New Tehri is a town built to look down on the town it replaced. Perched between 1,550 and 1,950 m on the hillside above the Bhagirathi valley, it overlooks a vast blue reservoir — and somewhere beneath that water lies Old Tehri, submerged when the dam that gives the district its modern identity filled its reservoir in the 2000s.
What Is New Tehri?
The Dam and the Town It Buried
The Tehri Dam, an earth-and-rockfill embankment on the Bhagirathi river, stands roughly 260 m tall — the tallest dam in India and among the tallest in the world. Built for hydroelectric power, irrigation and water supply, its reservoir gradually filled through the 2000s, and as the water rose it submerged Old Tehri, the town that had stood on the site for generations. Residents were resettled, most to the newly constructed New Tehri, built deliberately on higher ground above the coming waterline.
What resulted is Tehri Lake — a reservoir large enough that it has become a genuine adventure-tourism destination in its own right, with boating and water-sports operators now active on its waters, independent of any pilgrim traffic passing through.
Distances From New Tehri
| To | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Chamba | ~11 km | 25 min |
| Dehradun | ~75–80 km | 2.5–3 hrs |
| Rishikesh | ~90 km | 3 hrs |
| Uttarkashi (toward Gangotri) | ~90 km | 3–3.5 hrs |
| Barkot (toward Yamunotri) | ~70 km | 2.5 hrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is New Tehri?
New Tehri is the district headquarters of Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, built between about 1,550 and 1,950 m elevation overlooking Tehri Lake — the reservoir created by the Tehri Dam. It replaced Old Tehri, the original town, which was submerged when the dam's reservoir filled in the 2000s.
How tall is Tehri Dam?
The Tehri Dam stands about 260 m tall, making it the tallest dam in India and one of the tallest in the world. It is an earth-and-rockfill embankment dam on the Bhagirathi river, generating hydroelectric power and supplying water and irrigation across the region.
What happened to Old Tehri?
Old Tehri, the original town, was submerged when the Tehri Dam's reservoir — now Tehri Lake — filled. Residents were resettled, most to the newly built New Tehri township on higher ground, and Old Tehri now lies beneath the lake's waters.
Can you do water sports on Tehri Lake?
Yes — Tehri Lake has developed into a genuine adventure-tourism hub, with boating and increasingly water sports operators active on the reservoir, drawing visitors independent of the Char Dham pilgrim traffic passing nearby.
Is Tehri on the Char Dham route?
It sits near the route rather than directly on the busiest corridor — the main Dehradun–Chamba–Tehri–Dharasu road connects toward Yamunotri and, via Uttarkashi, Gangotri, making Tehri a relevant stop for pilgrims approaching those two dhams from Dehradun rather than the Haridwar–Rishikesh corridor used for Kedarnath and Badrinath.
How far is Tehri from Dehradun and Rishikesh?
Roughly 75–80 km from Dehradun via Chamba, and about 90 km from Rishikesh, on hill roads that take 3–3.5 hours depending on the route.
Retired Indian Army officer, founded Shiv Ganga Travels in 2010. Routes the Dehradun–Tehri–Yamunotri corridor for pilgrims travelling from the western side of the state. More about the team.
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