Ooty, Tamil Nadu

Udhagamandalam is the another name for Ooty, is considered as the "Queen of Hill Stations". It is situated at an altitude of 2,286 m. The population size of Ooty is 87,000. Ooty sprawls over a large area of winding roads and steep climbs. The obvious focal point is Charing Cross, a busy junction on commercial Road. With its rolling lwans and salubrious climate Ooty has become the most important hill station in South India and the summer capital of the former Madras presidency.

Climate: Ooty receives an annual rainfall of 121 cm.

Best time to visit: The best time to come is between January and March, avoiding high-season crowds (April-June & Sept-Oct).

Suggested clothing: Suggested clothing includes light woolens in the day, occasionally, warm woolens in the evenings abd during the monsoons.

Languages spoken: Tamil, English, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.

How to reach there:

Ooty is 90 km from Coimbatore, 300 km from Bangalore, 160 km from Mysore, 537 km from Chennai, and 567 km from Kanyakumari, 290 km from Bangalore, 842 km from Hyderabad, 485 km from Kanchipuram, 281 km from Kochi, 265 km from Kodaikanal, 326 km from Madurai, 401 km from Mangalore, 422 km from Pondicherry, 537 km from Rameswaram, 341 km from Thanjavur, 498 km from Thiruvananthapuram, 342 km from Tiruchirapalli, 534 km from Tiruupati.

Most visitors arrive in Ooty either by bus from Mysore in Karnataka or on the miniature mountain railway from Coonoor and Mettupalayam. Between the lake and the racecourse are the railway station and bus stand.

Air: Nearest airport, Coimbatore is 98 kms away. Cochin airport is 250 kms away and Bangalore airport is 276 kms.

Rail: Ooty has a miniature railway connecting it with the lowlands. The railways starts at Mettupalayam (46 km from Ooty), north of Coimbatore, and goes via Coonoor to Ooty, enroute affording some spectacular views of the precipitous eastern slopes of the rain-forested Nilgiris.

Road: There are frequent buses for Kotagiri and Coonoor. Ooty is coonected by bus service to Coimbatore, Bangalore (via Mysore), Chennai, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur and Tirupati. Karanataka's state bus company (KSRTC) has daily bus services to Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan. Private bus companies offer super deluxe bus services to Bangalore, Kodaikanal and Mysore.

Local transport consists of auto-rickshaws and taxis.

What to see:
Raj Bhavan: Built by the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1877 when Governor of Madras, in the style of his family home at Stowe. The Government House, now the Raj Bhavan, is superbly positioned on the Dodabetta Ridge to the south-east of Ooty and is approached throught he Botanical Gardens. The grounds are very well maintained and open to visitors, though the building is not.

Palaces: Maharajas and nawabs built their summer palaces and mansions. Many have been turned into hotels. Arranmore Palace built by the Maharaja of Jodhpur and now a government guest house, Tamizhagam. Open to visitors.

St Stephen's Church: Northwest of Charing Cross, the small gothic-style St. Stephen's Church was one of Ooty's first colonial structures, built in the 1820s on the site of a Toda temple. Other than this, red-brick, a quasi-gothic structure - Civil Court, and the Club (dates from1830) are also interesting to see.

Kandal Cross: 3 km west of the railway station is a Roman Catholic shrine considered as the `Jerusalem of the East'. The cross erected here is a relic of the True Cross brought to India by an Apostolic delegate.

Government Museum: It was set up in 1989, with a view to provide educational benefits of the museum to the residing and visiting population of Nilgiris. The museum has items of tribal objects, district's ecological deatils and representative sculptural arts and crafts of Tamilnadu. Admission is free and timings are 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.oo p.m. to 5.00 p.m. It is closed on Friday, second saturdays and National Holidays.

