Ooty ( Udhagamandalam )
Udhagamandalam (Ooty), the capital of Nilgiri district, is popularly known
as the "Queen of hill stations' among the tourist circuits. It is situated
at a distance of 105 km away from Coimbatore. The height of the hills in
the Nilgiri range varies between 2280 and 2290 metres, the highest peak
being Doddabetta at a height of 2623 metres.
History Of This Beautiful Hill Resort 
It is believed that the name Nila, has been in use for over 800 years
since, the King of the Hoysalas Vishnu Vardhana, who ruled from 1104 to
1141 AD seized the Nilgiris Plateau. His general Ponisia recorded this
fact in 1117 AD with mention of Todas. The name Nilgiri was due to the
blue haze, which envelops the range with most distant hills of considerable
size.
In 1818, Wishand Kindersley, Assistant and Second Assistant to Collector
of Coimbatore visited this spot and submitted their experience report
to the Collector of Coimbatore Mr. John Sullivan. Settlement in Udhagamandalam
began in 1822 with the construction of the Stone House by John Sullivan,
the then Collector of Coimbatore. The bungalow, which is locally called
"Kal Bangla", is one of the landmarks of Udhagamandalam and
is now the Chamber of the Principal of the Government Arts College.
This Nilgiri territory came into possession of the East India Company
as part of the ceded lands, held by Tipu Sultan, by the treaty of Srirangapatnam
in 1799. Rev. Jacome Forico, a priest was the first European who visited
Nilgiris in 1603 and released his notes about the place and people of
Nilgiris. In 1812 surveyor William Keys and Macmohan visited the top of
the plateau.
The Tea
The establishment of numerous tea estates made Ooty famous. Lofty mountains,
dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of tea gardens
greet the passengers on most routes. The annual Tea and Tourism Festival
attracts crowds in huge numbers. Visit Ooty during this festival, when
tea lovers from all over the world converge. An occasion not to be missed!
How to Get There
Air
Coimbatore, 105 km from Ooty, is the nearest airport.
Rail
Ooty is on the narrow gauge railway, connected to Mettupalayam (47 km),
which is directly connected to Coimbatore and Chennai. The famous toy train
connects Ooty with Mettupalayam and Coonoor.
Road
A good network of roads and national highways connect Ooty with all major
towns and cities. There are regular bus services to and from Coimbatore,
Trichy, Bangalore, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Mysore, Palghat, Calicut, Tirupati
and other important destinations in South India. Ooty is also well connected
with major cities of Kerala and Karnataka.
Ooty ( Udhagamandalam ) Reservation Form
