The Nilgiris District is in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri (English: Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. All types of single use plastics are banned in Nilgiris District. The Nilgiri Hills are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats. Their highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, height 2,637 m. The district is contained mainly within the Nilgiri Mountains range. The administrative headquarters is located at Ooty (Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam).
Nilgiris District ranked first in a comprehensive Economic Environment index ranking districts in Tamil Nadu (not including Chennai) prepared by the Institute for Financial Management and Research in August 2009.[2] Tea and coffee plantations have been important to its economy. As of 2011, the Nilgiris district had a population of 735,394, with a sex-ratio of 1,042 females for every 1,000 males.It is the first plastic free district in Tamil Nadu State.
History
The history of peoples settled in the Nilgiri hills has been recorded for several centuries. The Blue Mountains were likely named for the widespread blue Strobilanthes flower or the smoky haze enveloping the area.
This area was long occupied by the indigenous tribal peoples of the Toda, Kota, Kurumba and Irula. The Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups PVTGs, the dominant land owners of the tribal district. The lower Wynaad plateau in the west of the district had a different tribal population namely Kattunaika and Paniya. The Todas and Kota, who are similar in culture, language and genetic ancestry, were settled across the fringes of the Nilgiri plateau, as sentries to the Central district. They were the ancient agriculturists in the district, cultivating traditional crops such as samai, vathm, ragi. Under British influence they cultivated English vegetables and later moved on to tea.
Unlike elsewhere in the country, no historical evidence is found of a state on the Nilgiris or that it was part of any ancient kingdom or empire. It seems always to have been a tribal land. The Toda had small hamlets ("mund") across most of the plateau. The Kota lived in seven dispersed villages ("kokal"). The Toda had only a few hamlets on the lower Wynaad plateau and in the nearby Biligiri Rangan hills.
Since the turn of the 21st century, the Badaga have numbered about 135,000 (18% of the district population), the Toda are barely 1,500 and the Kota just over 2,000.
Beginning in 1819, the British colonial administration developed the hills rapidly and peaceably, for use as coffee and tea plantations, and summer residences. The 40 mud-forts in the area had been abandoned.[3] During the British raj, Ooty (the popular name for Ootacamund) served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency from 1870 onwards. District Gazetteers published by the government (1880, 1908, 1995) were reliable reports on the district, its economy, demography and culture. They with the support of political parties inimical to the natives of Nilgiris have been superseded by the Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills (2012)[4] authored by China-based researcher Paul Hockings, who calls the Nilgiris his first home and holds a bias against the Badagas.
According to a 1996 bibliography of publications of this district,[5] it is probably the most heavily studied rural area anywhere in India, with close to 7,000 items in that list. It has been the subject of more than 120 doctoral and master's theses in the natural and human sciences. Indian and foreign scholars wrote these works, and only recently have local people published work about it.
More than a dozen languages are spoken in the Nilgiris, but the indigenous people did not write or read them. After 1847 German and Swiss missionaries opened schools for boys and girls in some Badaga villages, teaching them literacy. Ten Dravidian languages are found only here, and they have been studied in great detail for decades by professional linguists. Local place names are derived mainly from the dominant Badaga language, e.g., Doddabetta, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudaluru, Kunda, etc. Ootacamund is of Toda origin, and Udagamandalam is a very recent Tamil-language version of this place.
Before British-owned tea and coffee plantations were developed, the dominant landholders were the Badaga. A great deal of linguistic and other cultural evidence[6]—based on unauthentic interpretation of ballads and stories collected from unverifiable individuals—indicates erroneously with a malicious intent that the Badaga non scheduled tribes have lived in nilgiris thousands and thousands of years ago. Supposedly unnamed Badaga elders have regularly recounted these baseless facts as oral history and cannot be relied upon. Though their language is very close to Kannada, it is a mixture of almost all Dravidian languages and yet unique. The migration theory is now totally rejected by educated Badagas,[7] as admittedly the land holdings of the District majorly indicates the Badagas as owners in almost all Taluks of the District. This land is the major resource amongst the Badagas, which even today most Badagas are ignorant about. The Badagas did not find any representation in independent India's Constituent Assembly; to deprive the unlettered Badaga of their land it was intentionally left out of the tribal list post independence. The result of this socio-economic engineering seems to be bearing fruit for the perpetrators of such engineering.
