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Ooty
Ooty (Tamil: [uːʈ(ː)i] ⓘ; officially Udagamandalam (Tamil: [uðɐhɐmɐɳɖɐlɐm]), anglicized: Ootacamund ⓘ, abbreviated as Udagai, Tamil: [uðɐhɐi]) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 86 km (53 mi) northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of Nilgiris district. Situated in the Nilgiri hills, it is known by the epithet "King of all the Hill Stations", and is a popular tourist destination.
Originally occupied by the Toda people, the area came under the rule of the East India Company in the 18th century. It later served as the summer capital of Madras Presidency. The economy is based on the hospitality industry serving tourism and agriculture. The town is connected to the plains by the Nilgiri ghat roads and Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
The region was earlier known as Ottakal Mandu, with Otta-kal meaning 'single stone' in Tamil, a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people and Mandu, a Toda word for 'village'. This later became Udagamandalam which was anglicised to Ootacamund by the British, with the first part of the name (Ootaca), a corruption of the local name for the region and the second part (Mand), a shortening of the local Toda word Mandu. The first known written mention of the place is given as Wotokymund in a letter dated March 1821, written to the Madras Gazette by an unknown correspondent. Ootacamund was later shortened to Ooty. Ooty is in the Nilgiri hills, meaning the "blue mountains", so named due to the Kurunji flower, which used to give the slopes a bluish tinge.
The earliest reference to Nilgiri hills is found in the Tamil Sangam epic Silappathikaram from the 5th or 6th century CE. The region was a land occupied by various tribes such as Badagas, Todas, Kotas, Irulas and Kurumbas. The region was ruled by the three Tamil kingdoms of Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas during various times. The Todas are referenced in a record belonging to Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and his general Punisa, dated 1117 CE. It was also ruled by various dynasties like Pallavas, Satavahanas, Gangas, Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara empire. Tipu Sultan captured Nilgiris in the eighteenth century and the region came into possession of British in 1799. It became part of Coimbatore district of the Madras Presidency.
In 1818, J. C. Whish and N. W. Kindersley, assistants to John Sullivan, then collector of Coimbatore district, visited Kotagiri nearby and reported on the region's potential to serve as a summer retreat. Sullivan established his residence there and reported to the Board of Revenue on 31 July 1819. He also started work on a road from Sirumugai which was completed in May 1823 and extended up to Coonoor between 1830 and 1832. By 1827, it was established as a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency and developed further at the behest of then Governor of Madras Stephen Lushington. The Government Botanical Garden, covering 51 acres (21 ha), was established in 1842 and a library was established in 1959.
Ooty was made a municipality in 1866, and civic improvements including roads, drainage, and water supply from the Marlimund and Tiger Hill reservoirs were added through Government loans. In August 1868, the Nilgiris was separated from the Coimbatore district, and James Wilkinson Breeks was appointed its first commissioner. On 1 February 1882, Nilgiris was made a district, and Richard Wellesley Barlow, the then commissioner, became its first collector. By the early 20th century, Ooty was a well-developed hill station, with an artificial lake, various parks, religious structures, and sporting facilities for polo, golf, and cricket. It served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency and as a retreat for the British officials.
Post-independence, the town developed into a popular recreational resort and the nearby Wellington became the home of the Defence Services Staff College of the Indian Army.
Ooty is located in the Nilgiri hills, which are part of the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is separated from the neighboring state of Karnataka by the Moyar river in the north and from the Anaimalai and Palani hills in the south by the Palghat Gap. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level. The total area of the town is 30.36 km2 (11.72 sq mi). Doddabetta is the highest peak (2,623 m or 8,606 ft) in the Nilgiris, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ooty.
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Ooty
Ooty (Tamil: [uːʈ(ː)i] ⓘ; officially Udagamandalam (Tamil: [uðɐhɐmɐɳɖɐlɐm]), anglicized: Ootacamund ⓘ, abbreviated as Udagai, Tamil: [uðɐhɐi]) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 86 km (53 mi) northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of Nilgiris district. Situated in the Nilgiri hills, it is known by the epithet "King of all the Hill Stations", and is a popular tourist destination.
Originally occupied by the Toda people, the area came under the rule of the East India Company in the 18th century. It later served as the summer capital of Madras Presidency. The economy is based on the hospitality industry serving tourism and agriculture. The town is connected to the plains by the Nilgiri ghat roads and Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
The region was earlier known as Ottakal Mandu, with Otta-kal meaning 'single stone' in Tamil, a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people and Mandu, a Toda word for 'village'. This later became Udagamandalam which was anglicised to Ootacamund by the British, with the first part of the name (Ootaca), a corruption of the local name for the region and the second part (Mand), a shortening of the local Toda word Mandu. The first known written mention of the place is given as Wotokymund in a letter dated March 1821, written to the Madras Gazette by an unknown correspondent. Ootacamund was later shortened to Ooty. Ooty is in the Nilgiri hills, meaning the "blue mountains", so named due to the Kurunji flower, which used to give the slopes a bluish tinge.
The earliest reference to Nilgiri hills is found in the Tamil Sangam epic Silappathikaram from the 5th or 6th century CE. The region was a land occupied by various tribes such as Badagas, Todas, Kotas, Irulas and Kurumbas. The region was ruled by the three Tamil kingdoms of Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas during various times. The Todas are referenced in a record belonging to Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and his general Punisa, dated 1117 CE. It was also ruled by various dynasties like Pallavas, Satavahanas, Gangas, Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara empire. Tipu Sultan captured Nilgiris in the eighteenth century and the region came into possession of British in 1799. It became part of Coimbatore district of the Madras Presidency.
In 1818, J. C. Whish and N. W. Kindersley, assistants to John Sullivan, then collector of Coimbatore district, visited Kotagiri nearby and reported on the region's potential to serve as a summer retreat. Sullivan established his residence there and reported to the Board of Revenue on 31 July 1819. He also started work on a road from Sirumugai which was completed in May 1823 and extended up to Coonoor between 1830 and 1832. By 1827, it was established as a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency and developed further at the behest of then Governor of Madras Stephen Lushington. The Government Botanical Garden, covering 51 acres (21 ha), was established in 1842 and a library was established in 1959.
Ooty was made a municipality in 1866, and civic improvements including roads, drainage, and water supply from the Marlimund and Tiger Hill reservoirs were added through Government loans. In August 1868, the Nilgiris was separated from the Coimbatore district, and James Wilkinson Breeks was appointed its first commissioner. On 1 February 1882, Nilgiris was made a district, and Richard Wellesley Barlow, the then commissioner, became its first collector. By the early 20th century, Ooty was a well-developed hill station, with an artificial lake, various parks, religious structures, and sporting facilities for polo, golf, and cricket. It served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency and as a retreat for the British officials.
Post-independence, the town developed into a popular recreational resort and the nearby Wellington became the home of the Defence Services Staff College of the Indian Army.
Ooty is located in the Nilgiri hills, which are part of the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is separated from the neighboring state of Karnataka by the Moyar river in the north and from the Anaimalai and Palani hills in the south by the Palghat Gap. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level. The total area of the town is 30.36 km2 (11.72 sq mi). Doddabetta is the highest peak (2,623 m or 8,606 ft) in the Nilgiris, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ooty.