Coonoor is next. The second most important place in the Nilgiris after Ooty, 6000 ft (1858 mtrs.) high, it has a distinctly different climate, Coonoor (kunru- hill and ooru- town in Tamil), as a town began in 1830 with the construction of the steep ghat road from Mettupalayam. When the earlier road to Dimhatti near Kotagiri was no longer used, Kotagiri its importance

Upper Coonoor has a number of really old houses, some 150 years old and still lived in by families. Sim’s Park, the Pasteur Institute etc. are also in Upper Coonoor white Lower Coonoor has the market, the king railway station, the bus stand etc

Coonoor is warmer, more suited to subtropical plants, such as tree ferns (there are 200 varieties of ferns in the Nilgiris) and roses. It is also more relaxing and less taxing on the human body. Standing at the head of aravine, its mouth facing east, it collects the damp winds like a tunnel. Wellington, Kotagiri and Kodanad, being sheltered, receive less rain

Like the Botanical Gardens at Ooty, Sim’s Park (which is also a botanical garden) is loved by every one, yoyung and old. Because of Coonoor’s milder climate, plants and trees which do not grow well in Ooty, thrive here. From the road, the park descends into layers of botanical history. Look out for the descriptive elephant tree (its trunk is an exact replica of the elephant’s leg) also called the monkey- puzzle tree, apparently because monkeys do not cimb that tree. The rudraksh tree, the turpentine tree which smells of turpentine, and the 127- year- old eucalyptus, the oldest tree in the park. The camphor tree can be seen in Sim’s Park, the Botancial Gardens and Burliar. Camphor (distilled from the bark) is used in the manufacture of photographic films, medicines, smokeless gunpoweder, incense etc. You can spend anywhere from one hour to one week in the park, which is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are Rs. 5 for adults, Rs. 2 for children, and Rs. 5 for still cameras and Rs. 25 for video cameras

Sim’s Park was named after J.D. Sim who laid out the garden in 1871. A small stream has been dammed to form a miniature lake at the bottom of the garden filled (or rather overfilled) with water lilies. The nursery at the western end of the park sells plants and seeds. The annual Fruit and Vegetable Show held here on the last Sunday in May is the signal that the ‘season’has officially ended

The Mahalingaswami temple is a Badaga temple dedicated to Shiva just above Sim’s Park on the way to Kotagiri. Like most Badaga temples, this temple is not open every day fro puja. It is opened once a year on June 1st for worship

The lane next to the Sim’s Park entrance leads to the Pomological Station and the Government Orchardcum- Nursery. Started in 1920, it is spread over 6.52 hectares (16 acres). This is the third fruit research station, after Burliar and Kallar, and is the only place in south India where persimmon is grown. The altitude is 1767.84 mtrs. (5800 ft.

The Fruit Preservation Unit started in 1965 and expanded in 1981, is across the road Sim’s Park. It processes and sells 25 tonnes of fruit products like jam, jelly, squash, pickles etc., though it is not known who they sell it to because 90 % of the time ‘there is no stock’! This is the place where permission is given to visit the Pomological Station

The State Horticultural Farm annexed to the orchard was started in 1948 in 4.05 hectares for the vegetative propagation of half a million tea plants annually for distribution

The Sericulture and Silkworm Seed Station on Cornwall Road opposite Sim’s Park, adjoining the Pasteur Institute, was converted in 1944 for rearing exotic races of silkworm, when silkworm gut was being used as external sutures in government hospitals. Later, nylon sutures were preferred as they were cheaper and came in varied thicknesses. A Reginal Research Station now, it can be visited with permission from the station itself

The Pasteur institute of Southern India at Coonoor, built in 1907 with a donation from a Mr. Phipps (an American) to Lord Curzon, is also just across the road from Sim’s Park. It is well known as the only place in India besides Kasauli which manufactures anti rabies vaccine. Recently they have discovered and are selling a newer vaccine, which needs to be given for only 5 days instead of the earlier 14 days. It also does research on influenza, respiratory viruses, entero- viruses, syphilis, typhoid and other infectious diseases. Rhesus monkey were earlier used for research. Some locals complain that the proliferation of monkeys in Coonoor is because the institute set the monkeys free when they were no longer used. The institute provides training in microbiology at the postgraduate level and has a fine medical library with both Indian and foreign journals. Because of the sterile laboratories, it can be seen only from the outside