The district has been intentionally underdeveloped as it is bereft of quality healthcare facilities, universities, environment-friendly industries, affordable quality higher education and basic infrastructure. This underdevelopment has ensured the Badagas need to go outside the district to survive. Certain vested interest have invested in researchers to bring about half-truths about the Badagas. Sadly, these half-truths are being relied on by the regime to deny the Badagas their rightful livelihood. During the early 17th century, the first European is recorded as entering the Nilgiri Hills, an Italian priest/explorer named Fenicio. He interviewed people who identified as Toda and Badega, the latter occupying three villages at that time.[8] The British in India mostly ignored the Ghats for two centuries. Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, conducted a short military operation in the Wynaad in 1800.
During 1804–1818 several East India Company personnel briefly visited parts of the district.[9]John Sullivan, then the collector of Coimbatore, just south of the Nilgiris, sent two surveyors (W. Keys and C. McMahon) to make a comprehensive study of the hills. They reached the site of Ootacamund, but failed to see the complete plateau. In 1812 they were the first British to make a cursory survey of the Nilgiri plateau and produce a map. A more detailed exploration was done in the 1818 survey by J.C. Whish, N.W. Kindersley and Mohammed Rifash Obaidullah for the Madras Civil Service, who reported back that they had discovered "the existence of a tableland possessing a European climate."[10]
Collector Sullivan became the first European resident the next year, when he built a seasonal residence on the plateau. He reported to the Madras Government on the mildness of the climate.[11] Europeans soon started settling here or using the plateau as a summer resort and homes for retirees. In 1870 the practice began of key government personnel moving to the hills to conduct business during summer months in this more temperate climate. By the end of the 19th century, the hills were completely accessible, as several Ghat roads and the railway line had been constructed.
In the later 19th century, when the British Straits Settlement shipped Chinese convicts to be jailed in India, some of these men were settled on the Nilgiri plateau near Naduvattam. They married TamilParaiyan women and had children with them. One Chinese gardener was critical to the district's future, for he worked with Margaret B. L. Cockburn in Aruvenu, near Kotagiri, to develop Allport's, the first Nilgiri tea plantation, which started operations in 1863. Her father, Montague D. Cockburn, had opened the first coffee plantation there soon after 1830.[12]
Geography and climate
The district has an area of 2,552.50km2.[13] The district is basically hilly, lying at an elevation of 1,000 to 2,600 metres above MSL, and divided between the Nilgiri plateau and the lower, smaller Wayanad plateau. The district lies at the juncture of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Its latitudinal and longitudinal location is 130km (Latitude: 11°12 N to 11°37 N) by 185km (Longitude: 76°30 E to 76°55 E). The district is bounded by Coimbatore to the south, Erode to the east, Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka to the north, and Wayanad, Malappuram and Palakkad districts of Kerala to the east. In this district the topography is rolling, with steep escarpments; about 60% of the cultivable land is slopes ranging from 16° to 35°. The rolling hills of the Downs look quite similar to the Downs in southern England, and were formerly used for such activities as hunting and picnicking.
The Nilgiris was preferred by the British for its moderate 'English-like' climate.
The elevation of the Nilgiris results in a much cooler and wetter climate than the surrounding plains, so the area is popular as a comfortable retreat and is good for tea cultivation. During summer the temperature reaches a maximum of 25°C (77°F) and a minimum of 10°C (50°F). During winter the temperature maximum is 20°C (68°F) and the minimum 0°C (32°F).[14] The district regularly receives rain during both the Southwest Monsoon and the Northeast Monsoon. The entire Gudalur and Pandalur, Kundah Taluks and parts of Udhagamandalam Taluk get rain from the Southwest Monsoon, while part of Udhagamandalam Taluk and the entire Coonoor and Kotagiri Taluks get rains of the Northeast Monsoon. There are 16 rainfall-registering stations in the district, and the average annual rainfall of the district is 1,920.80mm.
The principal town of the area is Ootacamund, also known as Ooty or Udhagamandalam, the district headquarters. It has several buildings designed in the British style, particularly the churches, many of which were designed by architect Robert F. Chisholm.[15] A road junction became known as Charing Cross (after famous intersections in London and Lahore). The other main towns in the Nilgiris are Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Wellington. Several tourist spots in Coonoor include Lambs Rock and Sims Park, where a Fruit Show is held during each summer. Ooty too has an annual summer flower show.
District administration
The Nilgiris District has been headed by a government-appointed Collector since 1868. The first was James W. Breeks, who was called Commissioner. Since then there have been more than 100 men who have held the post. They were responsible for overseeing the various Departments active within the District.
