Some of our favourite photos of Ooty.
Photo by Dibesh Thakuri
You can understand why Udhagamandalam is known as Ooty. It would be a shame if tourists missed out on this beautiful part of India because they couldn’t say the name! On the India’s Cup minimal assistance rally, we drive through Ooty, and it’s one of our favourite spots in South India, let alone just Tamil Nadu. With Hindu temples dotted around it’s rich green landscape, Ooty is known as the “Queen of the Hill Stations”. Under British rule it was also referred to as “Snooty Ooty”, for the snobbery of the colonial elites it attracted but now it’s far more welcoming, as long as you can handle the bendy hillside roads!
Ooty (or Udhagamandalam…)
Photo by Ashwin Kumar
The city has been hectic, but none the less beautiful for it.
Photo by Satheeshkumar K
When they first arrived in Ooty, the British are said to have thought it resembled Switzerland; governor John Sullivan prasied the “hills beautifully wooded and fine strong spring with running water in every valley.”
Photo by Big Eyed Sol
The patchwork quilt of fields thrive with the region’s subtropical highland climate, which ensures settled temperatures throughout the whole year: it’s sometimes said that Ooty is in a permanent state of spring.
Photo by Big Eyed Sol
Ooty was originally named Udagamandalam, but in British times became known as Ootacamund, which means “single stone”, perhaps referring to a point sacred for the local peoples. The town is located in the Nilgiri district, which translates as the “Blue Mountains”, so-called for the haze which rises from the region’s eucalyptus trees.
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About the Author
David
David is a writer currently living in Belgrade, Serbia. Originally from Scotland, he was previously based in Budapest, Hungary and Tbilisi, Georgia.