How a Refugee’s Dream in 1953 Made Elloras a Dehradun Landmark Loved Across Generations

17 October 2025

Started in 1953, ‘Elloras’ has lived on Rajpur Road for decades, now managed by the third generation.

Drona Gulati (34) calls it the brainchild of his grandfather, Shri Krishan Lal Gulati, who served in the Indian Army for over a decade before opting for retirement.

When Gulati landed in Dehradun, it was as a refugee, the eldest of five siblings who had just lost their father.

The bakery was his attempt to eke out a living.

“In the pre-Independence era, many senior-ranking British officials had their summer houses here [in Dehradun],” Drona shares.

These officers needed food that met their palate preferences. Once the British left India in 1947, these chefs and butlers, well-versed in baking bread, were left behind.

Gulati had an idea: why not harness these chefs’ expertise to start a bakery? Thus, Elloras was born.

The bakery has always followed a ‘no-preservative’ policy, and the products are baked in a wood-fired oven.

Drona attributes the popularity of bread to the town’s many boarding schools: Doon School, Welham School, Sherwood College, and Woodstock School.

“The bread used to be supplied to their cafeterias and messes,” he explains. Among the menu items are plum cakes, candies, cookies, pista biscuits, baklawa, cinnamon rolls, raisin brioches, Omali Egyptian pastries, apple tarts, pretzels, and butterscotch cream rolls.

A poster boy on the menu is the stick jaws (butter toffees) that come in two variants — chocolate and caramel.

The clientele at Elloras is proof that their dedication is paying off.

Among those who’ve stopped by are veteran cricketers Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, chef Sanjeev Kapoor, the Kapoor family, the Gandhi family, chief ministers, and even the Maharani of Patiala.

Know the full story of Elloras’ rise to success.