Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib or Guru Ram Rai Gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship in Dehradun, India, dedicated to Guru Ram Rai, the eldest son of Guru Har Rai, the seventh of the ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Ram Rai settled here with his followers in the mid-17th century, when he was banished by Sikh orthodoxy in front of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for mistranslating the scriptures so as not to commit a crime. It is believed that the city of Dehradun derives its name from the religious camp established by them: a "dera", or camp, "doon" in the valley.
The building is historically and architecturally significant, as it derives many of its architectural motifs, such as minarets, domes and gardens, from Islamic architecture. While Sikh architecture, in general, drew inspiration from Mughal styles, Darbar Sahib was unique in that it relied more on the elements that give it the appearance of a mosque than a traditional gurudwara. This was unusual in the 17th–18th centuries, as the Sikhs were generally in conflict with the Muslim rulers of India at that time. The Islamic influence was the result of cordial relations between Guru Ram Rai and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who provided land and money for the site.
