After seeing the princess, we will see the queen of hills. Yes Ooty is known as the queen of hill stations. It is located in the Niligiri district of Tamil Nadu. The official name of Ooty is Ootacamund. It is located at an altitude of 2240 metres from the sea level. Being the capital of Nilgiri district, Ooty is also called as the blue hills.
Nilgiris is the first biosphere of the country, It is also one of the 14 hotspots of the world. Earlier some of the tribal people of toda community lived here. They called it as Udhagamanadalam. When the English rulers came they changed the name to Ootacamund and later it was shortened to Ooty. Now let's see the tourist places.
Government Botanical Garden:
This Garden was constructed in 1847 by the Governor of Madras is maintained by the Horticulture department of Tamil Nadu. It has an area of 22 acres which lie at an altitude of 2400-2500 metres above the sea level. The garden is differentiated into six parts, namely The lower garden, The New garden, the Italian garden, The Conservatory, the Nurseries and the fountain terrace. The greenish garden has many rare trees like paper tree, cork tree, monkey puzzle tree and also a 20 million years old fossilized tree. Many ornamental and exotic flowers can also be seen in the garden. Every year a flower festival is conducted in this garden during the month of May. This garden has over thousand species of plants and trees which also include bonsai trees.
Government Rose Garden:
This is the largest rose garden in India. This was constructed on the centenary celebrations of the flower festival which is conducted every year till now. This garden is spread over a area of 4 acres of land consisting of various varieties of roses. This garden has hybrid roses, miniature roses and roses of about 3000 varieties. There is a place in this garden called "nila maadam" from which we can see the entire garden. This garden has received awards for best rose garden in the world by International Rose Society in the year 2006. This garden has collected roses from various sources even from various parts of the world. This garden is a place meant for flower lovers!!!
Ooty Lake:
This is an artificial lake formed by Dr. John Sullivan in the year 1824 by blocking the mountain stream which flow into the valley. At first this lake was used for fishing but later it became a tourist attraction when Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation took ownership of the lake from Sullivan. This lake has an area of 65 acres and it offers boating facilities for tourists too. During summer season many competitions like boat races are conducted here for tourists. You can enjoy horse riding, cycling around the lake at a nominal cost offered by some individuals.
Around this lake there is a railway track and there is a mini garden near the lake for children. And there is also a deer park near the lake. The deer park was started in the year 1986 and it covers an area of 6 acres. The deer park is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Protection department. This park has mainly sambar variety of deers.
Doddabetta:
Doddabetta is a peak located at a distance of 10 kilometers from Ooty. It is at a height of 2623 meters above sea level. People visit this place mainly to witness the natural beauty and to see the cloudy mountains. It is at the junction of western and eastern ghats. The peak has an telescope observatory through which people can see the mountains and nature closely.
The Mountain Railway:
Ooty has the prestigious mountain railway running for more than 100 years. The mountain railway was declared as a world heritage site by the UNESCO. At first this railway was constructed by the British in the year 1908 which ran on steam. And even now it runs with the help of steam. Going to Ooty in this railway line is a wonderful experience for tourists.
Government Museum:
This Museum is located on the way to Mysore from Ooty. This Museum has various collections about the Toda people who lived here and has collections about the Nilgiri district. Nearer to the museum there is lalit kala academy which has many artworks.
Other Places in Ooty:
Nilgiris is the first biosphere of the country, It is also one of the 14 hotspots of the world. Earlier some of the tribal people of toda community lived here. They called it as Udhagamanadalam. When the English rulers came they changed the name to Ootacamund and later it was shortened to Ooty. Now let's see the tourist places.
Government Botanical Garden:
This Garden was constructed in 1847 by the Governor of Madras is maintained by the Horticulture department of Tamil Nadu. It has an area of 22 acres which lie at an altitude of 2400-2500 metres above the sea level. The garden is differentiated into six parts, namely The lower garden, The New garden, the Italian garden, The Conservatory, the Nurseries and the fountain terrace. The greenish garden has many rare trees like paper tree, cork tree, monkey puzzle tree and also a 20 million years old fossilized tree. Many ornamental and exotic flowers can also be seen in the garden. Every year a flower festival is conducted in this garden during the month of May. This garden has over thousand species of plants and trees which also include bonsai trees.
Government Rose Garden:
This is the largest rose garden in India. This was constructed on the centenary celebrations of the flower festival which is conducted every year till now. This garden is spread over a area of 4 acres of land consisting of various varieties of roses. This garden has hybrid roses, miniature roses and roses of about 3000 varieties. There is a place in this garden called "nila maadam" from which we can see the entire garden. This garden has received awards for best rose garden in the world by International Rose Society in the year 2006. This garden has collected roses from various sources even from various parts of the world. This garden is a place meant for flower lovers!!!
Ooty Lake:
This is an artificial lake formed by Dr. John Sullivan in the year 1824 by blocking the mountain stream which flow into the valley. At first this lake was used for fishing but later it became a tourist attraction when Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation took ownership of the lake from Sullivan. This lake has an area of 65 acres and it offers boating facilities for tourists too. During summer season many competitions like boat races are conducted here for tourists. You can enjoy horse riding, cycling around the lake at a nominal cost offered by some individuals.
Around this lake there is a railway track and there is a mini garden near the lake for children. And there is also a deer park near the lake. The deer park was started in the year 1986 and it covers an area of 6 acres. The deer park is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Protection department. This park has mainly sambar variety of deers.
Doddabetta:
Doddabetta is a peak located at a distance of 10 kilometers from Ooty. It is at a height of 2623 meters above sea level. People visit this place mainly to witness the natural beauty and to see the cloudy mountains. It is at the junction of western and eastern ghats. The peak has an telescope observatory through which people can see the mountains and nature closely.
The Mountain Railway:
Ooty has the prestigious mountain railway running for more than 100 years. The mountain railway was declared as a world heritage site by the UNESCO. At first this railway was constructed by the British in the year 1908 which ran on steam. And even now it runs with the help of steam. Going to Ooty in this railway line is a wonderful experience for tourists.
Government Museum:
This Museum is located on the way to Mysore from Ooty. This Museum has various collections about the Toda people who lived here and has collections about the Nilgiri district. Nearer to the museum there is lalit kala academy which has many artworks.
Other Places in Ooty:
- Radio Telescope observatory
- Cosmic ray observatory in muthori village
- Tribal research center at a distance of 10 Kms from Ooty
- Hindustan Photo Film Industries at a distance of 5 Kms from railway station
- Honey Bee Museum
- Ooty Wax world
- Ooty Golf course
- Ooty Race course.
Have a good time at Ooty. According to me Ooty is for only for the cold climate. Try to stay there for a week and enjoy the climate.
How to reach?
How to reach?
- By Road - You can reach Ooty by Buses running from Mettupalayam, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Mysore.
- By Rail - First reach Mettupalayam. Station code is MTP. From there you can get tickets and travel to Ooty in Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
- By Air - Nearest Airport is at Coimbatore at a distance of 105 Kms.
