Stone House, Ooty, Nilgiris
Stone House is a heritage
building located in picturesque Nilgiris Hills in Ooty Town
in Ooty Taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. Stone House is one of the
most important historic monuments of Ooty. Stone House was the first bungalow constructed
in Ooty (India).
It was built by John Sullivan and was
called Kal Bangala by the tribals (Kal means stone in Tamil).
The tree in front of the bungalow is known as the Sullivan's oak.
History
John Sullivan started building
Stonehouse in 1822. He acquired land from the Toda
people at ₹1 (1.4¢ US) an acre.
This plot was initially covered with lush green Pine trees, ferns, lichens and
orchids. The mansion reveals a sloping roof painted in Green while the
architecture is kept simple yet resembling a typical British Cottage that
probably houses a cozy fireplace in the sitting room. Unofficially it was from
the Ooty Stone House that the modernization of Ooty began. This is the first
house to be constructed in Ooty. After independence, it was the official
residence of the Principal of the Government Arts College, Ooty. Now
it is converted into Government Museum.
Government Museum
The Government Museum is housed
in Stone House. It is a small museum and one of two state-run museums in Ooty.
It has a delightful collection of stuffed animals and birds, mounted hunting
trophies along with regular exhibits of ancient coins, metal wares, rock
samples, wood carvings etc. It also showcases artefacts of the tribal
communities of the Nilgiris, the Todas, Badagas, Kurumba and Irula tribes with
separate sections devoted to each tribe.
The models of Toda hut and
temple are interesting with diagrams of the architecture used in building them.
There are some rare and unusual exhibits like bamboo manuscripts which are
manuscripts made on bamboo strips, and colorful puppets made from leather and
used in traditional shadow play (Bommalaatam & Nizhalaatam).
There is a copper embossed plate
with intricate details depicting Sethu Bandanam, an important occurrence
described in detail by Sage Valmiki in the Ramayana involving the building of a
bridge across the sea by the Vanara Sena to reach Lanka and rescue Sita.
Connectivity
Stone House is located at about 1 Km from Charing Cross Bus Stop, 3 Kms
from Ooty Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Ooty, 3 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 19 Kms
from Coonoor, 29 Kms from Kotagiri, 50 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station
and 87 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Private Taxis are available from Ooty and
Coonoor to reach this place.
Location