India Travel Club
Adventures & Holidays

Ooty

Historically, this is the area of the Toda, the tribal people whose belief systems and practices centers on the buffalo. Today only about 1500 Toda remain, their cone-shaped shrines prominent throughout the hills.

   In the early 19^th century, the British established Ooty to serve as the summer headquarters of the Madras (now Chennai) government. Until about two decades ago, Ooty (altitude 2240m) resembled an unlikely combination of southern England and Australia: single-storey stone cottages, bijou fenced flower gardens, leafy winding lanes; and tall eucalyptus stands. Other reminders of the British period include the stone churches, private schools the Ooty Club, and the terraced botanical gardens. Maharaja summer palaces hark back to yet another time.
   In spite of this, Ooty retains a certain appeal. Life is relaxed here and touting and haranguing is less prevalent than elsewhere. Just a kilometer or two out of town you are in the peace of the hills, with their superb views and welcome silence. Ooty’s a great place at any time; from April to June it’s a welcome relief from the hot plains and in winter- October to March –it’s crisp and clear and the best time to come. You’ll need warm clothing as the overnight temperature occasionally drops to 0 C.

Orientation
Ooty is spread over a large area among rolling hills and valleys. Between the lake and the racecourse are the train station and bus stand.

Botanical Gardens
Established in 1848, these beautifully maintained gardens include numerous mature species as well as Italian and Japanese sections. There is also a fossilized tree trunk believed to be 20 million years old. At the eastern end of the gardens, there’s a Toda mund (hill/village) where Toda people display aspects of their traditional culture to gawking tourists. Now a highly commercial show (described by one Toda activist as a human zoo), it is far removed from the reality of Toda life in the Nilgiri villages.

St Stephen’s Church
St Stephen’s Church on the hill in Club Rd, was built in 1829, consecrated in 1830, and is the oldest church in the Nilgiris. Its huge wooden beams came from the palace of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatnam –hauled the 120km distance by a team of elephants. The attached cemetery contains the graves of many an Ooty pioneer, including John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty.

ACTIVITIES

Horse Riding
Alone or with a guide, there are two choices. You can hire horses at the Tourist Café on the north side of the lake. The rides here mostly consist of a circuit (up to one hour) of the lake area.
     For more serious riding, book at the reception of the Regency Villa. Each morning a pony man arrives with sturdy animals for a three hour trek through rolling hills and into a Toda village.

Boating

Rowboats can be rented from the Tourist Café by the lake. High-season crowds can make boating somewhat tortuous.

Horse Races
The season for the Ooty horse races begins on April 14 and lasts till about June. Some consider the racecourse tatty and the betting tame, but the season creates considerable entertainment.

Places to Stay
SAVOY HOTEL (Heritage)
HOLIDAY INN GEM PARK OOTY (3 Star)
HOTEL SINCLAIRS OOTY (3 Star)
HOWARD JOHNSON THE MONARCH (3 Star)
NAHAR HOTEL (NILGIRIS) (3 Star)
WELCOME GROUP SULLIVAN COURT (3 Star)