Present day Dehradun was founded in the early 18th century by 'Guru Ram Rai', the elder son of seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai, who was part of the Udasi sect of Sikh Asceticism, who came here in 1675, and first settled in village 'Dhamawala'. This village even today hosts the annual 'Jhanda Fair' on the fifth day after Holi in his memory. Thus the name refers to his Dera or settlement in the valley, around which the present town gradually developed. This settlement was marked by the Guru Ram Rai Darbar Gurudwara, built in 1699 with the help of Raja of Garhwal, Fateh Shah.