The district consists of 56 revenue villages and 15 revenue firkas. There are three revenue divisions here,Uhagamandalam Coonoor and Gudalur. For local concerns, the Nilgiris also has 35 village panchayats and 11 town panchayats.[16]
Dogles dwelling of Toda tribe in the NilgirisA tea picker in the Nilgiris
According to the 2011 census, the Nilgiris district had a population of 735,394 with a sex-ratio of 1,042 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929 females.[18] A total of 66,799 people were under the age of six, 33,648 males and 33,151 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 32.08% and 4.46% of the population, respectively. The average literacy of the district was 77.46%, as compared to the national average of 72.99%.[18] The district had a total of 197,653 households. There were a total of 349,974 workers, comprising 14,592 cultivators, 71,738 agricultural labourers, 3,019 in household industries, 229,575 other workers, 31,050 marginal workers, 1,053 marginal cultivators, 7,362 marginal agricultural labourers, 876 marginal workers in household industries and 21,759 other marginal workers.[2]
Anthropologists, who have worked intensively in this district for the past 140 years, recognise 15 tribes living here. Their origins are uncertain as there were no written records about them. The best-known of these are the Toda and Kota, whose related cultures are based on pastoral management of the buffalo, with its dairy products being the basis of their diets. They have developed highly refined red, black and white embroidered shawls, and silver jewellery, which are GI-registered and much sought after.[19] The district is also home to the Kurumba, Irula, Paniyan and Kattunayakan or Nayaka, as well as the indigenous Badagas.Badagas were in tribe list during British period after independence they were not scheduled as tribe for no reasons[20]
In the 2001 India Census, self-identified Hindus formed the majority of the religious population (78.60%) in the district, followed by Christians (11.45%), Muslims (9.55%) and others (0.4%).[21]
Languages
Tamil is today the principal and widely spoken language in the Nilgiris, but Toda and Badaga are also present, and English is spoken[22] The Nilgiris is also home to a dozen tribal languages, all Dravidian languages.
Basic infrastructure
Transport
The Nagapattinam–Gudalur National Highway passes through this district. The Nilgiri Ghat Roads link Nilgiris with nearby cities in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. All the taluks are connected with major roads. Ooty bus stand serves as the central bus stand for the district, along with Municipal Bus Stand, Coonoor (built in 1960). Several crucial Ghat roads were cut in the 19th century.[23] The village roads are maintained by the Panchayat Union.
There are 10 Hydel Power Houses (hydroelectric) in this district.[26]
Pykara Power House – Pykara
Pykara Micro Power House – Pykara
Moyar Power House – Moyar River
Kundah Power House I – Kundah
Kundah Power House II – Geddai
Kundah Power House III – Pillur
Kundah Power House IV – Paralli
Kundah Power House V – Avalanche
Kundah Power House VI – Kattukuppai (Emerald)
Katteri hydro-electric system – Kateri
Health infrastructure
There are one district headquarters government hospital, five taluk hospitals, 38 primary health centres, 194 health sub-centres, and five plague circles in the district.
Agriculture
A tea factory next to a tea plantation
The Nilgiris District is basically a horticulture district. Its economy is based on commodity crops of tea, coffee, and spices, followed in importance by potato, cabbage, carrot, and fruit. The main cultivation is plantation crops such as tea and coffee, but with some cardamom, pepper and rubber too. Tea grows at elevations of 1,000 to over 2,500 metres.[27]
The area also produces eucalyptus oil and temperate-zone vegetables. Potato and other vegetables are raised throughout Udhagamandalam and Coonoor Taluks. Paddy (rice), ginger, pepper and rubber are grown in Gudalur and Pandalur Taluks. Paddy is also grown in the Thengumarahada area in Kotagiri Taluk. Besides these crops, millet, wheat, fruit and vegetables, etc., are also cultivated throughout the district. There are no irrigation schemes here. The crops are mainly rain-fed. Check dams have been constructed wherever possible to exploit natural springs.
Ecoregions
Sigur GhatA view of the Nilgiri hills
Two ecoregions cover portions of the Nilgiris. The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests lie between 250 and 1000 metres' elevation. These forests extend south along the Western Ghats range to the southern tip of India, and are dominated by a diverse assemblage of trees, many of them deciduous during the winter and spring dry season. These forests are home to the largest herd of Asian elephants in India, who range from the Nilgiris across towards the Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiris and the Southwestern Ghats are also one of the most important tiger habitats left in India.
