kotagiri
In the serene setting of the Nilgiri Hills and just an hour’s drive from Udhagamandalam, Kotagiri is a small resort set among the lush tea estates. Retaining the essence of hill magic and charm, the resort offers year round sylvan charm.
Trips to Kodanad View Point, St. Catharine Falls and Rangaswamy Pillar and Peak are worthwhile.Kotagiri is a hiker’s paradise, with endless trails and sufficient ‘off beat ness’. It is the third largest and the oldest hill station in the Nilgiri’s. Like all hill stations in India, this also has had strong presence of the British Raj.
The town is fast becoming commercial, with many banks and shopping facilities coming up. It has a Kota temple in the middle of the town, even though the Kota tribes have long moved out, giving it an exotic tribal feel. Kotagiri has one of the best climates in the world. It is more temperate than Ooty, attributed to its altitude of 1984 metres above sea level.
Kotagiri is located at 11.43° N 76.88° E.It has an average elevation of 1793 metres (5882 feet).
Kotagiri enjoys a climatic advantage over Ooty in that it is protected by the Doddabetta range from the onslaught of the south-west monsoon.
Kotagiri, although having no written history of the pre-British period, has been around for eons possibly. The area just below Coonoor and the slopes of the Nilgiri hills has been the traditional home of the “kota” tribes. The name ‘Kota-giri’ itself means ‘mountain of the kotas’. While the todas are the traditional agriculturists of the Nilgiris, the kotas are the traditional artisans and are experts in the art of pottery and terracotta baking. The ‘kota’ tribe is known for their reclusiveness and their reluctance to meet or mix with any outsider. They currently number just around a 1000 members, and are fast declining.
After the forgotten expedition made by Keys and McMohan to the Nilgiris, two civil servants of the Madras Government, J.C. Whish and N.W. Kindersley, made a journey to the hills in 1819. The exact reason for their trip remains unknown, but it possibly could have been in pursuit of smugglers. They went through pass in the hills (now the DENAD village of Kil Kotagiri), and as reported back to their superiors, had “discovered a tableland possessing a European climate”. They called the tableland ‘Kotercherry’.
Soon after, the Collector of Coimbatore, John Sullivan, himself journeyed into the hills and built himself a home in Kotagiri. He was the first European resident of the Nilgiri hills. On his suggestion, the Madras Government opened a ‘sanatorium’ in Ooty and started the practice of moving the whole government to the hills during summer. With the town becoming their personal health resort, several Englishmen followed and settled here. The environment could have been to them reminiscent of the valleys and dales of old England which they had left behind for service to the King/Queen.
Nevertheless, Kotagiri remained the first choice for homesick Englishmen wanting to settle in the hills. The area was of a pleasant climate of neither extreme unlike Ooty or Coonoor, which were colder. The climate was for them, ‘like home’. The plateau also had more of a warm wind than rain through the year. John Sullivan was followed by others including numerous elite like the Marquis of Dalhousie, and by the 1830s, there were some twenty bungalows built around here. They had the best of both worlds, living in Madras during the winter and shifting to Kotagiri during the killing summers.
Kotagiri was neglected only when the new ghat road was built from Mettupalayam at the foothills to Coonoor. Until then the only way to get to Ooty was the horse trail that led through Kotagiri. This trail was built in 1821 by Evan McPherson and was the only way up till around 1870 when a proper road was built.
Kotagiri today, is one of the smaller towns in the Nilgiri hills and remains relatively unknown to outsiders. Kotagiri however has many firsts to its name. It has the distinction of being the first area in the Nilgiris to be discovered and settled by the English Government, and was the first choice for several Madras Government servants to use as a summer retreat before it sank into anonymity, and before the other two towns of Ooty and Coonoor took over in terms of popularity.
Tourist Attractions
Kodanaad View point : Otherwise called the Terminus Country, because of its location (perched on the eastern most edge of the Nilgiri’s.) From here one can see an entire array of natural processes like rivers Moyar and Bhavani, the Mysore Plateau, Valleys, trenches and also paddy fields.
Elk falls : Even though dry for some months of the year, is worth visiting this place; reason being, it has the first European house built in Nilgris here. Now a ruin, but still is a captivating sight. Another reason is the Badaga settlement, on the road to the falls. Quaint and idyllic, this is a beautiful definition of a tribal village. Great place for anthropology.
Rangaswamy Pillar and Rock : The Rangaswamy peak lies 20 km from Kotagiri. This peak is sacred for Irulas (a tribe), adding mysticism to this natural beauty. Nearby is the Rangaswamy rock, a rock-climbers nightmare. Rising abruptly on all sides to about 400 metres, it is unclimbable.
Long Wood Shola : 3 km away from the town, it is a wild life reserve. Perfectly peaceful and untouched forest trails are an invitation to serenity seekers. Also a great place for Ornithology.
