Ooty, also known as Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam is a famous hill station located in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Popularly known as the ‘Queen of hill stations’, Ooty is one of the most sought after hill resorts of India. Ooty is situated in the lush green Nilgiri hill ranges, at an altitude of 2,268 mtr above the sea level. Developed by the British as a summer retreat, Ooty provides a fine glimpse of colonial ear through its magnificent buildings. With sprawling tea gardens and grasslands, lofty mountains, dense forest and soothing climate, Ooty draws visitors from across the globe. Besides, the annual Tea and Tourism Festival also attracts people in huge numbers. Raj Bhavan, Ootacamund Club, St Stephen’s Church, Botanical Garden and Ooty Lake are some of the attractions of Ooty.
About Ooty :
Ooty is known as the queen of hill stations. Tea plantations, towering mountains, forests, sprawling grasslands show that welcome tourists. It is 7500 meters above sea level, and find its position Nilgris (also known as Blue Mountain). Nilgris is a beautiful mountain, which is part of the Western Ghats. Fully three places to visit and that Kothagiri, Coonoor and Ooty. These three Ooty is the prime importance for its scenic beauty and excellent climatic conditions. Nilgris is the oldest of the Great Himalayas. The icing on the cake Ooty more pride in this mountain range.
Tourist Attractions in Ooty :
- Botanical gardens : The picturesque gardens that are maintained by the Horticulture department of the state, cover an area of about 22 hectares. The Gardens have well over 650 species of plants and trees, including a fossil of a tree, which is believed to be more than 20 million years old.
- Ooty Lake : It was built in 1825 and is about 2.5 km long. Visitors to this lake can go for boating on the lake or enjoy their favorite outdoor activity of fishing.
- Dodabetta Peak : The Dodabetta Peak stands at an altitude of 2,623 meters. It is the highest point in the district, making it possibly the best vantage point around ooty tour packages. It is merely 10kms from Ooty Hill Station so you can simply grab your camera and head straight to the peak, and click amazing pictures of the valley below.
- Lamb’s Rock : Lamb’s Rock is another vantage point that is ideal for taking pictures and is a wonderful picnic spot. It is merely 9kms. From Coonoor and is known for the splendid views it offers of the plains of Coimbatore and the tea states in the surrounding areas.
- Kodanadu’s View Point : Kodanadu is about 16kms from Kotagiri, and is situated on the eastern edge of the Nilgiri range. It is a great vantage point that offers a breathtaking view of the Moyar river and the tea estates. There is a watchtower here that offers a view of the Rangasamy peak.
- Government Museum : For all you history and culture buffs who wish to know more about the unique past and present of Tamil Nadu.the Government Museum is a must visit. Situated on Mysore road, the museum showcases items like tribal artefacts, district’s ecological details and representative sculptural arts and crafts of this wonderful state.
- The Mukurthi Peak & Mukurthi National Park : Mukurthi Peak and the national park are situated about 40 Km from Ooty Udhagamandalam. The Mukurthi National Park is located on the South Eastern corner of the Nilgiri’s Plateau. The area contains a noticeable population of Nilgiri Thar (Hamitragus hilocrius). The famous silent Valley is located on the Western side of these ranges.
- St. Stephen’s Church : St. Stephen’s Church is one of the oldest churches in entire South India. It is located on the Mysore road, near the Collectorate and dates back to the days of Rt. Hon’ble Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the then Governor of Madras. He laid the foundation for the church on April 23, 1829, to coincide with the birthday of King George IV. There are stained-glass painting on the Eastern side as well as behind the chancel. However the main attraction of the church is the glass paintings depicting Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On the Western wall, above the paneled doorways, is a large life-like painting of the Last Supper.
- Pykara :Situated about 21 Kms/13 Mile on the Ooty-Mysore Road, boasts of well protected fenced Sholas, Todas settlement, undisturbed grassy meadows and also a good wildlife habitat. The Pykara Dam and the reservoir attracts many tourists.
- Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary : Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Nilgiri’s District bordering Kerala as well as Karnataka State. The park is situated at an altitude of 1000 meters and covers an area of 321 sq. kms. The main fauna species found here are Elephant, Gaur, Tiger, Panther, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Mouse, Wild Boar, Parcupine etc.
- Summer Festival : The Summer Festival is held every year during the month of May in the beautiful Botanical Garden. Various cultural events and flowers shows are the prime features of this festival.
- Kalhatty Falls : The Kalhatty falls are located to the Kalhatty slopes at about 13-km from Udhagamandalam in the Udhagamandalam – Mysore Kalhatty ghat road. Also called the “Kalahasti Falls”, the drinking water here cascades down a peak of 122m.
- Kandal Cross Shrine : Kandal cross, a Roman Catholic Shrine regarded as, as the Jerusalem from the East is situated in Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri Catholics consider it because the “Calvary of Tamil Nadu”.
- Mini Garden and Rose Garden : The Rose Garden is located about three to 4-km away from Charring Cross. Mini backyard can also be located in the approach to the boathouse where the children amusement park is housed.