The South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion covers the portion of the range above 1000 metres' elevation. These evergreen rain forests are extremely diverse. Above 1500 metres' elevation, the evergreen forests begin to give way to stunted forests, locally called sholas, which are interspersed with open grassland[28] The high grasslands are home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr, which resembles a stocky goat with curved horns. The Nilgiri tahrs are found only in the montane grasslands of the Southwestern Ghats, and number barely 2000 individuals.
Nilgiri tahr in the Nilgiris
Three national parks protect portions of the Nilgiris. Mudumalai National Park lies in the northern part of the range where Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu meet, and covers an area of 321km2. Mukurthi National Park lies in the southwest of the range, in Kerala, and covers an area of 78.5km2, which includes intact shola-grassland mosaic, a habitat for the Nilgiri tahr. Silent Valley National Park is just to the south and contiguous with these two parks, and covers an area of 89.52km2. Outside these parks much of the native forest has been cleared for grazing cattle, or has been encroached upon or replaced by plantations of tea, eucalyptus, cinchona and acacia. The entire range, together with portions of the Western Ghats to the northwest and southwest, was included in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in 1986, India's first biosphere reserve. In January 2010, the Nilgiri Declaration[29] set out a wide range environmental and sustainable development goals to be reached by 2015.
The region has also given its name to a number of bird species, including the Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri woodpigeon and Nilgiri blackbird.
Tourism
Botanical garden at Ooty
Tourism is an important source of revenue for the Nilgiris.[30] The district is home to several hill stations which are visited by tourists during summer. These include Ooty (Udhgamandalam) (district headquarters), Coonoor, Gudalur and Kotagiri. The Nilgiri Mountain Train, locally known as the Toy Train, attracts tourists as the journey has extensive views of the hills and forests. Mudumalai National Park is commonly visited by wildlife enthusiasts, campers and backpackers.[citation needed] The annual flower show, organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu at the Botanical Garden in Ooty, is an annual event, known for its display of roses. Nilgiris is known for its eucalyptus oil and tea, and also produces bauxite. Some tourists are attracted to study the lifestyles of the various tribes living here or to visit the tea and vegetable plantations. Other tourist destinations in the district are Pykara Waterfalls and the Ooty Lake, Avalanche and Doddabetta peak.
Ooty, officially known as Udagamandalam, is a town and a municipality in the Niligiris District of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 86 km north of Coimbatore and 128 km south of Mysore and is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district. It is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills.
Nilgiri tea is generally described as being a dark, intensely aromatic, fragrant and flavoured tea grown in the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountains of the Indian subcontinent. It is grown in the hills of the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, though there are numerous other tea-growing districts in South India as well, including Munnar and Central Travancore, further south in Kerala state.
Gudalur is a municipality and taluk in Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Gudalur is one of the major towns in West TamilNadu and is located at 52 km from Ooty in the hilly terrain of The Nilgiris district. It is situated at the junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Gudalur is derived from Moundadan Chetty Community language, Godalu + Ooru (village). It is also believed that the name derived from Tamil words "koodal" and "ooru" (village). Tea plantations dot the whole region, and the regional economy is heavily dependent on the tea industry.This land was an offspring to the exploration done by the British during the pre-independence period to cultivate tea plantation. Being a satellite town between Ooty and Mysore, both tourist spots, Gudalur has the prospect of developing into another tourist destination. Gudalur is a place where one can see people from the three states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka live together cordially.According To Wikipedia Gudalur Municipality is 1st largest of Gudalur Taluk and Division,2nd largest of Nilagiri District and 17th largest of KonguNadu region and 117th Largest Municipal Town of Tamil Nadu.
Mukurthi National Park (MNP) is a 78.46 km2 (30.3 sq mi) protected area located in the western corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ootacamund hill station in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats mountain range of South India. The park was created to protect its keystone species, the Nilgiri tahr.
John Sullivan was the founder of the British settlement at Ootacamund.
Many Ghat Roads can be found in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Nearly all of the district is located in the Nilgiri Hills, part of the Western Ghats mountains. This area borders the states of Karnataka and Kerala. The hills consequently can be reached by road from three states. Most of these Ghat Roads go through heavily forested mountains and contain a number of sharp hair-pin bends.
