KOTAGIRI
(Introduction)
Kotagiri
is the oldest and the third
largest hill stations in the
Nilgiris. Looming over and
above all the surrounding
hills in the North-eastern
escarpments, its climate is
claimed to be one of the
best in the World.
Kotagiri
literally means the lines of
the house of the Kotas.
Kotagiri is quietly tucked
away in the Nilgiris and used
to be the summer resort of the
British. Till date the beauty
of hill resort of Kotagiri
attracts tourists and the sun
scorched souls from far and
wide. Unlike Ooty and
Coonoor, Kotagiri is situated
in an 'open-terrace' massif.
At an elevation of 1985 m. the
town has developed around
numerous knolls and valleys.
The Kotagiri weather is more
bracing than that of Coonoor
and balmier than that of Ooty.
KOTAGIRI (Location)
The
hill resort of Kotagiri is
located in the famous Nilgiri
Hills. Kotagiri is just 16 km
away from Ooty.
KOTAGIRI
(Sight
Seeing)
The Hill
Station of Kotagiri has
several tourist attractions.
Kodanad
View Point: It is 18 kms away
from Kotagiri on the
easternmost ridges of the Blue
Mountains and hence the name
meaning Terminus Country.From
this point, the country lies
spread out before the eye
sparkling hills row after as
though bathed in the mystic
silver sunshine. The
enchanting valley dips down to
embrace the historic
gajalahatti pass glancing at
the green corpeted paddy
fields of Thengumarahaada and
watced over from its eyrie by
the habitat of
Hallimoyar.While the River
Moyar scurries along to join
her pal Bhanvani round the
corner, across the valley of
Talamalai ranges of the
Eastern Ghats cuddle upto
Mysore Plateau, westerly
strides of which again adjoin
the Kodanaadu stairs in the
north, over the deeptrenched
Mysore Ditch.
St.
Catherian's Falls: It
is 8 km from kotagiri on the
Mettupalyam road branching off
at Aravenu. This
double-cascaded Falls is the
second highest in the
district(250 ft) and it waters
from the upper stream of the
kallar river crossed by the
invisible Mettupalyam-Ooty
road beyond the mountains in
the south-west.
It
is named after the wife of
M.D. Cockburn, the
pioneer-planter of Kotagiri.
The native name of the Falls
is GEddhehaada Halla meaning
"Foothills Dale River".
It
presents a lovely view of the
sweeps of forests and
woodlands, waylaid by tea
gardens and yet running to
meet the plains in the
south-western moorings.The
glittering Dolphin's Nose of
Coonoor is also seen across
the mighty gap in the
hills-one of the three great
systems of faults in the
geological formation of the
Blue Mountains.
Elk
Falls:
It is 7 km from Kotagiri and
situate above Uyilathi
village. The road passes
through serenely laid out
Badaga habitations.
'Enroute' at
the Kannerimukku village is
found the first European house
in the Nilgiris built by
collector Sullivan in the year
1819. The two-storeyed house
is now in a sad-state or
ruins.
Though the
water is fully only in the wet
months, the site is always
worth a visit. It commands
towards the north, a
spectacular view of the
Echoing Valley of Kookal and a
vista of exquisite
surroundings.
Long
Wood Shola:
About 3 km from the town, the
road proceeding towards the
Badaga village of "Milidhane"
branes off to Longwood Shola
which is Forest Reserve.
A very primeval
tract of wild enclave, the
Shola provides a grand
opportunity for bird-withers
and a perfect rendezevous for
serenity - seekers.
Rangaswamy Peak
and Pillar: It is 20 kms from
Kotagiri via Kil-Kotagiri. The
conical peak exudes an
exhilarating view of the wild
yet harmonious semblance of
the country lying around.
Topping 1785 m
above MSL, the site is
crucially sacred to the Irulas.
North by West to the peak is a
huge detached pillar of rock
rising abruptly on all sides
to a height of about 400 ft
and is unclimable
Further ahead
from Kotagiri you may move to
the other renowned hill
resorts of Ooty and Coonor.
There are several tea
plantations and estates that
wrap Kotagiri.
KOTAGIRI
(Weather)
Kotagiri experiences pleasant
and comfortable weather all
through the year. Thus you may
plan your trip to Kotagiri any
time of the year
KOTAGIRI
(Travel Information)
By Air:
The airport at
Coimbatore is the nearest to
Kotagiri at a distance of over
hundred km.
Road & Rail:
Kotagiri is well linked with
the other important places in
Tamil Nadu through road
transport. There are regular
buses to Ooty, Mettupalayam
and Coonoor
KOTAGIRI (Accommodation)
Accommodation is easily
available in Kotagiri. There
are several tourist lodges,
guesthouses, hotels. |