DESTINATION OOTY

REWIND, REBOOT, RESTART MUSEUMS, GARDEN, PARKS...

Lush green mountains and plantations abound in Ooty. Spread over 36 sq. km, it’s 7350 feet above sea level. Vast plantation of eucalyptus, pine and wattle stretch between the few untouched meadows that remain of the preBritish Ooty. No wonder, it’s the place to get away from it all. Here is where you can rewind, reboot and restart your life every season. With temperatures relatively consistent throughout the year, it’s the best summer retreat for anyone wanting to beat the summer heat. Enjoy!

COONOOR

At a slightly lower altitude (2000 metres), this is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiri Hills and is a small tea garden town where the weather remains pleasantly cool throughout the year. The place is perfect for trekking and picnicking, with grassy spots and spectacular views. It is famous for bird watching and birds such as vultures, eagles, owls, bulbuls, thrushes, bablers, larks, cuckoos and robins.

KANDAL CROSS SHRINE

A Roman Catholic Shrine, this is considered the Jerusalem of the East. Catholics consider the shrine as the ‘Calvary of Tamil Nadu’. Special Novena Prayers and Holy Masses are offered every Friday. The annual feast is held on 3rd March.

NILGIRIS LIBRARY

It is a treasure trove of precious documents, biographies and old books, many of them rare volumes on travel and Ooty. The library was begun as a public reading room and later built up as it stands today, in 1868. Today, it is run by a private committee.

OOTY CLUB

This club offers entertainment as well as information. It has a collection of albums of yellowing photographs, newspaper clippings and hand-drawn cards, among other things. The club building was originally the mansion of Sir William Rumbold, a wealthy businessman from Hyderabad, who built it in the 1820s. Regal, imposing and exclusive, the club is still maintained as it was in British time. The club is for members and their guests only.

STONE HOUSE

This is the first bungalow to be built in town, which was the residence of John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty and at that time, the collector of Coimbatore. The tribals gave it its name – ‘Kal Bangla’ meaning Stone House.

ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD

This Protestant Church was Ooty’s first Church. One of the few remaining examples of original Anglican architecture in Ooty, it’s a Gothic, castle like structure, reminiscent of English village Churches. Adjoining the church is an old English cemetery.

THE MUSEUM

Opened in March 1989, this museum has a collection of objects unique to the district, including timber, insects, butterflies, rocks, wood carvings, Kurinji flower, stone sculptures, bronze works, models of Toda hut and coins.

PARKS & GARDENS

BOTANICAL GARDEN

The gardens were established in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweeddale and now maintained by the Agricultural Department of the Tamil Nadu government. From March-March, an Annual Flower Show is held by the Nilgiris AgroHorticultural Society and the Dog Show of the South India Kennel Club. A few minutes’ climb up from the garden is Toda Mund – ‘Othak-kalman-thu’ (one stone village) – from which Ooty (Ootacamund) derived its name. Adjacent to the garden is Raj Bhavan used by governors when they are on tour.

OOTY LAKE

This small artificial lake was conceived in 1824 by John Sullivan as an irrigation tank. Hardly 4 sq. km in area, the lake is much frequented by picnickers. Row boats, paddle boats and motor boats are available for hire. The boat house also has a restaurant and a children’s garden.

CENTENARY ROSE GARDEN

This rose garden was established at Vijayanagaram in Ooty, covering four hectares in five terraces, to commemorate the centenary Flower Festival in March 1995. It is situated on the lower slopes of the Elk Hill on the North-Western side, facing Ooty town. There are about 2150 varieties of roses in the Rose Garden, one of the largest such collections in India.

LAMB’S ROCK (8 KM)

A sheer precipice several hundred metres high, Lamb’s Rock is on a motorable road that leads to Lady Canning’s Seat (10 km), named after the wife of a British Viceroy. Dolphin’s Nose and the Droog are two other excellent heights, 10 and 15 km from Coonoor respectively to view the plains. They are also good picnic spots, with the former made attractive by a view of Catherine Falls and the latter by a still remaining ruins of an old fort built by Mysore ruler Tippu Sultan.

PASTEUR INSTITUTE

Located on the road leading to Mysore, Gudalur is the gateway to the Nilgiris from Kerala and Karnataka. The Mudumalai sanctuary is located around 16 km from here. The prime attractions are Frog Hill view point (14km) , Needle point rock view (12 km), Numbalkottah (8km), Nellakotta (15km), hanging bridge (14km), Nelliyalayam (20km) and Cherambadi (35km).

STANLEY PARK (3 KM)

A popular camping ground for scouts and guides, it has a rest house and protected water supply.

POMOLOGICAL STATION

This Institute was established in 1907 to research rabies and treat victims of the disease. Among other projects undertaken by the institute ,the most note worthy is the manufacture of the polio vaccine.

WELLINGTON (5 KM)

SIM’S PARK

Founded by JD Sim, a Secretary to the Madras Government in the mid-19th century as an amusement park, it has now evolved into a botanical garden with well-laid out terraces with rare flowers and shrubs. It contains several species of trees and shrubs that cannot be grown in the colder climate of Ooty.

ARUVANKADU

The Cordite Factory of the Government of India, which supplies ammunition for the country’s defence purposes, is located here. It was started in 1904. This British cantonment was developed in 1852. It has the country’s only Defence Services Staff College, an institution rich in Indian military, especially modern tradition. Wellington is also the headquarters of the Madras Regimental Centre of the Indian Army, which is the oldest regiment in the Indian Army.

This experimental fruit garden, one of the three in the Nilgiris, sprawls over 16 acres at a height of about 1,900 metres above sea level. It was established in 1920, along with the other stations at Burhar and Kullar on the Coonoor – Mettupalayam Ghat Road. These stations are maintained by the Tamil Nadu Horticultural Department.

ST CATHERINE FALLS (8 KM) AND ELK FALLS (7 KM)

are among the most beautiful cascades of the Nilgiris. From the Kodanad viewpoint (16 km), an all encompassing view of Coimbatore, Mysore, and Kerala can be seen, as well as the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris. The other major attractions here are the Rangaswamy pillar and peak: the former, a conical peak, 1,785 m high and considered sacred by the hill tribes of the plateau; the latter, an unusual isolated rock formation with precipitous sides.

SILKWORM REARING STATION

Adjoining the Pasteur Institute is this research establishment of the Central Silk Board. It also renders expert guidance and special assistance to young entrepreneurs and others who approach them for advice on silkworm rearing.