Highfield tea factory on Walkers Hill Road which becomes Forest Dale Road, is about 1 km. from Sim’s Park. They offer a guided tour of the factory and estate. The entrance ticket is Rs. 5. The road, which goes from Sim’s Park to the factory, is very aptly named. It is delightful road for walking with lofty trees and almost zero traffic

kodaimalai has the same panoramic view as Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin’s Nose. Even better in fact, because it is at a much greater height and one can see these two places in addition to the others. Surprisingly hardly anyone goes there even though it is so near and so accessible. Kodaimalai can be reached through two or three routes. There are buses at frequent intervals from the Coonoor bus stand. The fare is Rs. 5. steps go down all the way to Lamb’s Rock from the village. A good way of doing it is to climb down to Lamb’s Rock rather than all the way up. There is a sign just past the Elk Hill development for Kodaimalai on the Kotagiri Road past Sim’s Park

Kodaimalai is just 5 km. from Sim’s Park. A short climb up a grassy mound brings you to the Ranganathaswami temple of the Badagas from where it seems the whole world is at your feet. Every time the temple at Karamadai (between Mettupalayam and Coimabatore) celebrates any festival, so does the temple here. The shivalingam with a namam is supposed to grant all one’s wishes. Some movies have made use of this gorgeous background

coonoor has a lot of places where one can stay comfortably, but very few places where one can eat a decent meal at a reasonable price. Many of the big private and public sector organizations now have their own guest houses in Coonoor or Ooty, to accommodate their holidaying staff

Mount Road winds its way up from the Coonoor Municipal Bus Station, past the market on the left and other shops on the right. The market caters to the needs of the tea plantationsand the families in Wellington and Coonoor. An Indian version of the American mall, it has vegetable (not very fresh), fruit and meat shops, clothes, jewellery and plastics, groceries, tailors hardware, general merchandise etc. Fresh hot bread is available from a number of bakeries in the morning and evening. The Nilgiris is well known for its baked goods, especially the varkey (a flaky biscuit). Prices are high everywhere in the hills as all raw materials have to be transported from the plains

Mount Road, which is the Main Street of Coonoor, climbs up past the Government Hospital at the hairpin bend. St Anthony’s Church (built in 1876) is on the left, while St. John’s Church built in 1893 with its Coronation (Queen Victoria’s) Gate, is on the right. The 100- year- old St. Joseph’s Convent celebrated its centenary in 2000. Mount Road ends at Bedford Circle where other roads join and Upper Coonoor begins

Coonoor hides its antiquities well, reluctant to let the average tourist have a look at its treasures. Started in 1851, with land and a lot of money given by General Kennet, All Saints’ Church was consecrated on 18th March 1854. In 1863 a new bell replaced the one which had cracked. The general, who was murdered, is buried there. The cemetery also has the graves of many other soldiers. (A new cemetery in Tiger Hill was laid out in 1905.) This beautiful old church is open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but the road adjoining the Taj Hotel takes you through a small gate to the outside of the church. A peep through its windows gives a glimpse of its ancient stained glass windows and most of the church except the altar. The church can be visited with permission

The Nilgiris super market is well known in Chennai and Bangalore. It was first started in Vannarpet in Coonoor in 1905 as a challenge to the import of butter from Australia

Coonor has much steeper gradients than Ooty. That is why autorickshaws were first introduced in Ooty in 1992 to see if they could make the grade. Now more than 1000 autos in Coonoor help the tired feet of the walk weary tourist reach his destination at fairly reasonable rates. Since distance is not as much of a criteria as uphill or downhill travel, there are no meters. Prudence decrees that fares be dicided in advance