Ooty and other beautiful summer hills in Tamilnadu, South India

		Category: UNESCO Heritage Sites

  Ooty Railway Station
 
By Shafee Ahmed Ko

The supernatural beauty of Ooty, in Nilgiri District, was unknown to India and to the world and was found by British in 1800, it became almost an English looking town, and the rich natives also settled down in this place.The Ooty, the name is a name from Uthagamandalam,the British who ruled India pronounced it as “Ootacamund” and natives called it “Ooty”.The cool climate with its exotic beauty proved a popular tourist spot world wide and is best suited for a summer resort for all clases of people.

Ooty-Best Tourist spot in Tammilnadu

Ooty is the best Summer Hill in Tamilnadu,South India and one should visit to look her beauty-being at a height of 6000-8000 ft, and its peak hill is Doddabetta 8,652 ft. Nilgiri hills are a proud, renowned summer resort both in India and abroad. The cool atmosphere ranging from 25-10 degree C, in summer, and is peak 21-5 degree in winter. In the chain range of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris extends from the North East region of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. She has pet names such as Uthagamandalam, Uthagai, and Blue Mountain. If you are looking for Ooty travel guide, this is the article for you.

Relaxation is most important to every man and woman. Mental stress is a hidden disease one does not how to get away from it. Of course meditation, music, painting, reading and writing are all the good form of relaxation. And once in week we have made rule one full day we have relax, and Sunday is very sweet and every await for a Sunday, and good lot of entertainments take place on Sundays.Similarly once in a year one has relax at least one week we should find a place to relax, and it is out of town or city, much more preferable.
This is the reason we select a resort, where we could forget our daily chore, and enjoy life, and keeps the mind quite fit and healthy. Hence, there a good quote also on relaxation: "The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on." Elbert Hubbard.

Now summer is approaching very fast and all the schools will be closed, children will have many dreams how to spend the summer holiday. Tourists from Tamil Nadu,and elsewhere from India and abroad will be planning for a holiday trip after a near exasperated hectic life of with the vociferous and wearied mob of school boys and girls, with their parents ready to please their wards, and also the toiled and moiled genre business and professional groups do feel to relax well after a ten or eleven months hard work, seeking a soothing place to go around a hilly places to relax, rest, in quiet place, a place for disposition to get free from stress, and for sure such things are very important in consideration of physical and mental hygiene.

Hills in Tamil Nadu

 

Let us have a glimpse how many Hill resorts in Tamilnadu, and analyse one after the other.

Few districts of Tamil Nadu are enriched with lush and verdant green summer resorts, some are well known to people and few are oblivious although they are economically viable. The districts such as Nilgiris, Salem, Namakkal, Vellore, Dindigul, Thirunelveli, Theni, Trichy and Cuddalore have such hilly places. The all suit to all echelon particularly to the super tired writers, and rest-and - leisure addicts, and film makers who need to avoid ogling crowd to their overt filmy costumes, and stars make ups in covert.

1. Blue Mountain Hill is nothing but English translation as Nilgiri Hills, is an English version is situated in Nilgiris District. The range of Western Ghats, it spans considerably large to three major districts, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Ooty, is a municipal town, and is district head quarter Situated at an altitude 7,347 feet above sea-level in the Nilgiri district.

2. Shevroys, Britishers called Servarayan Malai Shevroy in a style. This small hill is near Salem Town Tamil Nadu, is split hill range with area of 50 Sq.M with a height of around 5000 ft above mean sea level.

3. Yelagiri – in Javadhu hill range, in Vellore District between Katpadi and Jolarpettai railway junction.

4. Kollimalai or Kolli Hills ('Kolli Malai') in the district of Namakkal. The mountain ranges are about 1000 to 1300 meters in height, is part of the Eastern Ghats

5. Pachaimalai, 960 feet above ground level, 3 km from Thuraiyur in Tiruchirappalli district nearest.

6. Anamalais The Anamalai Hill is a range of mountains in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. They form a southern portion of the Western Ghats. They are between Udumalpet and Munnar,

7. Pulneys

8. Podhigai malai These Hilly areas have Tribals with agriculture, and cattle breeding – good climate considerable mixture in physiographic, variant climate, soils, irrigation, rainfall, cropping pattern quite different place to place.. The rainfall varies from 850 mm in Kalrayan Hills to 4500 mm in Anamalai Hills.

