The region was earlier known as Ottakal Mandu, with Otha-Cal meaning "single stone" in Tamil, a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people and Mandu, a Toda word for "village".[4] This later became Udagamandalam which was anglicised to Ootacamund by the British, with the first part of the name (Ootaca), a corruption of the local name for the region and the second part (Mand), a shortening of the local Toda word Mandu.[5][6][7] The first known written mention of the place is given as Wotokymund in a letter dated March 1821, written to the Madras Gazette by an unknown correspondent.[8]Ootacamund was later shortened to Ooty. Ooty is in the Nilgiri hills, meaning the "blue mountains", so named due to the Kurunji flower, which used to give the slopes a bluish tinge.[9]
In 1818, J. C. Whish and N. W. Kindersley, assistants to John Sullivan, then collector of Coimbatore district, visited Kotagiri nearby and reported on the region's potential to serve as a summer retreat.[9] Sullivan established his residence there and reported to the Board of Revenue on 31 July 1819. He also started work on a road from Sirumugai which was completed in May 1823 and extended up to Coonoor between 1830–32.[9] By 1827, it was established as a sanatorium of the Madras Presidency and developed further at the behest of then Governor of Madras Stephen Lushington. The Government Botanical Garden, covering 51 acres (21 ha), was established in 1842 and a library was established in 1959.[16]
Ooty was made a municipality in 1866, and civic improvements including roads, drainage, and water supply from the Marlimund and Tiger Hill reservoirs were added through Government loans.[16] In August 1868, the Nilgiris was separated from the Coimbatore district, and James Wilkinson Breeks was appointed its first commissioner.[9] On 1 February 1882, Nilgiris was made a district, and Richard Wellesley Barlow, the then commissioner, became its first collector.[8] By the early 20th century, Ooty was a well-developed hill station, with an artificial lake, various parks, religious structures, and sporting facilities for polo, golf, and cricket.[16] It served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency and as a retreat for the British officials.[17]
Ooty is located in the Nilgiri hills, which are part of the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is separated from the neighboring state of Karnataka by the Moyar river in the north and from the Anaimalai and Palani hills in the south by the Palghat Gap.[20] It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level.[2] The total area of the town is 30.36 km2 (11.72 sq mi).[2]Doddabetta is the highest peak (2,623 m or 8,606 ft) in the Nilgiris, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ooty.[21]
Ooty Lake is an artificial lake covering 65 acres (26 ha) created in 1824.[22] The Pykara, a river located 19 km (12 mi) from Ooty, rises at Mukurthi peak and flows through a series of cascades with the last two falls of 55 metres (180 ft) and 61 metres (200 ft) known as Pykara falls.[23]Kamaraj Sagar Dam is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Ooty.[24]Emerald Lake, Avalanche Lake and Porthimund Lake are other lakes in the region.[25]
Climate
Ooty features a subtropical highland climate (Cwb) under Köppen climate classification.[26] Because of its high altitude, the temperatures are generally lower than the surrounding plains with the average between 10–25 °C (50–77 °F) during summer and 0–21 °C (32–70 °F) during winter.[2] The highest temperature ever recorded was 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) and the lowest temperature was −5.1 °C (22.8 °F).[27] The town gets heavy rainfall during both South-West and North-East monsoons and the average rainfall is about 1,100 millimetres (43 in) of precipitation annually.[2]
Ooty forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected forest area in India.[31] It was declared as a protected reserve in 1986 and is part of UNESCO'sMan and the Biosphere Programme.[32]Mudumalai National Park and tiger reserve lies on the north-western side, about 31 km (19 mi) from Ooty and was established in 1940 as the first wildlife sanctuary in India.[33]
According to the 2011 census, Udagamandalam had a population of 88,430 with a sex-ratio of 1,053 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[3][53] A total of 7,781 were under the age of six, constituting 3,915 males and 3,866 females.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 28.98% and 0.30% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city in 2011 was 90.2%,[54] compared to the national average of 72.99%.[53] The city had a total of 23,235 households. There were a total of 35,981 workers, comprising 636 cultivators, 5,194 agricultural labourers, 292 in household industries, 26,411 other workers, 3,448 marginal workers, 65 marginal cultivators, 828 marginal agricultural labourers, 56 marginal workers in household industries and 2,499 other marginal workers.[55] As per the religious census of 2011, Udagamandalam had 64.36% Hindus, 21.25% Christians, 13.37% Muslims, 0.03% Sikhs, 0.3% Buddhists, 0.4% Jains, 0.28% following other religions and 0.02% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference.[56]
Tamil is the official language of Udagamandalam. Languages native to the Nilgiris including Badaga, Paniya, Irula and Kurumba.[57] Due to its proximity to the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka and being a tourist destination, Malayalam, Kannada and English are also spoken and understood to an extent.[58] According to the 2011 census, the most widely spoken languages in Udagamandalam taluk were Tamil, spoken by 88,896, followed by Badaga with 41,213 and Kannada with 27,070 speakers.[59]
Administration and politics
Ooty is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district.[8] The town is part of the Udagamandalam Assembly constituency which forms part of the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency.[60] The town is administered by Udagamanadalam municipality which was established in 1866 and the town is divided into 36 wards.[61] The municipality is responsible for water services, sewage disposal and maintenance of public infrastructure.[62]
Ooty is connected by roads known as the Nilgiri Ghat Roads. It is situated on NH 181. The municipality maintains roads in the town.[68] Public bus services are operated by the Coimbatore division of TNSTC.[69]SETC, KSRTC (Karnataka) and KSRTC (Kerala) connect to distant towns in Tamil Nadu and neighboring states.
