On the highway running through the Bandipur forest connecting Mysore with Ooty, one of the most popular hill stations of Tamil Nadu, officially known as Udhagamandalam. Earlier when the British found the place in the year 1819 they called it Ootacamund which is now called Ooty the shortened version of Ootacamund. The hills are often covered in a blue mist has given it another name the "Nilgiri" or the blue hill.

The lush green hills though being denuded to accommodate the needs of the tourists, one can still enjoy the serene charm of Ooty. The nearby hills form an emerald ring, where twisting paths wind they way through the deep forest and the eucalyptus avenue offers a refreshing walk. Ooty was not known by the common man until John Sullivan laid a road from Kotagiri to Coonoor to Ooty and when he built the first house called the Stone House which served the government offices. It was only after this that Ooty received some publicity. Before Independence only the Englishmen used to visit this place, but post independence they gave way to the Indian sahibs who have now given way to cheerful visitors from all over the world.

The twin attractions of Ooty are the Lake and the Botanical Gardens. The lake was laid out in 1824 by John Sullivan. During peak seasons the lake is crowded by visitors. There is a boathouse with an attached restaurant. Mainly the duck-shaped boats draw more attention for those who come to boat in the lake. The Botanical Gardens was laid out in 1848 by the Marquis of Tweeddale. It displays over 200 species of plants, including rare trees, ornamental flowers, orchids, etc. The Botanical Gardens host a grand flower Festival in summer. Another worth seeing place is the Doddabetta Peak which is 2637 meters high. Cars can go right to the top and a breathtaking view of the whole place can been seen. There are many other picnic spots like the Ketty Valley, the 18 hole golf course , the Gymkhana Club, the Elk Hills and the Snowdon Peak. 21 kms away from Ooty is the Pykara dam, a reservoir and an adjoining grassy meadow which is a shooting spots for most of the South Indian and Bollywood films. Some tourist guides take you to some of the lovely spots where shootings have been done.


Source: Swagat