Ooty

Ooty,the "Queen of hill stations" is the capital of Nilgiri district. It is one of the Best tourist resorts and is called as "Blue Mountains". It is a land of dreams and a picturesque hill station.

History
The first mention of the place occurs in a letter of March 1821 to the Madras Gazette by an unknown correspondent as "Wotokymund". The first house was build at Ootacamund was undoubtedly the 'Stone House' by John Sullivan in April 1822. John Sullivan already started flower and kitchen garden at his Dimbhatti bungalow (Kotagiri). In 1821-22 Caption B.S. Ward surveyed and mapped the hills. 17 European houses had been build and five more at Kotagiri. Then later on by several Englishmen Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri were developed.

Tea Estates
The establishment of numerous tea estates made Ooty famous. Lofty mountains, dense forest, sprawling grasslands and miles and miles of tea gardens greet the passengers on most routes.

Places Of Interest
Ooty Lake
This artificial lake was constructed by John Sullivan, the first collector of Ooty. Originally intended to be an irrigation tank it was dredged out during the years, 1823-1825. A Mini Garden with an amusement park for children and a toy train are added attractions here.

Botanical Garden
This garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species, a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden. The "Summer Festivals" is held each year during the month of May in the Botanical Garden and is an added attraction for tourists.

St. Stevens Church
St. Stephen's Church is a small Gothic style structure. It was founded in the 1820"s and is one of Ooty's first colonial structures.

Charing Cross
Charing Cross is the focal point on the busy commercial street of Ooty. The main shopping street and vegetable market are here. The Charing Cross is very much like the main square of an old English town.

Fernhill Palace
Fernhill Palace is the erstwhile summer residence of the Maharaja of Mysore. Its carved wooden barge boards and ornamental cast iron give it that characteristic appearance. The palace grounds accentuate the alpine look of the place with its manicured gardens, firs and cedars.

Rose Garden
Situated in the heart of Ooty town, this garden has been beautifully laid out in terraces with rose tunnels, pergolas and bowers with rose creepers. This garden has the largest collection of roses in the country. Hybrid Tea Roses, miniature roses, Floribunda, Ramblers, roses of unusual colors like black and green are some of the more than 2,000 varieties of roses that will captivate your senses.