Ooty, short for Ootacamund, officially Udhagamandalam, is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Udhagamandalam is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. Ooty stands at an approximate height of 2, 286 m above sea level, more than 450 m higher than Srinagar. The origin of the name udakamandalam can be traced back to Sanskrit which gives the perfect meaning to the place: udakamandala = udaka(water) + mandala (circular orb) meaning circular orb of water or heavenly path of water.
Here the word mandala can take different meaning depending on the context. The British could not pronounce it well so it became Ootacamund from Udhagamandalam and further changed into Ooty from Ootacamund. The hills were developed rapidly under the British Raj because they were almost entirely privately owned. Ooty was the summer capital of the Madras Presidency, and had winding hill roads and a complicated rack railway system built by influential and enterprising British citizens with venture capital from the Madras government. It was a popular summer and weekend resort for the British in their heyday.
How to Get There
By Air:
Ooty does not have a civilian airport and is not connected by air. The nearest airport is at Coimbatore which has domestic flights to several major Indian cities and has international flights direct services to Singapore, Sharjah and Colombo.
By Rail:
Ooty is connected to Chennai by a nightly connecting train service. Mettupalayam provides the interchange between 'The Nilgiri Passenger' NMR metre gauge service and the Nilgiri Express broad gauge service. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is one of the oldest mountain railways in India and declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in July 2005. This connects Ootacamund with the town of Mettupalayam, at the foothills of the Nilgiri Mountains. It is the only rack railway in India. Nilgiri means Blue Mountain.
By Road:
Ooty is well connected by road. It is 535 km from Chennai (via Salem), 98 km from Coimbatore, 18 km from Coonoor, 155 km from Mysore (via Gudalur), 187 km from Calicut, 290 km from Bangalore, 281 km from Kochi (via Coimbatore and Palakkad), 236 km from Kodaikanal (via Coimbatore and Palani). Ooty is on the National Highway grid. Ooty, being the district capital, has frequent bus connections from nearby towns in the district such as Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur and further through them. There are also frequent bus connections to the nearby mainline railway stations of Mettupalayam and Coimbatore. The town also has direct bus services to various cities and towns of Tamil Nadu, namely Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Dindigul, Chennai, Thiruchirapalli, Madurai, Thanjavur and Kanyakumar
Where to Stay
Savoy Hotel, Hotel Sinclairs, Howard Johnson The Monarch, Taj Garden Retreat, Conoor; Sullivan Court, Hotel Meadows Residency and Kluney Manor are high-end hotels. Glanton Manor, Hotel Hillock, Hotel Khems and Hotel Charring Cross are mid-range. The Willow Hill, Nahar's Nilgiris Hotel, Nahar's Residency Hotel, Hotel Lake View, Moti Manor, Hotel Darshan, Hotel Silver Oak, Hotel SunShine, Preethi Classic Towers, Ooty Gate, Holiday Inn, Gem Park and Hotel Sapphire Grand are budget class hotels.
What to See
Botanical Garden:This garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres; St. Stephen's Church is a small Gothic style structure; Charing Cross is the focal point on the busy commercial street of Ooty. Fernhill Palace is the erstwhile summer residence of the Maharaja of Mysore. The palace resembles a Swiss Chalet; Rose Garden, in the heart of Ooty town, has been beautifully laid out in terraces with rose tunnels, pergolas and bowers with rose creepers; Kandal Cross, a Roman Catholics 'Holy Shrine'; Ooty Lake & Boat House;Railway Station; St. Stephen's Church, one of the oldest churches in town;
Wax World, Ooty;Ooty Golf Links;Doddabetta Peak, the highest point in the Nilgiri Hills;
Pykara Lake Boat House and Pykara falls; Horse Racing, a very popular sport during the summer season. You can see thoroughbreds in action here. The race course, located in the heart of Ooty, is about 1.6 km long and is the highest course in India; Coonoor, 15 km away, a scenic town by itself and houses the Armed Forces Staff College.
Where to Eat
Blue Hills, Chandan Vihar, Tandoor Mahal, Ooty Coffee House, Chinkos Chinese Restaurant and Hills Palace are some good restaurants in town, apart from those in the hotels.
