Sep 26, 2007 08:10 PM
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Ooty** a name familiar to every movie goer especially in the 70's and 80's. It did not matter whether the movie was Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Mallu. It was a place where the hero and heroine would croon songs either in the rolling tea fields, or the hills. It was a place where a large number of potboilers were shot, as well as well known hit movies like Karz, Moonram Pirai, Gitanjali, Saajan to name a few. In recent times however with most of the movie makers turning to the Swiss alps or New Zealand or Antarctica, Ooty has lost it's allure in the movie industry. The only movies of note shot of late here have been Mithun Da's cult classics like Cheetah, Gunda, Ravan Raj to name a few.
Its no wonder that the most popular star in Ooty is not the Khans or Hrithik or Aby, but it is our very own Mithun Da. In a way its quite economic, Mithun Da has a lot of business interests here, his Hotel Monarch is as much a tourist attraction as the lake or the Botanical Gardens. Yes you can see the guide pointing out, "Mithun Chakraborty's hotel saar".
There are two ways to go to Ooty. One is from Bangalore via Mysore, Bandipur and Gudalur. The road up to Bandipur is pretty good, there is a rough stretch in between. There are eating places at regular intervals, and the journey from Bandipur onwards is pretty scenic. You initially pass the Bandipur-Mudumulai forests, and then you hit Gudalur, thats the place where you see the famousFrog Hill, so called because of it's shape. From Gudalur onwards the road becomes progressively steeper, as you take turns through huge pine and eucalyptus trees and after some time you cut through the tea fields.
The other more popular route is the toy train from Mettupalyam onwards. You need to catch the Nilgiris Express from Chennai, and its an overnight journey to Mettupalyam. It is the only rack railway in India, using the Abt system, named after Roman Abt, a Swiss engineer, who implemented this technology in the Swiss Alps. It uses a 3' 3.5"" gauge, and the steepest gradient you get is beforeConoor, where the rack and pinion system is implemented to help the train climb. Coonor to Ooty, the track is more conventional, as the landscape evens out, and this stretch is where most of the songs involving this train have been shot, especially the "Chaiya Chaiya" song. You pass through the scenic locales of Ketti, Lovedale before arriving at **Ooty.
Now again compared to the Himalayan hill resorts, the Nilgiris are not the tallest mountains. Most of the countryside is like a typical English one, with green fields rolling out, surrounded by the Blue Mountains. That is the reason I guess why the Brits choose this as their summer resort, and most of Ooty, does like an English countryside village, with the quaint names, secluded cottages, narrow winding streets.Ooty as a town is used more of a base camp for visiting other tourist hot spots likePykara, Mudumulai , Wellington and Conoor. But it also has it's own share of attractions.
Dodabetta Peak , the highest mountain peak in the Nilgiris at an altitude of 8652 feet, lies around 4 km from Ooty. One has to take a winding road up the hill to it's top, which is totally flat, and from where one can have an excellent view. The name Dodabetta itself is taken from a Kannada word meaning "Big Mountain", Doda means big and Betta means Mountain. Do have a taste of the hot roasted corn(butta) at the top, it is worth it, as also the peanuts. From the top of the hill you get an excellent view of the beautiful countryside. You also get to see the Chamundi hills from here. Dodabetta is surrounded by Hecuba, Kattadadu and Kulkudi peaks. Most of it's slopes are covered by the Sholatrees, and there is a reserved forest around it, which has bisons and panthers. Right on top is an observatory with a telescope, from where you can have a panoramic view of the whole area. It is one of the most beautiful places for sure, and you get a lovely view of the Nilgiris** here.
The Ooty Lake might be familiar to any one who has seen umpteen Bolly, Kolly, Tolly movies with the hero and heroine crooning duets at the lake side. You can go on a boat ride here, and you have a choice of paddle rides or row boats or motor boats. The lake is really beautiful, and often the mists and the silence make it a wonderful experience. I remember going here on my honeymoon, and me and my wife, rowing deep, and all around us just lake, the mists, the surrounding trees, just romantic. Also you can go for horse rides if you are the adventurous kind. There are a plethora of shops near the lake selling all kinds of goodies, but I would recommend the home madeNiligiri dark chocolate, which is sinfully delicious.
The Ooty Botanical Gardens is another important landmark. Built by the Coimbatore district collector, John Sullivan, this park was laid out in 1847, and happens to be one of the oldest botanical gardens in India. Even now, this is one of the most beautiful and well maintained parks in India. One can take a walk around admiring the different species of flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs. It has around 1000 species both exotic and indigenous. Also one more interesting thing, is the gardens have different layouts like Japanese, Italian, Chinese etc. Green lawns, lily livered ponds, the sheer profusion of colors and greenery is a sight for sore eyes. And trust me this is as beautiful as any garden anywhere in the world. Also check out for the rose garden which has an excellent variety of roses.
You can also take a look at the Ketti Valley, which lies en route to Coonor. It is very scenic and beautiful, with rolling hillsides. Ooty also has a number of native tribes like the Toda, Badaga and Irumba who inhabit the nearby villages. Ooty is also a well known education center with a large number of residential schools in this area. The Lawrence School at Lovedale is the most famous with Akshaye Khanna , Gul Panag, Vikram Kirloskar being some of it's more famous alumni.