The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in western Tamil Nadu of Southern India. At least 24 of the Nilgiri Mountains' peaks are above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), the highest peak being Doddabetta, at 2,637 metres (8,652 ft).
Bandishola is a Panchayat village in Coonoor Taluk of The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India. The town takes its name from a nearby Shola.
Aravenu is a village in Kotagiri Taluk of The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India. The population is largely Badaga and it is thought to be an original Badaga Hatti. It is the headquarters of the Jackanarai panchayat.
Sispara, സിസ്പാര, a proper noun, is a combination of the Badaga language words si:su + pore; meaning: magnetite bearing rock + gorge. It may refer to:
The Nilgiri Express is a night express train service operating between Chennai Central and Mettupalayam, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is operated by Indian Railways.
Yedakadu is a serene hamlet located in the Nilgiris Hills in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Yedakadu is located 26 km from Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and 38 km from Coonoor. The major occupation of the people is tea plantation. Yedakadu is popular for its 'Sivarathiri', an annual carnival which draws a large crowd from around the Nilgiris. Badaga is the native language. There are three places within the village named "Naduhatty","Sundatty" & "Thalaihatty".
The Moyar Power House is a hydroelectric power station located in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India. It is run by the Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board. It is 48 km from Ooty and 36 km from Gudalur. The power plant is situated at the bottom of the Moyar Gorge and is accessed by a winch system from the plateau above.
Kalhatti Falls also called as Bird Watcher’s Falls is a tourist spot near Ooty, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. These falls are about 13 km from Ooty, on the Ooty to Mysore Road or Sigur Ghat Road, It is situated at an average height of around 400 feet in the Sigur Plateau.This Place is rich in wild life like Bison, Bear, Deer, and also various type of birds. From the Kalhatti village one has to continue for 2 miles to reach the falls and the falls is connected in the same Kalhatti village road.
Ooty Bus Stand, also known as Udhagamandalam Central Bus Stand is a bus station located in the town of Ooty. It serves as main bus stand for The Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, apart from bus stands in Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur.
Summer Festival is a festival celebrated in the Nilgiri mountains of India each May. The festival is organized by the Tamil Nadu Department of Tourism and the national Ministry of Tourism. Events during the festival include cultural programmes, a Flower Show, a Rose Show, a Dog Show, a Fruit Show, a Spice Show, a Vegetable Show, a Boat Race, and Boat pageantry.
Halatty Manithalatty is a village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, under the Nilgiris District. Halatty Manithalatty is also the name given to a range of mountains spread across the states of Tamil Nadu as well as Karnataka and Kerala. It is one of the small villages in Udhagamandalam Taluk in The Nilgiris District under Kadanad Panchayat. Around 100 families and Around 400 people are living in this village.
Mulligoor (முள்ளிகூர்) is a village in the Kundah taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It is situated 10 kilometers away from sub-district headquarters Kundah and 30 kilometers from district headquarters Ooty. The main cultivation in Mulligoor is tea growing. This area surrounding Mulligoor is also very rich in wildlife.
Mysore-Ooty Road or Mysore-Udhagamandalam Road is a tourist trail of South India starting from Mysore in Karnataka state and ending in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu state, India. Both routes pass through Bandipur National park in Karnataka and Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu.
↑ Paul Hockings, ed. (2012). "Fenicio, Giacomo, S.J.". Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.314–321. ISBN978-81-7304-893-7.
↑ Hockings, Paul (2012). "History". Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. p.422.
↑ Hockings, Paul, ed. (2012). "Whish, John Clinton, and Nathaniel William Kindersley". Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.989, 991.
↑ Hockings, Paul, ed. (2012), "Sullivan, John", Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, New Delhi: Manohar, pp.881–888
↑ Mulley, Philip K. (2012). "Cockburn Family". In Paul Hockings (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.213–214.
↑ Noble, William, & Paul Hockings (2012). "Nilgiri Hills". In Paul Hockings (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.646–648.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Noble, William A. (2012). "Climate". In Paul Hockings (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.208–211.
↑ Hockings, Paul, ed. (2012). "Chisholm, Robert Fellowes". Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills. New Delhi: Manohar. pp.189–190.
1 2 "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
↑ Rivers, W.H.R. (1906). The Todas. London: Macmillan.Walker, Anthony R. (1986). The Toda of South India: a new look. New Delhi: Hindustan Publishing.Wolf, Richard K. (2005). The Black Cow's Footprint. Delhi: Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN81-7824-126-9.
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