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History
The Nilgiri Hills were part of Hoysala empire under king Vishnuvardhana in the 12th century. It then became part of the Mysore of Tipu Sultan who later surrendered it to the British in the 18th century.
John Sullivan, the British governor of neighboring Coimbatore province, liked the climate of this forested land, and occupied it by taking land from the native tribes (Toda, Irumba and Badaga); often buying up many square kilometres in a day for the price of a few meals.
The hills were developed rapidly under the British Raj because they were almost entirely owned by private British citizens, unlike the rest of India. Ooty served as 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 is believed the Blue Mountains appears so because of the vast Nilgiri forest surrounding them.
Tourism
Tea Gardens
in Ooty
Located in the mountainous range called the Blue Mountains or Nilgiris, Ooty draws a very large number of tourists every year. The weather is quite pleasant at a mean of 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) year round, dropping to lows of 0 °C (32 °F) during winter.
The hill town suffers from rampant commercialization and erosion of natural resources. The tourism industry has placed an enormous strain on the natural resources resulting in pollution, water shortage and bad roads. The number of visitors that was about 1,681,000 in 2001 had gone up to 1,725,000 in 2005. In between in 2003 it had even shot up to 1,834,000.
The landscape is quite unlike the rest of India, marked by rolling hills covered with dense vegetation, smaller hills and plateaus covered with tea gardens, and eucalyptus trees. Many portions of the hills are preserved as natural reserve forests, and special permits are needed to camp in noncamp sites. Ooty is not the destination in itself, as much as it is the focal point of attraction. Auto touring the surrounding country side is certainly a must do.
The hilly region also houses smaller towns like Coonoor and Kotagiri. These towns are less than an hour's drive away from Ooty and enjoy the same natural climes, but have fewer tourists and cheaper prices.
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