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The Nilgiris or Blue Mountains, often called The Queen of Hills are a range of mountains and a district in the south-Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The highest point is the mountain of Dodda Betta (also written Doddabetta), with a height of 2637m.
Tea is grown at elevations of 1,000 to above 2,500 metres. The area also produces eucalyptus oil and temperate zone vegetables. Parts of many Indian movies are filmed in the Nilgiris.
The altitude of the Nilgiris results in a much cooler wetter climate than the surrounding plains, and so the area is popular as a retreat from the summer heat. The rolling hills of the Downs look very similar to the Downs in Southern England, and were used for similar activities such as hunting.
The principal town of the area is Udhagamandalam, although the old British name of Ootacamund, shortened to Ooty, is often used. In the town there are many buildings which look very "British", in particular the Churches. There is even a road junction known as Charing Cross.
The other main towns in the Nilgiris are Coonoor and Kotagiri.
There are several tribes living in the Nilgiris, whose origins are uncertain. The best known of these are the Toda people, whose culture is based upon cattle, and whose red, black and white embroidered shawls, and silver jewelry is much sought after.
There is a railway running from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam via Coonoor, which is a great tourist attraction. It was used in the film A Passage to India as the railway to the caves. It is a rack-and-pinion railway as far as Coonoor.
Two ecoregions cover portions Nilgiris. The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests lie between 250 and 1000 meters elevation. these moist deciduous forests extend south along the Western Ghats range to the southern tip of India. These forests are dominated by a diverse assemblage of trees, many of whom are deciduous during the winter and spring dry season. These forests are home to the largest herd of Asian Elephants in India, who range from the Nilgiris across to the Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiris and the South Western Ghats is also one of the most important tiger habitats left in India.
The South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion covers the portion of the range above 1000 meters elevation. These evergreen rain forests are among the most diverse on the planet. Above 1500 meters elevation, the evergreen forests begin to give way to stunted forests, called sholas, which are interspersed with open grassland. These grasslands are the home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr, which resembles a stocky goat with curved horns. The Nilgiri tahrs are found only in the montane grasslands of the South Western Ghats, and number only about 2000 individuals.
Much of the native forest has been cleared for grazing cattle, or for plantations of tea, Eucalyptus and Acacia. Two national parks protect portions of the Nilgiris. Mudumalai National Park lies in the northern part of the range where Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu meet, and covers an area of 321 sq km. Mukurthi National Park lies in the southwest of the range, in Kerala, and covers an area of 78.5 sq km, which includes intact shola-grassland mosaic, habitat for the Nilgiri tahr. The entire range, together with portions of the Western Ghats to the northwest and southwest, was included in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in 1986, India's first biosphere reserve.
The region has given its name to a number of bird species, including the Nilgiri Pipit, Nilgiri Woodpigeon and Nilgiri Blackbird.
HISTORY: The Nilgiri hills have a history going back a good many centuries. It is not known why they were called the Blue Mountains. Several sources cite the reason as the smoky haze enveloping the area, while other sources say it is because of the 'kurunji' flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the slopes a bluish tinge.
It was originally tribal land and was occupied by the 'Todas' around what is now the Ooty area and the 'Kotas' around what is now the Kotagiri area. The Badagas appeared here much later from the Mysore Plateau, the unconfirmed date being 1550. It remained all but undiscovered until 1602. This was when the first European set foot into the jungles. A Portuguese priest going by the name of Ferreiri resolved to explore the hills and succeeded. He came upon a community of people calling themselves the "Toda." This priest seems to have been the only person to have explored this area. The Europeans in India more or less seem to have ignored the ghats for some two hundred or more years.
It was only around the beginning of the 1800s that the English unsuccessfully considered surveying this area. An Englishman Francis Buchanan made a failed expedition. Around 1810 or so the East India Company deceided to delve into the jungles here. John Sullivan who was then the Collector of Coimbatore, just south of the Nilgiris, sent two surveyors to make a comprehensive study of the hills. They went as far as the lower level of Ooty, but failed to see the complete valley.The two men were Keys and Macmohan (their first names seem to be lost to the annals of history)and their mission was significant because they were the first Englishmen to set foot in the Nilgiri hills which soon led to the complete opening up of the area.
The original discovery however,is attributed to J.C.Whish and N.W.Kindersley, working for the Madras Civil Service, who made a journey in 1819 and who reported back to their superiors that they had discovered "the existence of a tableland possessing a European climate."
The first resident of the hills was John Sullivan, the Collector of Coimbatore, who went up the same year and built himself a home. He also reported to the Madras Government the appropriateness of the climate; Europeans soon started settling down here or using the valley for summer stays. The complete valley became a summer resort. Later on the practice of moving the government to the hills during summer months also started.
By the end of the 19th century, the Nilgiri hills were completely accessible with the laying of roads and the railway line.
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See also
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