Doon valley offers ample options for hiking and one such experience is the Santla Devi trek. Surrounded by lush green forests, the gushing river waters and an abundance of fauna , Santla Devi temple trek experience therefore becomes truly worthwhile.

Quick facts about this hike:-

• The last road-head (trek starting point) is only 12 kms from the Dehradun City Centre
• You drive alongside the Nun river for about 3 kms till the starting point of the trek.
• It’s a short hike of about 1.5 kms (one way) – doable in about 30 minutes
• The route is well marked and cemented throughout
• Offers breath-taking views of the Doon valley and the Nun river
• Total time from Dehradun and back to Dehradun is 3 hours

Start of the Santla Devi temple trek

The drive from the city is a joyous one as you pass through the Army Cantonment area (Garhwal Rifles). The road eventually moves close to the Nun river that flows alongside for a good part of the drive. With mighty hills visible in the distant background and the gushing waters of the Nun flowing on your left, the nature’s serene environment starts making its magical effect on you.

It is believed that Santla Devi and her brother turned into a stone deity at this place. This mythological story goes back to the era of the Mughals. It is believed that Santla Devi and her brother on realizing that they were not well equipped to fight the Mughal army, abandoned their weapons and started praying to God. A divine light blessed them and soon they turned into stone and it is at this place that it happened. Since then the place is highly revered by the people who flock here from faraway places to worship the Goddess and her brother. It is said that this episode happened on a Saturday and therefore one sees a huge rush of the devotees on this particular day.

trek path

The views of the doon valley from the top are exquisite and you get to see the vast doon valley from here. The Nun river, meandering its way through the mountains, at the bottom of the hill is also clearly visible from the temple. There are ample of places to sit in the temple premises and a few shops selling Puja items as well as snacks.

The temple was given a fresh look with extensive infrastructure work in the early 2000s with the support of individuals as well as by the Garhwal Rifles (an infantry regiment of the Indian army that has its base in the Garhwal region).

It is certainly one of the shortest and quickest of the treks in the Doon valley and one need not really plan for it if you are around in Dehradun. While I visited during the morning hours, it certainly would be a great experience during the evening hours as well (due to the sunset views from here).

This trek promises to give you a true adventure experience in a limited time-period. I highly recommend this quick/short trek that lies in the neighbourhood of Dehradun.