The Hulikal Droog (huli- tiger, kal0 stone and droog- fort in Kannada) at a height of 1990 mtrs. (6000 ft.) is a precipitous bluff with a 4000 ft. (1665 mtrs.) drop at the very end of the range extending to Coonoor. This perpendicular drop to the Mettupalayam and Coimbatore plains is awe- inspiring. The regular town bus to the droog and a 3 km. walk through the Nonsuch Tea Estate, 5 km. from Coonoor, takes you to the ruins of an old sixteenth century fortress of more than 80,000 sq mtrs., said to have been used by Tipu Sultan as an outpost. Nobody knows how much of the fort still remains because most of it is covered by forest. There is a great view of Sirumugai, Karamadai and Coimbatore as well as Kotagiri and Billoor. The town bus comes every hour from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., then from 11 a.m. till 4.15 p.m. It is recommended that only groups go to the fort as it is very lonely and there are bison here

This favorite picnic spot got its name because a Badaga is supposed to have killed a man- eating tiger and buried it near the Pillayar (Ganesh) temple here marking the place with three stones. The fort occupies the whole crest 500 yards (457 mtrs.) long and about 200 yards (183 mtrs) wide. Enclosed by a rough wall of stone and mud five feet thick, most of the enclosure is now buried under thick jungle

There is a magnificient view of the Coimbatore plains, the Bhavani River and the distant Anamalai hills. The Sanskrit name for it is Bagasura parvata (parvata- mountain) and the Badagas call it Bagasura Kottai (kottai- fort in Tamil) and one can distinctly see the contours of the demon’s head, shoulders and stomach. The delineations are distinct and nom one ever climbs to its head. Bhima is supposed to have killed Bagasuran according to the Mahabharata. When seen from ketti, Bagasuran becomes the Sleeping Beauty. The range can be seen from almost evey place in Coonoor and beyond

Law’s falls is 4 km. from Coonoor on the Mettupalayam Road where the Coonoor and Kateri rivers merge. One can walk right up to the falls through an open cave with the flat mountaintop above. The water is muddy throughout the year. Named after Col. G.V. Law who constructed the Mettupalayam- Coonoor Ghat Road in 1871, it falls 180 ft. (55 mtrs.) Where the lower part of the Coonoor River meets the Mettupalayam ghat road at the Wenlock Bridge. The bridge and the well known Wenlock Downs are named for Lord Wenlock, former Governor of Madras. It is a good picnic spot except for occasional whiffs of the polluted Coonoor River which float your way when ever the breeze blows in this direction. The Runnymede station of the Mettupalayam- Ooty

The droog