Ooty is more popular to the people of India and the tourist from abroad too. Although the name Ooty comes as summer resort, it has a very good history behind it, with regards to its place, people, culture, ethnicity and metamorphism taking place closer akin to ecological variations, and we have to consider to what extent the extinct of rare species of birds, animals and insects have been in conservation. Ooty is "Queen of Hills" of Nilgiris. The Ooty,the name is derived from Uthagamandalam,fell to English tongue as “Ootacamund” and still reduced to a familiar term “Ooty”. A Stone House was built by John Sullivan, the then Governor of Coimbatore in 1822, which was also known as “Kal Bangala” which is now housing the Principal of Govt. Arts College.

Mettupalayam is the key center to access Ooty either by train or by road, the nearest broad gauge railway head which lies at a distance of about 46 kilometres from the city. Regular bus services connect Ooty to places like Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Calicut, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Tirupathi and Cochin. A toy train is not only for children, but the accompanying parents also feel the glee and charm of the lush green scenario nature’s gift. 4 hours time the scenic journey through the lush green hills, the tea plantations, the tunnels and the viaducts make it a optical gorgeous and luxurious for any traveller.

Ooty the best summer resort is widely spoken, written and heard that its cool climate and the beautiful summer resorts with full of green trees, curved and winding uphill narrow roads, traffic quite busy with all sorts vehicles, small and big, green bushy elegant, nimble, attractive tall eucalyptus trees arrayed in plethora need words more to describe. When the sun is about set in, the native women and children in good number walk the road with no care fast fleeting in general as forest trees, having conical apex with great height and filling their aroma in the entire region. We never miss the 22 acre botanical garden, Rose Garden having 22,000 varieties, Ooty Lake, Stone House, Toda Huts, and Mountain Rails et al.

People, Tribe, Cultutre, feature Nilgiris Badagas

If one becomes familiar the history and habitats about the natives of Uthagamandalam, or Ooty as whole, the trip will be more enjoyable. One should also know the region's people and their cultures and their origins. There is a misconception related to Badagas of Uthagamandalm to the migrants of Mysore, because the very term Badaga implies northerner. But the Tamil epics relate a different message.

An extensive research scholar B.Balasubramaniam, a Badaga, who has done before writing his book" Paamé " – The history and culture of the Badagas of the Nilgiris feels that "Badagas migrated from Southern Karnataka [then Mysore State] about 700 years back, much before Tipu's time, around 1311 AD during the plundering raid of Malik Kafir".

So the theory which goes deceitfully that the people from North, Mysore fled Uthagamandalam in dread and anxiety that the Sultan was coercing conversion does not hold water; again there is evidence that the British had played divide and rule is raging and notorious and tyrannical fallacy. Tippu Sultan had many Hindu scholars as his ministers, and advisor.Tippu Sultan is the one who fought with British colonists tooth and nail. Tippu had built Hindu temples and contributed to the deserving Hindus.

When we speak Christianity, mention has to be made on St.Stephen's.Stephen Rumbold Lushington,the then Governor of Madras, felt a selective and privileged cathedral for Britishers in Ooty, on April 23,1829 laid the foundation for the church in commemoration of birthday of King George IV.Only in 1947 the Church came into Church of South India.

TODAS

Among the early settlers the Todas, are known with different names such as Tudas, Tuduvans, and Todar.They have a language spoken but no script. The Government of India has identified the Toda as one of the six Primitive Tribal groups of Tamil Nadu. The Linguist Emeneau (1958: 47 - 50) said that, "Toda dialect is an independent language of the Dravidian family affiliated with Tamil - Malayalam. Other tribal mostly found are the Kothas, Kurumbas, Irulas, and Paniyas the all form the main tribes of Nilgris.They are in a smallest population.

 

 

 

 

 

 Badaga Films

Badaga Film directed by S.Mahesh Babu

 

There is interesting news that Udhagamandalam had also ventured in celluloid domain in an effective way in order to make a vivid the life and culture of Badgas, of course with the element of filmy addition and deletions, but it had great impetus of local culture and morale. Director S.Mahesh Babu has been in news on venturing such films. In the mid 1970s and an Ooty ex MLA B.Gopalan had taken a revolutionised a step forward by making the first black and white Badaga film Kaala Thappitha Payilu and a film titled Kemmanju was much talked about. Hosa Mungaru and Gavava Thedi which means 'in search of love or affection'. It was followed by “Hosa Mungaru” following is “Gavava Thedi” which means 'in search of love or affection'. Villages such as Kenthala and Keithorai villages had come handy for shooting in the pictures in a green lush location.

