Dehradun has captured the imagination of generations of Indian and foreign tourists alike with it scenic vistas, forests of emerald green sal and the warm Garhwali customs and cuisines. The capital of the state of Uttarakhand has been immortalised in the works of Ruskin Bond and Rudyard Kipling where the little hill station becomes a character by itself, it is still a popular with Bollywood film makers who eulogise the rolling mists in the Doon valley which lends an element of the fantastic to every scene.Known as the 'Eton of the East', Dehradun is home to some of the most prestigious residential schools attended by the children of the richest and most powerful people in the country. It also hosts institutions of national importance such as Indian Military Academy, Survey of India, ITBP Academy, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy and Zoological Survey of India. A nod to its rich association with the Bristish bureaucracy who used the hill station as their base during the torrid Indian summer in the plains. In ancient times, Dehradun is mentioned in the Skanda Purana as the abode of Shiva. Dronacharya the greatest archer and teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas of the Mahabharata also lived here.