Botanical Garden: A little way northwest of Charing Cross, the Botanical Garden (daily 8 am - 6.30 pm.) laid in 1847 by gardeners from London's Kew Gardens, consists of twenty hectares of immaculate lawns, lily ponds and beds, with over thousand varieties of shrubs, flowers and trees. The Annual flower show is held here every year during the month of May. There is a wood hut at the top of the garden from where a panoramic view of Ooty can be had.

Aquarium: It is close to bus station and is run by Dept. of Fisheries. In this aquarium, department rears exotic fish varieties. The office issues licence to fish in the nearby waters such as Ooty lake, Sandynallah, Kundha, Pykara Reservoir, T.R. Bazaar and Wellington Lake. The licence is only for angling with Rod and linc.

Golf: Golf Club's 18 hole Golf course is located at a height of 7400 ft. The Golf links are laid out over an area of 193 acres of the Ooty Wenlock Downs.

Trekking: A number of Trek routes have been identified. For participation, the tourist officer Ooty may be contacted.

Angling: Good trout, carp and mixed water fishing is possible in various streams and lakes in the Nilgris. Fishing licence for a fee is issued by the Asst. Director of fisheries, Fish dale, Ooty (nera bus station)

Horse Riding: Enjoy horseback riding by hiring a horse at the Tourist Cafe on the north side of the lake.

Ooty Race: Every year, from April 15th the race begins and lasts till end of May.

Horse Races: They are held at the racecourse during the monsoon season.

Water Sports: Every year during summer festival(May) Boat Races are conducted at Ooty lake.

Yoga: Rajayoga Meditation centre is located at 88, Victoria hall, Ettines Road, Ooty.

Ooty Lake: It was constructed between 1823 and 1825 throught he initiative of the collector, Mr John Sullivan, as an irrigation tank. The lake is about 2.5 km long and between 100 and 140 m wide.

Walks: There are a number of long walks and some superb views over Ooty and the Nilgiris. Kotagiri Pass is an excellent starting point for treks over and along the wooded hill crests and has great views down the Nilgiris' northern slopes. About 3 km east of this pass is the highest peak in Tamil Nadu, Doddabetta (2,623 m), from where Coonoor, Mettupalayam and, on a clear day, even Mysore are visible. Doddabetta is 10 km from Ooty.

What to shop:
Eucalyptus oil, Honey, Cinchona products, coffee and Tea are some of the good buys. Most of the shops are open from 9 am to 12 noon and from 3 pm to 8pm. Toda Showroom sells silver and tribal shawls. Municipal Market and Coop. Super Market and Upper and Lower Bazaar Roads are the main shopping areas of Ooty. Poompuhar and Kairali Emporia can also be visited.

Around the city:

Mukurthi Peak and Mukurthi National Park: 36 km from Ooty, is Mukurti lake, which is surrounded by high hills and is 6 km long. The name is derived from `muku' (nose) and `ardha' (half) suggesting a severed nose for shape of the peak. The Electricity Department and Nilgiris Game Association Bungalows are on the south side of the lake. Enjoy boating and fishing is permitted. The Mukurthi National Park is located on the South Eastern corner of the Nilgris Plateau. The area contains a viable population of Nilgiri Tahr.

Avalanche: 24 km from Ooty. The `avalanche' in 1823 gave the valley it's name. Excellent for walking and superb scenery.. Forest Department Guest House is available for accommodation. Avalanche Top is 4 km from bungalow.

Pykara: 19 km from Ooty. The river has a dam and power plant. There is a breathtaking scenery. The falls, about 6 km from the bridge on the main road, are best in July, but they are also worth visiting from August to December. There is a forest rest House at Pykara. A boat house by the Pykara falls and Dam is added attractions to the tourists.

Kalhatti Falls: 14 km from Ooty, the picturesque waterfalls come down a 36 m drop. A popular spot for picnics and treks

Glenmorgan: 17 km form Ooty, is a beautiful countryside with tea and eucalyptus plantations, undisturbed sholas and fine views is ideal for drives and picnics.