Chakrata चक्राता |
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Town | |
चकराता | |
Location in Uttarakhand, India | |
Coordinates: 30°42′07″N 77°52′08″E / 30.702°N 77.869°ECoordinates: 30°42′07″N 77°52′08″E / 30.702°N 77.869°E | |
Country | India |
State | Uttarakhand |
District | Dehradun |
Elevation | 2,118 m (6,949 ft) |
Population (2001) | |
• Total | 3,498 |
Languages | |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Vehicle registration | UK |
Website | uk |
Chakrata is a cantonment town in Dehradun district in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
It is situated between the Tons and Yamuna rivers, at an elevation of 7000–7250 feet, 98 km from state capital, Dehradun, it was originally a cantonment of British Indian Army. Due west lies Himachal Pradesh, and due east are Mussoorie (73 km), Garhwal.
The area is known as Jaunsar-Bawar, which still has a marked presence in few surrounding villages.
In 1901, Chakrata Tehsil was part of the Dehradun district, of United Provinces, with a collective population of 51,101, which consisted of the towns of Chakrata (population 1250) and Kalsi, with a population of 760, which is most known for the rock edict of the Mauryan king Ashoka 2nd century BC, first discovered by John Forest, in 1860.
A cantonment of British Indian Army, was established in 1866 by Colonel Hume of the 55th Regiment, British Indian Army, and the troops and officers first occupied the cantonment in April 1869.
Chakrata is an access-restricted military cantonment, and foreigners face severe restrictions in visiting. Notably, it is the permanent garrison of the secretive and elite Special Frontier Force, also known as Establishment 22 ( called "Two-Two"), the only ethnic Tibetan unit of the Indian Army, which was raised after the Sino-India War of 1962. Various kinds of weapons and survival training is also imparted by other intelligence services in Chakrata, in support of various Indian foreign policy goals, especially pertaining to other countries in the Indian Subcontinent.