On June 1, 1823, the first modern house in Ootacamund – the Stonehouse – was completed, marking the beginning of the spread of British heritage, which reshaped the ancient hill, which had by then been home to some Toda settlements. Today, after 200 years of name changes, population explosions and ecological degradation, Ooty Feeling the burden of being a hill station hosting around 3 million tourists every year.
At the turn of another century, the city’s heritage enthusiasts, ecologists and old-timers want to celebrate with plans to restore the hill station’s natural beauty and restore its old-world charm.
eucalyptus The mountains came under British rule on July 22, 1799, after the Second Mysore War. Tipu Sultan He was defeated in the battle of Srirangapattinam. However, it was not until 20 years later that he discovered the forest. After several attempts by various officials and surveyors, Coimbatore Collector John Sullivan visited the hills on January 7, 1819, and thus began the modern history of the Nilgiris. Sullivan envisioned the mountains as a health resort. “On his first expedition he camped near Kotagiri. Two years later he set his eyes on the magnificent valley of Ootacamund, the land of the Todas. He bought land from the Toda of ‘Hothege Mund’ (the Mund is the abode of the Todas) and built the stonehouse,” said Dharmalingam. VenugopalFounder-Director, Nilgiris Documentation Center (NDC).
“We researched and produced documentary evidence to prove that the Nilgiris District was indeed formed on August 18, 1868. And then the Stonehouse, completed on June 1, 1823. Thus, the foundation of Ootacamund on this date It is believed to be the first hill station in the British Empire,” says Venugopal, founder-director of the NDC. Presently, Stonehouse serves as the Government Arts and Sciences College.
During the nearly 150 years of British rule, many governor generals, governors, viceroys, writers and explorers visited Ooty such as Lord Macaulay and Sir Richard Burton. This hill station was the summer capital of Madras Presidency for 70 years. Many changes took place during the British period with the buildings of administrative offices, churches, hospitals, bungalows and staff quarters. The original grasslands were replaced by wild and exotic trees such as eucalyptus. Meanwhile, the number of Toda tribal settlements also increased. By 1848, there were 430 Europeans and about 8,000 natives. On the occasion of its centenary in 1923, Ooty, as it came to be called, had become a rapidly growing electrified city of over 18,000 people and the summer capital of the mighty Madras Presidency.
Over the years, the development and commercialization of the hill station took over. “It used to be a green paradise about 70 years ago, but after independence it became a concrete jungle,” said long-time resident YB Raman.
Issues of human-animal conflict came to the fore in the Nilgiris with milling mobs and large-scale construction causing landslides over the years. The growing dump yard of Thitukal is a reminder of the need for better waste management. While master plans for Ooty and Kodaikanal were introduced in 1993 to check haphazard development, the time has come for us to review, say ecologists.
According to the NDC, Ooty’s 150th year in 1973 did not go unnoticed as the city was facing many problems of population explosion, influx of tourists and indiscriminate commercialisation. “Even today there are many issues in Ooty in terms of civic and tourist infrastructure, town planning and aesthetics. But this opportunity is also a good time to plan and strategize to deal with these issues,” says Venugopal. The question is, he said, “do we see Ooty as a problem as previously treated by British officers or as an opportunity as Sullivan perceived?”
Tamil Nadu The government has sanctioned ₹10 crore for the ‘Ooty-200’ event. In a recent meeting, government officials said that Ooty is a land of huge investment opportunities in communication and connectivity, tourism, education, small scale industries and organic farming.
Geeta Srinivasan, patron of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) of the Nilgiris chapter, says, “The best tribute to the city of Ooty during the celebration of the 200th year would be to preserve the environment of the hills. ,
At the turn of another century, the city’s heritage enthusiasts, ecologists and old-timers want to celebrate with plans to restore the hill station’s natural beauty and restore its old-world charm.
eucalyptus The mountains came under British rule on July 22, 1799, after the Second Mysore War. Tipu Sultan He was defeated in the battle of Srirangapattinam. However, it was not until 20 years later that he discovered the forest. After several attempts by various officials and surveyors, Coimbatore Collector John Sullivan visited the hills on January 7, 1819, and thus began the modern history of the Nilgiris. Sullivan envisioned the mountains as a health resort. “On his first expedition he camped near Kotagiri. Two years later he set his eyes on the magnificent valley of Ootacamund, the land of the Todas. He bought land from the Toda of ‘Hothege Mund’ (the Mund is the abode of the Todas) and built the stonehouse,” said Dharmalingam. VenugopalFounder-Director, Nilgiris Documentation Center (NDC).
“We researched and produced documentary evidence to prove that the Nilgiris District was indeed formed on August 18, 1868. And then the Stonehouse, completed on June 1, 1823. Thus, the foundation of Ootacamund on this date It is believed to be the first hill station in the British Empire,” says Venugopal, founder-director of the NDC. Presently, Stonehouse serves as the Government Arts and Sciences College.
During the nearly 150 years of British rule, many governor generals, governors, viceroys, writers and explorers visited Ooty such as Lord Macaulay and Sir Richard Burton. This hill station was the summer capital of Madras Presidency for 70 years. Many changes took place during the British period with the buildings of administrative offices, churches, hospitals, bungalows and staff quarters. The original grasslands were replaced by wild and exotic trees such as eucalyptus. Meanwhile, the number of Toda tribal settlements also increased. By 1848, there were 430 Europeans and about 8,000 natives. On the occasion of its centenary in 1923, Ooty, as it came to be called, had become a rapidly growing electrified city of over 18,000 people and the summer capital of the mighty Madras Presidency.
Over the years, the development and commercialization of the hill station took over. “It used to be a green paradise about 70 years ago, but after independence it became a concrete jungle,” said long-time resident YB Raman.
Issues of human-animal conflict came to the fore in the Nilgiris with milling mobs and large-scale construction causing landslides over the years. The growing dump yard of Thitukal is a reminder of the need for better waste management. While master plans for Ooty and Kodaikanal were introduced in 1993 to check haphazard development, the time has come for us to review, say ecologists.
According to the NDC, Ooty’s 150th year in 1973 did not go unnoticed as the city was facing many problems of population explosion, influx of tourists and indiscriminate commercialisation. “Even today there are many issues in Ooty in terms of civic and tourist infrastructure, town planning and aesthetics. But this opportunity is also a good time to plan and strategize to deal with these issues,” says Venugopal. The question is, he said, “do we see Ooty as a problem as previously treated by British officers or as an opportunity as Sullivan perceived?”
Tamil Nadu The government has sanctioned ₹10 crore for the ‘Ooty-200’ event. In a recent meeting, government officials said that Ooty is a land of huge investment opportunities in communication and connectivity, tourism, education, small scale industries and organic farming.
Geeta Srinivasan, patron of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) of the Nilgiris chapter, says, “The best tribute to the city of Ooty during the celebration of the 200th year would be to preserve the environment of the hills. ,