ORIGIN OF UDAGAMANDALAM

                                                        THE ORIGIN OF UDAGAMANDALAM


The origin of the name Udagamandalam is obscure. The name probably changed under British rules to Udagamandalam from Ootacamund, and later was shortened to Ooty. Ooty is situated in the Nilgiri hills.The tribes were the first to occupy Ooty.

The beautiful botanical paradise was first brought to the public eye by John Sullivan, Collector of Coimbatore district in 1819. But prior to this in 1812, the first Englishmen who were sent up the Nilgiris by the Collector of Coimbatore, were Mr. Keys, Assistant Revenue Surveyor, and his Assistant, McMahon. They made their way via Dananayakan Kottai to Arcade and the existing village of Dead, and penetrated as far as Kallatti, the lower level of North Ooty, but never set their eyes on the beautiful valley in which Ooty lay. After Keys' visit, there was no further expedition until 1818 when J.C.Whish and N.W.Kindersly (Asst. and second Asst. to the Collector of Coimbatore respectively) went up by the Dananayakan Kottai-Dead route, crossed the plateau in a south-western direction and descended by the Sundapatti pass from Manjakombai to the Bhavani valley and then went back to Coimbatore.

Ooty is rightly described as "QUEEN OF HILLS" by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, now sprawls over an area of 36 sq km with a number of tall buildings cluttering its hill slopes.It is situated at an altitude of 2,204 meters above sea level. Ooty still woos people from all over India as well as foreign countries right through summer, and sometimes in the winter months too. An added attraction for the mountain train journey on a ratchet and pinion track.