- Tea and Tourism Festival : Akin to the nectar of the Gods is the Camellia Sinensia, which is a bush that gives fragrant amber ambrosia-a refresher and stimulizer. In other words, TEA.
- The Narrow Trail : This is a journey nobody should miss. A journey where you jostle with unimaginable crowds and squeeze into tiny coaches, a journey where you feel you can actually reach out and touch the elusive Nilgiris. It starts at Mettupalayam, 46 km southeast of Ooty, where you board the Blue Mountain Express that gets pushed by an engine instead of being pulled!
- Hindustan Photo Films : The HPF, one of the major industrial units ot the district, is a public sector enterprise. This unit is located (about 5 Km away from Ooty railway station) over a sprawling area of over 300 acres, near the Ooty golf-links on the Ooty- Mysore road. The HPF was inaugurated by Mrs. Indra Gandhi, Prime Minister, in January, 1967. This industrial unit is currently producing Indu roll films which are used for taking photographs; Indu X-ray films, the quality of which is acknowledged to be among the best in the world; Indu bromide paper on which photographs are printed; and Induaerographic for geological and defence mapping, industrial X – ray film, laser recording film, CAT film, special film for space photography, oscilloscope direct print paper, photo typesetting paper and range of chemicals for the film processing.
- Coonoor : Situated at a distance of 17 Kms from Ooty, Coonoor is beautiful hill station. The 1,839 metres high station is known for its picnic spots and breathtaking surroundings.
- Kotagiri:As part of the Ooty hill station tour, another place that deserves a special mention is Kotagiri. This is also quite a scenic hill station known for its verdant meadows, splendid waterfalls and emerald green tea estates. This beautiful and absolutely stunning hill station is also famous for its many trekking trails and offers plenty of opportunities to adventure enthusiasts. Some of the popular trekking trails include the trail from Kothagiri to Kodanad; Kotagiri to Longwood Shola and Kotagiri to St. Catherine Falls. Each of the trekking trails leads a traveler to discover fascinating and stunning natural splendors that leave one spell bind.
Climate of Ooty :
The hill resort experiences pleasant weather throughout the year. Its summer are generally cool with a temperature variance 25 and 10 degrees C. During winters the average temperature varies between 21 and 5 degrees C. The hill town receives an average annual rainfall of 121 cms. The most ideal time to visit is between February to May and September to November.
History of Ooty :
Udhagamandalam, The “Queen of hill station” is the capital of Nilgiri district. It is one of the best tourist resorts.Nilgiris is called as “Blue Mountains”.The name Nila, we know to have been used over 800 years ago since,the King of the Hoysalas Vishnu Vardhana, who ruled from 1104 to 1141 A.D. seized the Nilgiris Plateau.His general Ponisia recorded this fact in 1117 A.D. with mention of Todas. The name Nilgiri was due to the blue haze which envelopes the range with most distant hills of considerable size. The first mention of the place occurs in a letter of March 1821 to the Madras Gazette by an unknown correspondent as “WOTOKYMUND”. The first house was build at Ootacamund was undoubtedly the ‘Stone House’ by John Sullivan in April 1822. John Sullivan already started flower and kitchen garden at his Dimbhatti bungalow (Kotagiri). Also he had began at Stone House of Ooty with Scottish Gardener Johnstone to take care of it. In 1821-22 Caption B.S. Ward surveyed and mapped the hills. Mr Ward said in his writing that travellers temporary bungalows were put up at Kodapamund,Nanjanna, Killur and Yellanhali and European vegetables had been tried including Strawberries and apple.In 1827 Sullivan sums up the progress of Ooty including laiding of Ooty lake. 17 European houses had been build and five more at Kotagiri. Then later on by several Englishmen Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri were developed. After 1947. the free Indian people administrators made all developments works of hill station and made popular health and hill tourism resort.
Shopping In Ooty :
The exclusive Nilgiri products including Nilgiri tea, fruits, natural oils like Eucalyptas, Toda embroideries, plant nurseries, are easily available. For shopping fruits and general groceries you can go along to the Co-operative Super Market and Municipal Market. Kairali of Kerala handicrafts and Poomphur of Tamil Nadu handicrafts also have their showrooms near Super Market.
Travel Information :
By Air– The nearest airport to Ooty is at a distance of about 88kms and is located in Coimbatore. There one can take Indian Airline flights to Coimbatore, Bangalore, Cochin and Chennai
By Rail – The Ooty railway station is merely 2kms from the City Center and the other railway station is 46km away at Mettupalayam.
There is also a toy train that connects Ooty with Mettupalayam and Coonoor, another famous Ooty Hill Station. Though it is not really the fastest way to get there, but the guests can enjoy scenic beauty all along the way.
By Road – Ooty is well connected with all most all south Indian cities by bus. There are regular bus services from Mysore, Bangalore, Madurai, and Kanyakumari and also from many cities in Kerala. State owned and private vehicles ply on this route.
Location:Tamilnadu.
Area: 158sq.Kms
Significance: Queen Of Hill Stations
Altitude: 2268m above sea level.
Climate: Summer 25°C, Winter 5°C.
Best Time to Visit: November to March.
Languages Spoken : Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English
Std Code : 0423
