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                 OOTY TRAVEL GUIDE

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.

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.


PLACE TO VISIT


Ooty Botanical Gardens - If you are on a sightseeing tour to Ooty, you might
want to visit the Government Botanical gardens, which were laid out in 1847.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. The garden is very popular with nature lovers and those who long
to walk among greenery and see rare ferns and shrubs up close. If you are in Ooty in
the month of May, then you can also be a part of the summer festival, which is held
here annually. The festival holds flower shows and various cultural programs
showcasing the talent of the locals and the renowned artists.

Doddabetta 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. It is merely 10kms from Ooty so you can simply grab your camera and head
straight to the peak, and click amazing pictures of he valley below. Many say that on a
clear day, which is honestly not that often, one can see far off areas, even the plains
of Coimbatore and the flat highlands of Mysore.

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. Next to
the lake there is a Mini Garden with an amusement park for children and a toy train.

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.

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


HOW TO REACH

By plane - The Coimbatore airport is the closest to the hills at 3-1/2 hours by
road. There are flights into Coimbatore from most parts of India including Mumbai
(Air Deccan, Indian Airlines,Jet and Go Air), Chennai ( Air Deccan, Paramount, Indian
Airlines and Jet) and Bangalore. The Mysore airport is about 5 odd hours away from
Ooty by road (but Mysore airport is currently closed and only expected to open for light
aircraft), and lies to the North of Ooty. The road trip is quite scenic from either airport.

By train - The hills are connected to Chennai by a nightly train. The Nilagiri
Express (Train No. 2671) leaves from Chennai at night, and reaches Mettupalayam,
a small town at the foothills of the Nilgiris early the next morning. The train, a
standard diesel powered locomotive continues from Mettupalayam as a small coal
powered historic locomotive that is a remnant of Swiss engineered trains imported
in the late 1800s. The coal train is much smaller, and can only accommodate a
portion of the passengers that disembark at Mettupalayam. A through ticket from
Chennai to Ooty will ensure a place in the smaller train, although many prefer the
faster route of taking a cab or a bus from Mettupalayam.

By car - The Nilgiris are in Tamil Nadu, but it is quite near the borders of
neighboring states Karnataka and Kerala. The hills consequently can be reached
from within Tamil Nadu by travelling up a heavily forested winding road, with many
sharp hair-pin beds. The road trip from any state is quite scenic, although the
Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty road (i.e. the Tamil Nadu route) is the
most travelled and well maintained. All roads to the Nilgiri hills are toll roads,
although the tolls are quite nominal.