OOTY QUEEN OF HILL STATION - MOST POPULAR TOURIST RESORTS IN INDIA

Ooty called Udhagamandalam is the “Queen of hill station’. It is one of the most popular hill stations in Tamilnadu state in south India. Udhagamandalam is the headquarters of Nilgiri districts. Nilgiris means “Blue Mountains”. It is situated at an altitude of 2240 meters above sea level. It is one of most popular tourist destination in India. Covered with lush green tea garden, tall and towering mountains picturesque landscapes, deep forest and good climate condition all are attracted the tourists in this region. It is one of most popular tourist resorts in India and best picnic spot in and around the Ooty. One can not forget to ride Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) journey and it is one of the oldest mountain railways in India and it has been declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.
Brief History of Ooty:
It is a town, a municipality and the capital of the Nilgiri districts and the State of Tamil Nadu. Octamund is a one of the most popular hill station which is located in the Nillgiri Hills. The regions is originally occupied by the “Todas tribes’, and the area came under the rule of the East India Company in the end of the 18th century. Today the town’s economy is based on tourism and agriculture, with manufacturing of medicines and photographic film also present. Ooty is also known as the Blue Mountains. It is not known whether this name comes from the blue smoky haze given off by the eucalyptus which covers the area and kurinchi flowers which blossom every twelve years. It is said that, Tippu Sultan was the first to extend his border by constructing a hideout cave like structure. It was originally a tribal land and was occupied by the Todas along with other tribes who coexisted through specialization and trade. Frederick price in his book “Octamandu” a history states that, the area which is now called as the ‘Old Ooty’ was originally occupied by the Todas. Later “Todas’ handed over part of the town to John Sullivan, the then Governor of Coimbatore. He later developed the town, and encouraged the establishment of tea, cinchona and teak trees.
Places of interest in Ooty:
*Government Botanical Gardens
*Rose Gardens
*Pine Forests
*Dolphin Nose
*Sims Park
*Hidden Valley
*Boating at Pykara
*Wax Museum and Doddebetta peak
*Ooty Mountain Lake
*Ooty Golf course
*Stone house
*Kamaraj Sagar Dam
*Mudulai National Park
*Mukurti National Park and
*Emerald Lake.
How to reach in Ooty:-
By Air:-Coimbatore Airport is the nearest airport for Ooty and approximately 100km from Ooty. It is well connected with many cities of India.
By Train: – Main rail station connecting with Ooty is Mettupalyam and it approximately 45 km from Ooty. Regular train services from Coimbatore and Chennai.
By Road: – Tamilnadu has good road networks all the major cities across country. One can hire cab, drive your own vehicle or can catch buses from Mysore, Bangaluru, Chennai, Madurai and many more places