OOTY
Ooty, short for Ootacamund (the official name is Udagamandalam), is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills The origin of the name Ootacamund is obscure, but "mund" is the Badaga word for a Toda village.Udagamandalam is a more recent official Tamil name for the town. Ooty stands at an approximate height of 7,440 feet (2,268 metres) above sea level.
History
John Sullivan, the British governor of neighboring Coimbatore province, liked the climate of this forested land, and occupied it by taking land from the native tribes (Toda, Irumba and Badaga); often buying up many square kilometres in a day for the price of a few meals.
The hills were developed rapidly under the British Raj because they were almost entirely owned by private British citizens, unlike the rest of India. Ooty served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency, and had winding hill roads and a complicated rack-and-pinion railway system built by influential and enterprising British citizens with venture capital from the Madras government.
Tourism
Located in the mountainous range called the Blue Mountains or Nilgiris, Ooty draws a very large number of tourists every year. The weather is quite pleasant at a mean of 15 to 20 °C year round, dropping to lows of 0 °C during winter. The tourism industry has placed an enormous strain on the natural resources. The number of visitors that was about 16.81 lakhs in 2001 had gone up to 17.25 lakhs in 2005. In between in 2003 it had even shot up to 18.34 lakhs The landscape is quite unlike the rest of India, marked by rolling hills covered with dense vegetation, smaller hills and plateaus covered with tea gardens, and eucalyptus trees. Many portions of the hills are preserved as natural reserve forests, and special permits are needed to camp in noncamp sites. Ooty is not the destination in itself, as much as it is the focal point of attraction. Auto touring the surrounding country side is certainly a must do. The hilly region also houses smaller towns like Coonoor and Kotagiri. These towns are less than an hour's drive away from Ooty and enjoy the same natural climes, but have fewer tourists and cheaper prices.
Places to Visit
Ooty Botanical Gardens
The 55 Acre Botanical Garden was founded by John Sullivan, known to have
first "discovered" Ooty and built his summer dwelling over in
Ooty. The original purpose of the "Botanical Gardens" was purely
academic in nature to promote and study the various flora in and around
Nilgiris. Now, it is open to the public as a park that can be enjoyed
by visitors. Botanical Gardens is also a heaven for bird watcher's where
a variety of birds, both seasonal and local dwelling can be sighted.In
the past it has been subjected to unauthorised entry and thus a compound
would also be erected as part of the facelift which shall be given to
the garden,work commencing from July 2006
The Assistant Director of Horticulture is also hopeful that the 160 year
old garden which was initially a vegetable garden would be addded in the
list of World Heritage site.
Doddabetta peak
The Railway Station
Ooty Railway station offers an unique glimpse of the british raj built
railways. Even after over one hundred years, the railways have been maintained
as was in the earlier times - except that one of the rail engines is replaced
with a diesel engine instead of steam operated engine.
Ketti Valley - the 2nd longest in the world - offers exquisite views for miles, especially on a cold crisp winter morning
The Ooty Lake & Boat House
It is heard that Ooty was once covered completely by this big lake. It
is also heard from the locals that this lake was reduced in its area as
time passed by to build the Ooty town in itself, though it is tough to
really verify these facts.
The Lawrence School, Lovedale
Nearby Places
- * Kotagiri Viewpoint
* Bandipur National Park
* Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (Gudalur)
* Kandal Cross Shrine
* Pykara Waterfalls/dam
* Sixth Mile
| Ooty | Coonoor | Kotagiri | Gudalur |
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