The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport, located 96 km (60 mi) from the town. The airport has regular flights from and to major domestic destinations and international destinations like Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore.[73] Ooty has three helipads, one at Theettukal and two at Kodanad with the Theettukal helipad, approved by the Airports Authority of India for defence and VIP services. Pawan Hans planned to start commercial services with Bell 407, but the plan has been shelved.[74][75]
Education
Government Arts College, established in 1955, is one of the oldest institutions in Ooty and is affiliated with Bharathiar University.[76] There are a few other colleges in the town. Boarding schools have been a feature of Ooty since the British Raj and continue to operate currently, including some of the most expensive schools in India.[77]
Tourism
Botanical Garden in Ooty
A boat house located alongside the Ooty Lake offers boating facilities to tourists and is a major tourist attraction in Ooty.[22] Similar boating facilities are also available at the Pykara falls and dam.[23] The Government Botanical Garden, laid out in 1842, has several speciesindigenous and exoticplants, and hosts an annual flower show in May.[16][78] The garden also hosts a 20-million-year-old fossilized tree.[79] The Government Rose Garden, situated on the slopes of Elk Hill at an altitude of 2,200 m (7,200 ft), has more than 20,000 varieties of roses from 2,800 cultivars and is the largest rose garden in India.[80] A deer park was established along the edges of the lake in 1986 and is the second-highest altitude zoo in India.[81]
There are a few traditional Toda dogles (huts) on the hills above the Botanical Garden.[82] A Tribal Museum was opened in 1995 as a part of the Tribal Research Center, located about (10 km (6.2 mi) from the town and hosts rare artifacts and photographs of tribal groups of Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar, and other anthropological and archaeological finds on early human culture and heritage.[83] The Stone House was the first bungalow constructed in the town.[84]St Stephen's Church, built in 1829, is one of the oldest churches in the Nilgiris district.[85] St. Thomas Church, opened in 1871, hosts many famous graves in the churchyard including those of Josiah John Goodwin, William Patrick Adam, whose grave is topped by a pillar monument dedicated to St. Thomas, the tallest structure in Ooty.[86][87] Spread over an area of nearly 1 acre (0.40 ha), a tea factory and museum displays the process of tea processing and the machines used.[88]
Snooker originated on the billiard tables of the Ootacamund Club, invented by Neville Chamberlain.[90] There was also a cricket ground with regular matches played between teams from the Army and Indian Civil Service. There were riding stables and kennels at Ooty and the hounds hunted across the surrounding countryside and the open grasslands of the Wenlock downs. Horse racing is held at the Ooty Racecourse.[91][92]Ooty Golf Course is at an altitude of 7,600 feet (2,300 m) and extends over 193.56 acres (78.33 ha).[93]
^Senapati, Nilamani; Sahu, N. K. (1955). Gazetteers of India: Nilgiris District. Government Press. pp. 3, 199–201, 866. The location of the Nilgiris is unique that it was in the tri-junction of ancient Tamil kingdoms of Cholas, Cheras and the Pandyas. Hence, it was under Cheras, Cholas or local chieftains at various...
^Indian Navy (1989). Maritime Heritage of India. Notion Press. p. 244. ISBN978-9-3520-6917-0. At their peak, the Cholas ruled over not just the whole of south India, but also conquered island nations..
^Francis, Walter (1908). Madras District Gazetteers: The Nilgiris. Vol. 1. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 90–94, 102–105. ISBN978-8-1206-0546-6.
^Sundaresan, C.S. (1 January 2007). South Asia and Multilateral Trade Regime: Disorders for Development. Regal Publications. p. 81. ISBN978-8189-915-31-5.
^Sagar, Ravi. "Decoding the Nilgiris"(PDF). India Brand Equity Foundation: 53. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016. Not even the dynastic rulers—the Cheras, the Cholas, the Pandiyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Gangas, the Pallavas, the Kadambas and the Hoysalas—can be credited with discovering this jewel (Nilgiris) in their crown.
^Kalle, R.; Ramesh, T.; Qureshi, Q. & Sankar, K. (2011). "Density of tiger and leopard in a tropical deciduous forest of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, southern India, as estimated using photographic capture–recapture sampling". Acta Theriologica. 56 (4): 335–342. doi:10.1007/s13364-011-0038-9. S2CID196598615.
^Baskaran, N.; Udhayan, A. & Desai, A.A. (2010). "Status of the Asian Elephant population in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India". Gajah (32): 6–13. CiteSeerX10.1.1.1070.6845.
^Venkataraman, A.B.; Arumugam, R. & Sukumar, R. (1995). "The foraging ecology of dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Mudumalai Sanctuary, southern India". Journal of Zoology. 237 (4): 543–561. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb05014.x.
^Ramesh, T.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Q. & Kalle, R. (2012). "Group size, sex and age composition of chital (Axis axis) and sambar (Rusa unicolor) in a deciduous habitat of Western Ghats". Mammalian Biology. 77 (1): 53–59. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.003.
^International School of Dravidian Linguistics (1996). The encyclopaedia of Dravidian tribes. Vol. 2. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. p. 170.
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