period of exile and set up a camp, and also built a temple.  Following him, his adherent followers also came to the place and got settled. It is then that the modern-day word ‘Dehra’ which means ‘camp’ got attached to the place along with ‘Dun’ which means low-lying land on the foot of the mountains. Hence, the place derived the name Dehradun.

Tourism is the main industry driving the state economy here in Dehradun. Thousands of visitors flock the city including sightseers, nature buffs, wildlife lovers, honeymooners, and thrill seekers. Summers are generally hot to mildly hot in here. On the other hand, winters can get cold. Also as the Dehradun district is quite big, so depending on the altitude of the location there might be snowfall, which is one more reason for tourists to head to the city. It generally snowfalls in the district during the month of January.

beautiful scene of Asan Barrage

Being a modern yet historic city, Dehradun is replete with attractions belonging to different eras. The number of places of interest and sightseeing is rather available in plenty within the city. Besides, there are multiple cool tourist places near the city where one can simply slip into for spending tranquil moments relaxing away from the noise of the city. Among the popular nearby places to slip into, there is one located about 40 km to the west of the center of the city. The place is called Asan Barrage and is basically a water resort which at times is also referred to as Dhalipur Lake. The site comprises an artificial placid lake and a barrage, which obviously is the reason for the formation of the lake. The barrage was established in the year 1967 to hold the water of the site where the rivers Yamuna and Asan meet. A good know fact, the water resort also recently got declared a national bird sanctuary, adding a new layer to the significance of the site.

Flying Beauties

The place is popular for picnics and is the hub of several water sports activities. These include boating, water skiing, rowing, canoeing, and kayaking. Other than that, the place is scenic as it is set amidst lush green surrounding. One more attraction of the place is bird watching. During the months between October and November or February and March of every year, the place is visited by large waves of exotic birds migrating from other places. According to the data, about 53 different species of birds that include pintail, Brahminy duck, coot, tufted duck, red-crested poacher, mallard, etc flock to the place.

The good thing is one could easily find local transportation like taxis, cabs, and buses to the place. Besides, there are a couple of good hotels in Dehradun also offering pick and drop service to the place. Dehradun is a beautiful city that is full of scenic places like Asan Barrage and others.