Nilgiris Comprehensive Pocket Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the Nilgiris, the land above the clouds. The beauty of its landscape renders superlatives superfluous. Come and enjoy the cool, pollution free air of its mountains, the fragrance of its flowers, its majestic trees, the pure water of its springs, its garden- fresh vegetables and exotic fruits. Centrally air conditioned by Nature, sleep like a baby under the cosy comfort of warm blankets even in summer. A photographer’s dream, and a naturalist’s delight. The Nilgiris has flowers throughout the year, a very rare phenomenon worldwide. More than half of the 400 varieties of impatiens or balsam in the world can be found here
The last of the tropical rain forests in South Asia, the Nilgiris varies from grasslands to evergreen forests. Fifty six percent of the area is covered with forest. Though some effort is being made to save these forests, they are still being depleted at an alarming rate. The need for timber and land for tea cultivation are the chief reasons. The Nilgiris is the largest and chief watershed in South India. UNESCO’s ‘Man and the Environment’ programme declared the Nilgiris a biosphere reserve in 1980, covering 5520 sq. kms. The idea is to preserve the present and future diversity of its plants and animals as well as its indigenous peoples
Many birds native to the Nilgiris are found only in the Himalayas and nowhere else in India. The laughing thrush, the bluebird and the roller or Kottai kili are some examples. The kestrel, a type of falcon, migrates from the Himalayas to the Nilgiris in winter. The common crow is not a native. The jungle crow is bigger with glossy black feathers and a stout bill. The house crow was not a part of the Nilgiris scene till 1881. The story, apocryphal or otherwise, is that the crow’s introduction to these mountains was because a Brahmin family needed a crow to be fed during the shraddh ceremony. So it was brought from the plains. Supposedly a Brahmin in its previous birth, feeding the crow cooked rice every day before lunch is still a tradition in many South Indian households
Uniting the western and eastern ghats, the Nilgiris was the tri- junction of the Cheras, Cholas and Hoyshalas. A meeting point of Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, it has Kerala on its western boundary and Karnataka on its northern. The Silappadhikaram mentions the Chera King Chenguttavan’s stay here on his way to the Himalayas. The Hoyshala king had as one of his tiltles, “Subbuer of the Nigiris”. The 1990 Nobel Prize winner for literature, Octavio Paz, was inspired to write poetry about the Nilgiris and the Todas. Born about 70 million years ago, rich in history, this queen of the hills owes her name to the blue haze that covers the mountains most of the year
The floating tourist population increased from 12.59 lakhs in 1989 to 17.20 lakhs in 1996 and is expected to be 20 lakhs soon. Nearly 6 lakh visitors come during the season by train, bus and car. The resident population of the Nilgiris according to the 2001 census is about 7.65 lakhs. Most visitors literally float in and out. They are the weekend tourists who do the standard tourist spots of the Doddabetta peak, Ooth lake and Botanical gardens in the morning, and while driving down to Coonoor have a passing glimpse of Lovedale, Ketti, Aravankadu and Wellington; see Sim’s park, Dolphin’s nose and Lamb’s Rock in Coonoor and are ready to go back home
After walking up and down with time spent for lunch and tea, they return to their rooms by seven because it is already dark and slightly cold. Nightlife in the hills is almost non- existent unless you go to the club for bridge, rummy and drinks. But this option is only for those who are members of clubs because almost all of them are quite particular about the ‘Members Only’ policy
Evenings can become cold even on a warm summer’s day. The holiday in the hills is already over, a brief escape into the cool hills from the hot plains. Returning by train means you have to leave Ooty by three to catch the Nilgiri Express at Mettupalayam at 7.30 p.m. Driving means leaving early in the morning to reach Bangalore in time for lunch. Buses do not have scheduled services at night either to Coimbatore or Bangalore because of the ghat sections
It is true that the Nilgiris can be ‘done’ in a day or perhaps a day and a half. It would be something like going around the world in eighty days. With time to spend in this lovely place, and wouldn’t you want to when it is a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, here is a book which tells you where to go, how to reach the place and what is special about it
Polite, courteous, and honest (almost all of them), it is a pleasure to get away from the rudeness and indifference of the city. Unfortunately, even the local people are ill informed about the tourist attractions in their beautiful little corner of the world. So this book is a result of all those questions asked and not asked, the answer to the many ways and the many days you can enjoy your holiday. Whether you are here for a day or a week, your visit will be more enjoyable and you will see places you would other wise almost certainly miss if you take a little time to read this book before you set out sight- seeing. Born and brought up in Coonoor, the author has rediscovered the joy of visiting this salubrious place, especially in summer, after having been away for many, many years
The Nilgiri mountains create a powerful impression viewed from the plains. Rising spectacularly through heavy jungles, the green forests seem to disappear into the clouds. Five rivers have their source in the Nilgiris. The Pykara river which becomes the Moyar begins its journey at the Mukerti peak. The Kulakombai river has the highest waterfall in the Nilgiris with a 400 foot drop into the gorge just north of Kulakombai. The Bhavani from the Gudikadu peak 20 km. West of Ooty and Beypore also known as Chaliyar starts at the westernmost Nilgiris at 1220 m. other rivers in the Nilgiris are the Kodalundi, the Bharata Puzha, Noyil, Suvanathi, and the Lakshmana Theertha. Surrounded by the river Mayaru (Moyar) and Kakkanahalla in the north, Wynaad in the west, the Kundahs with Silent Valley and Bhavani and Kallar rivers in the south, and Kodanadu in the east, the Nilgiris is circled by mountains, rivers and valleys
Tourists to the Nilgiris come from all over India. But the majority are from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They come by train, bus, car and plane. The nearest airport is Coimbatore where you can get private vans, taxis and government buses every 10 minutes during the season. The train stops at Mettupalayam where you can change to the narrow gauge train or travel by road
But long before you leave the plains, make sure you have booked your place of stay, because unless you are exceptionally lucky, you will not find any kind of place to stay between the middle of April and the beginning of June. These days there are visitors to the mountains almost throughout the year. By the first of June, the Ooty Flower show is over and so is the Fruit Show at Coonoor, the signal that the ‘season’ is officially ended. Hotels start their off- season rates and locals get back to the business of living without inflated ‘tourist’ for goods and services