Few most important sightseeing places around Ooty are, Doddabetta Peak: It is within 10 Km,height 2,623 m,the Pykara Dam is an attractive location,the two waterfalls range 55 meters, 61meters respectively, and it has a power plant.Pine forest: Wenlock Downs,Kamaraj Sagar Dam, Mudumalai National Park,
Avalanche Lake.

Ooty, “The Queen of Hill Resorts” in Nilgiris” is matchless eco friendly and tourist spot, has to be enjoyed and should preserve its natural atmosphere without infringing its biosphere. Many water bodies, forests are restricted to visiting tourists to protect ecosystem. The rampant visitors are known to have been damaging the eco system of this beautiful place and they have a responsibility in conserving the flora and fauna of Ooty and its atmosphere.

How to reach Ooty by Rail from Chennai

Kovai Express to Ambur, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore
Inter City Express to Ambur, Katpadi, Ambur, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, and Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore.

How to reach ooty from Chennai to Comimbatore by Road

There are pretty numbers of buses plying from Chennai both operated by Tamil Nadu Government and also private buses. There are air conditioned buses also running to Ooty.

Vellore, Ambur, Salem, Erode: 535Kms/Coimbatore to Ooty 105 Km,from Coonur 18 Km,from Mysore(via Gudalur 155 Km, from Calicut 187 Km, from Bangalore 290 Kms,from Kochi(Coimbatore,Palakad)281,from Kodaikanal(Coimbatore,Palani) 236/ Ooty is on National Highway 67. The three states, Tamil Nadu,Kerala, and Karnataka is well connected by road through five main Nilgiri Ghat Roads.Ooty can also be well accessed by road through Mettupalayam (Coimbatore District) via Kotagiri, and this road does not lead through Coonoor. The district towns such as Coonoor, Gudalur, Kotagiri and other villages can be well accessed through frequent bus connections.

There is train service from Mettupalaym, Niligiri Mountain Railway (NMR) date back several decades. In July 2005 UNESCO has declared the Nilgri Mountain Railway (NMR) as the one of the worldUNESCO Heritage Sites, and it's prestigious to India and particularly to Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu had been operated from in 1908, and it was known as Madras Railways. Although many trains running in India have changed to diesel to electrically operated, The Nilgiri Mountain Railway still maintains the steam locomotive system. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. The film fame Shahrukh Khan acted on the roof top of NMR singing the well-known Hindi song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the film "Dil Se"

The British and Ooty Schools

Britishers found Ooty a congenial place for administration and schooling for their children. During their rule, the local economy was taken care and they had great concerned special care, since facilities, standard of education were high in India. Among the upper echelon Ooty boarding schools had a name and fame in India and also neighbouring countries, and Good Shepherd International School was considered very prestigious.

The most interesting thing in Ooty is the wild life and bird sanctuary which is divided into 5 ranges - Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.The endangered species and vulnerable birds can be of great mention here. Endangered Indian Elephants, Gaur, Chital, Indian Leopards are few worthy of mention. Critically endangered species of birds are Indian White rumped Vulture, and long billed vultures are in the bird sanctuary. The entire Western Ghats ranging from 2300 Sq.Mi, and Nilgiri Sub-Cluster and entire Mudumalai National Park is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site, says Wikipedia.

Ooty STD CODE-0423 :National code +91
Emergency Numbers in Ooty:
Police Control Room Town East, Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2442200
Police Out Post Pudumund, Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2444065
Police Station Kandal, Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2443941
Police Station (Rural ) Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2443973
Police Station LoveDale, Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2443942
Police Wireless Station Ooty, Tamilnadu, India 2443972
 


http://www.tamilspider.com/resources/8681-OOTY-THE-NATURE-S-CRADLE-OF-NILGRIS.aspx


Photos do not appear in the original article:"Amity India" editor has added them from the courtesy sources for the readers interests. Shafee Ahmed,the editor contacted director Mr.Mahesh Babu over the phone, and in turn Babu has invited the editor for a wider discussion on the History of Uthagamandalam.
Please write your comments in the comment box