Nilgiris District

Nilgiris

Nilgiris

Welcome to the Nilgiris Bordering the Karnataka and Kerala states, the Nilgiris or Blue mountains is a veritable fairyland. It has hill stations at various altitudes and is a very popular travel destination. There are cloud-kissing peaks, dense forests, rushing streams, undulating emerald green plains, breath-taking view of sudden drops, valleys and glades. The entire area of the district, 2,500 sq.km. in extent is unique for it's elevation, natural beauty and tourist spots.

There is no better holiday mountain resort in India than the Nilgiris. It is here the world's widest valley Ketti is found. Many breathtaking wild gardens in the Western Catchment provide trekking and hiking grounds for the nature lovers. Ooty and Udhagamandalam are various names of Ottakkalmandu which means "the village of a single stone". An important point on the Mettupalayam-Ooty route is the pretty town of Coonoor; and on the Mysore-Ooty route, the high landmark is the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Tea is grown at elevations of 1,000 to above 2,500 metres. The area also produces eucalyptus oil and temperate zone vegetables. Parts of many Indian movies are filmed in the Nilgiris. The altitude of the Nilgiris results in a much cooler wetter climate than the surrounding plains, and so the area is popular as a retreat from the summer heat. The rolling hills of the Downs look very similar to the Downs in Southern England, and were used for similar activities such as hunting.

The principal town of the area is Udagamandalam. In the town there are many buildings which look very "British", in particular the Churches. There is even a road junction known as Charing Cross. The other main towns in the Nilgiris are Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Aruvankadu. The famous tourist spot in Coonoor are Lamesrock and Sims park. In Sims park, every year they conducting "Fruit Show" function during summer season. All the varieties of fruit are shown during that time.This park is situated on the way of Kotagiri.

There are several tribes living in the Nilgiris, whose origins are uncertain. The best known of these are the Toda people, whose culture is based upon cattle, and whose red, black and white embroidered shawls and silver jewelry is much sought after. There is a railway running from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam via Coonoor, which is a great tourist attraction. It was used in the film A Passage to India as the railway to the caves. It is a rack railway as far as Coonoor.

TamilNadu Districts - Nilgiris

Home ť TamilNadu Districts ť Nilgiris