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Ooty

Ooty is short for Ootacamund. The official name is Udhagamandalam sometimes abbreviated to Udhagai is a city, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Ootacamund 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, and it is probably a corruption of the Badaga name for the central region of the Nilgiri Plateau. Another likely origin of the stem of the name ("Ootaca") comes from the local language Tamil where "Otta-Cal" literally means "Single Stone". This is perhaps a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people. Udhagamandalam 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.

Fact File

Location: Coimbatore, TN

Distance from major cities:
Bangalore - 281 km
Coimbatore - 100 km

Villages at Foothills: Ooty

Altitude: 7440' ( 2268 m)
Latitude: 11°40'34"N
Longitude: 76°70'00"E

Best time to visit: Throughout the year. Best during post monsoon

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topHistory

The Nilgiri Hills were part of Chera Empire in ancient times. later it fell in to the hand of ganga dynasty. and then Hoysala empire under king Vishnuvardhana in the 12th century. They then became part of the Kingdom of Mysore of Tipu Sultan who later surrendered them to the British in the 18th century.

John Sullivan, the British governor of neighbouring 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 railway system built by influential and enterprising British citizens with venture capital from the Madras government. It is believed the Blue Mountains appear so because of the vast Nilgiri forest surrounding them.

topAttractions

Ooty train -
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Udagamandalam, in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. Both towns are in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is the only rack railway in India, and uses the Abt system.
Ooty Botanical Gardens -
The 22 Acre Botanical Garden was laid out in 1847 and is presently maintained by the government of Tamil Nadu. The original purpose of the "Botanical Gardens" was purely academic: 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. The Botanical Garden is also a heaven for bird watchers where a variety of birds, both seasonal and year-round residents, can be sighted.
Stone House -
This was the first "Pukka" house in Ooty, built by John Sullivan. It is situated inside the premises of the Government Arts College.
The Railway Station -
The railhead of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The station itself is part of this World Heritage Site. Ooty Railway station offers a unique glimpse of the British raj built railways.
Rahat Lake -
There are total four lakes on the fort, Rahat lake being the largest among them. On the eastern bastion lie the ponds known as Naske Tale and Gode Tale.
The Ooty Lake & Boat House -
This is an artificial lake built by John Sullivan. It used to be much larger than its present size, and encompassed the present bus stand and race course as well as much of the present market.
The Fernhill Palace, Fernhill -
This former palace situated around 1 km from the Ooty bus stand can be visited for an entry fee of Rs 50. It has been converted into a Hotel.
Doddabetta Peak -
The highest point in the Nilgiri Hills, offering spectacular views over the town and district. There is road access to the summit. There is a reserved forest area around the peak.
Ketti Valley -
There is a view point called "Valley View" on the main Ooty to Coonoor road.
Wenlock Downs and Sixth Mile -
A popular film shooting area situated in this hilly grassy area.
Ooty Golf Links -
A forested and grassy area, partially home to a golf course.
Pykara Lake and Pykara falls -
The most accessible of all the nearby lakes. A boathouse and picnic area has been developed to provide access to this area. Most of the remainder of the lake is within a reserved forest and off limits to visitors.
Kamraj Sagar Lake -
On the way to Pykara. A nearby lake bordered by pine forests.
Mudumalai National Park -
Situated at a lower altitude and easily accessible to visitors. It borders the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka.
Mukurthi National Park -
A large protected area generally not accessible to visitors. It also contains a lake and peak of the same name.
Parsons Valley Reservoir -
This is the primary water source for the town and is mainly in a reserved forest and is thus largely off-limits to visitors.
Emerald Lake -
Near the town of the same name. There is a view point near the dam. The rest of the are is mainly in a reserved forest and is largely off-limits to visitors.
Avalanchi Lake -
Adjacent to the Emerald lake. This is mainly in a reserved forest and is largely off-limits to visitors.
Porthimund Lake -
This is mainly in a reserved forest and is largely off-limits to visitors
Upper Bhavani Lake -
Most of this is within the Mukurthi National Park (and also largely off limits to visitors)

topReaching there

By Air -
The Coimbatore airport is the closest to the hills at about 3 hours by road. There are flights into Coimbatore from most parts of India. The Mysore airport is about 5 hours away from Ooty by road, and lies to the North of Ooty. The road trip is quite scenic from either airport.
By Rail -
Ooty is connected to Chennai (formally Madras) by a nightly train. The Nilgiri Express leaves from Chennai at night, and reaches Mettupalayam, a small town at the foothills of the Blue Mountains early the next morning. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an experience that is more than just a mode of transport as the journey through the scenic valley and hills make it breathtaking. A through ticket from Madras to Ooty will ensure a place on the smaller train, although many prefer the faster route of taking a cab or a bus from Mettupalayam. There are other trains from Chennai to Coimbatore. Railway from Coimbatore junction (CBE) to Metupalaiyam(MTP) is Broad gauge , but only one train (Nilgiri Express) runs on this section, which reduces tourism potential of Ooty.It would be convenient if Coimbatore express (1013) was extended to Metupalaiyam or Metupalaiyam was directly connected to Trivandrum (TVC).
By Road -
Ooty is connected by road to travellers from the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. There are five main accepted Nilgiri Ghat Roads which all lead to Ooty.
But Karnataka-Ooty road is in really bad condition. In fact nowadays Ooty is known as Queen of potholes. Travelling by road can be really tiring and sometimes dangerous too. The government of Tamil Nadu is not looking towards bad road conditions.
Ooty, being district capital, has the most frequent bus connections from nearby large towns in the district (such as Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur). There are bus connections to most villages in the district via one of three towns. There are also frequent bus connections to the nearest mainline railheads of Mettupalayam and Coimbatore.

As Ooty is in Tamil Nadu state most direct bus connections are from towns in this state:
* Medium haul origins: Erode, Salem, Sathyamangalam, Karur and Dindigul
* Long haul express routes from: Chennai, Thiruchirapalli, Madurai, Thanjavur and Kanyakumari

There are several buses from the nearest large main cities of Mysore and Kozhikode (in the two bordering states). Direct buses can be boarded for Ooty from many other parts of Karnataka and Kerala, including local connections to Palghat and Sultans Battery in Kerala, as well as Gundlupet in Karnataka. The capital cities of these two states (Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram respectively) are also connected via direct bus links.

topAccommodation

Various budget and luxury hotels available in Ooty.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 10 July 2007 )

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