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Ooty - The Destination
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Need
to beat the heat? Welcome to the cool lavender
hues of Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam, more popularly
known as Ooty. The uncrowned Queen of southern
hill resorts of India, the beautiful Blue Mountains
are the perfect backdrop for the cool summers.
The visit to the hill resort promises to be
a treat for all the travelers. The beautiful
botanical garden offers the sprawling maze of
greens and blooms. They are home to the manicured
and planned trees, shrubs and herbs. The purity
in the air adds to the beauty of the flowers.
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While at the hill resort enjoying
the cool breezes make a trip to the Ooty
Lake. The lake is the centre of much
of tourist activities. At the nearby boathouse
the rowboats and the motorboats can be hired
for unwinding. Besides boating simply watching
the soothing sunset in an experience of a lifetime.
Adjacent to the lake is a large graveyard of
St. Thomas Church that was
built way back in 1870. Here the huge pillar
topped by a cross, over the grave of William
Patrick Adam, the Governor of Madras Presidency,
who died in Ooty in 1881 will not fail to catch
your eye.
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The magic of Ooty is not so much the specific
tourist destination; it is, in fact, the long
lovely walks that it offers. Wherever you go
the serenity of the Nilgiris will be all around
you. Specially the strategic points from where
one could either see Ooty or the view all around,
like Snowdon, Ketty Valley, the
Wenlock Downs
and, of course, Doddabetta. Further, you can
hire a horse for a slightly more thrilling excursion
in and around town. The eucalyptuses are quite
a part of the Ooty landscape. They even fuel
a small oil industry, so it is common to find
eucalyptus oil in the shops at Ooty. |
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Besides the adventure seekers the hill resort
of Ooty is a heaven on Earth for honeymooners
and the film industry. The picture perfect settings,
the serenity of the surroundings is simply out
of the world. For the science freaks Ooty houses
the largest radio telescope in India. The Indian
jockeys are attracted to the Ootacamund
Derby that celebrates the racing season
at Ooty. The nature lovers may plan their trip
in the first week of May when Ooty hosts the
famous Annual Flower Show.
So what are you waiting for? Pack your bag and
get ready for the most ravishing retreat this
summer at the southern hills.
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Ooty - Facts
at a Glance
| State : |
Tamil Nadu |
| Area
: |
36 sq kms |
| Temperature
: |
10
°C - 25 °C (Summers)
5 °C - 21 °C (Winters) |
| Altitude :
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2240 mts |
| Rainfall
: |
121
cms |
| Language
: |
Tamil,
Malayalam, Kannada and English |
| Best
Season : |
April –
June; September – November |
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History of Ooty
The first inhabitants of this land were a tribe
called Todas who had been living here long before
the British came in the early nineteenth century.
But the credit for modernising Udhagamandalam
and making it accessible goes to the British
who constructed the first railway line in the
area and made it the summer capital of the Madras
Presidency. Even today the ambiance of the Raj
lingers in certain places like the Club where
snooker was invented by a subaltern named Neville
Chamberlain. The Nilgiri Library with its rare
and valuable collection of books on Udhagamandalam
and St. Stephen's Church which was Udhagamandalam's
first church are reminiscent of the Raj. The
cemetery near the church has the oldest British
tombstones and has graves of John Sullivan's
wife and daughter, among other prominent personalities.
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