Ooty
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Introduction
To Ooty
Ooty was developed as a hill station by the British in the early part of the 19th century, in the Nilgiris or the Blue Mountains. These are known as the Blue mountains because of the blue haze that envelops them. Ooty is also known as the queen of the blue mountains or Udhagamandalam (the Tamil version of the original name) or Ootacamund. Ooty is situated in Nilgiri Mountains near trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It is one of the most popular hill resort in south India. This beautiful hill station lies at an altitude of 2200 feet above sea level. Ooty sprawls along a beautiful plateau where the the Eastern Ghats meets the Western Ghats. The Eastern Ghats are mighty and attractive while the Western ghats have wooded loveliness. Ooty was described as the queen of hill stations by the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. |
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Today, even there is a British influence on the life styles which can be seen in its little cottages, colourful gardens, winding lanes, old churches, Botanical gardens and the lake surrounded by groves of eucalyptus. There are various places in Ooty which reminds of the British influence like the Club where snooker was invented by a subaltern named Neville Chamberlain, the Nilgiri Library with its rare and valuable collection of books on Udhagamandalam and St. Stephen's Church which was Udhagamandalam's first church. |
History
of Ooty
The first inhabitants in the Ooty were a tribe called
Todas who had been living here long before the British
came in the early nineteenth century. But the credit for
modernizing Udhagamandalam and making it accessible goes
to the British who constructed the first railway line in
the area and made it the summer capital of the Madras
Presidency. The first British came to Ooty in 1812. He was
followed by a few hundred European missionaries,
educationist and civil servants. Mr. John Sullivan
discovered Ooty in 1820. He built a permanent house at
Nilgiri Hill. Later several other British officers, Indian
kings or Maharajas and industrialists built their summer
houses, palaces and mansions in Ooty. |
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Tourist
attractions in Ooty
The major tourist attractions in Ooty are the Ooty Lake,
the famous Botanical Gardens and Dodabetta Peak. The
beautiful Ooty lake is a favorite tourist place in Ooty.
There are facilities for boating on the lake and pony
rides for children around it. The most famous and
beautiful Botanical gardens covers an area of about 22
acres. This beautiful garden, planted with various exotic
trees, ornamental plants and undulating lawns was laid out
in 1847. Dodabetta Peak is the highest peak in the
Nilgiris. |
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Excursions
around Ooty
The tourists can also have one day excursion around Ooty
at several places like Coonoor, Kalhatti Falls, Glenmorgan,
Pykara, Avalanchi and Kotagiri. |
How to Get Here:
By
Air:
The nearest airport is located at Coimbatore which is about 100 kms.
By Rail:
An interesting little hill train links Ooty and Coonoor to Mettupalayam which is connected in turn on the broad gauge route to Coimbatore and Chennai.
By Road:
Ooty is well connected with various cities of South India like
Coimbatore, Bangalore, Mysore and various other
cities. |
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