Nelliyalam Ruins, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nelliyalam Ruins, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nelliyalam Ruins are ruins of an ancient fort, palaces and temple complexes, located in Nelliyalam Village near Gudalur Town in Gudalur Taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. Ruins from historical Ummatur dynasty can be seen at Kottakunnu (meaning fort hill in Malayalam) at Nelliyalam. The temple portion of the fort was only left, and the design is very similar to the architecture of buildings / palaces in Mysore and an Idol of Devi, Shiva Linga and Nandi can be seen in the temple structure.

Nelliyalam is located at about 30 Kms from Gudalur, 29 Kms from Gudalur Bus Stand, 55 Kms from Nilambur Railway Station, 80 Kms from Ooty, 79 Kms from Ooty Bus Stand, 79 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 93 Kms from Malappuram, 98 Kms from Coonoor, 108 Kms from Kotagiri, 129 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 162 Kms from Coimbatore and 174 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Gudalur is well connected to Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kerala by Bus and private taxis.

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Nehru Park, Kotagiri, Nilgiris

Nehru Park, Kotagiri, Nilgiris

Nehru Park is a botanical garden located in Kotagiri Town near Ooty Hill Station in Kotagiri Taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. It provides a lot of leisure activities to the visitor. Inside the park, there exists a temple of the Kota tribe, the original inhabitants of Kotagiri. The park also has a congregation centre and a park dedicated to the memory of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi. There is also a playground created for the use of the general public and an indoor game venue whose original purpose was to serve as a flood shelter.

The main activity of the park is to serve as a venue for several cultural events and indoor game activities. Every year, during the period from March to June, a flower show is organised inside the park which has been known to showcase a wide variety of uncommon flowers that grow only in the Nilgiris, especially rare varieties of roses. A vegetable show has also been organised here in recent times showcasing some of the best vegetables which are found in Kotagiri. 

Nehru Park is located at about 700 meters from Kotagiri Bus Stand, 19 Kms from Coonoor, 22 Kms from Coonoor Railway Station, 33 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 32 Kms from Ooty, 66 Kms from Coimbatore and 78 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Private Taxis are available from Ooty and Coonoor to reach this place.

Location

Needle Rock View Point, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Needle Rock View Point, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Needle Rock View Point is located near Gudalur Town in picturesque Nilgiris Hills near Ooty Hill Station in Gudalur Taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. The view point is also known as Oosi Malai / Soochimalai and gets its name from its conical shape. The word Oosi malai originated from Tamil Language. Oosi means needle; Malai means Mountain. Breath taking Sunset view is possible on sky clear days. It is a shooting spot for many of the Tamil films. Needle Rock View Point is visibly seen in Chinna Poove Mella Pesu, a popular Tamil film.

 

This tourist attraction is a hidden spot and is covered with dense eucalyptus forest through which you need to hike uphill for about 5 to 10 minutes to arrive at this spectacular and huge barren rock. The climb up to the head of the rock is easy and anyone can do it. As you arrive at the top of the Needle Hill View point, you will reach the tip of this rock that opens out a whole new unbelievable world in front of your gaping eyes, a sight that spreads across miles and miles of verdant landscapes and blue tinged mountain tops that you would probably have noticed only in movies and nowhere else.

The view point gives you a 360-degree view of surrounding valleys and forests. From here, one can see almost every part of Gudalur and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Gudalur town, Bandipur and parts of Mysore. On the other side, you can see parts of Kerala. You can also see a mountain popularly known as Sleeping Beauty (also called Aanakkallu) which is exactly in the shape of a sleeping woman. A panoramic view of Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary is a visual treat from this point.

Needle Rock View Point is located at about 500 meters from Needle Rock View Point Bus Stop, 9 Kms from Gudalur, 9 Kms from Gudalur Bus Stand, 57 Kms from Nilambur Railway Station, 42 Kms from Ooty, 42 Kms from Ooty Bus Stand, 42 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 96 Kms from Malappuram, 60 Kms from Coonoor, 70 Kms from Kotagiri, 91 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 125 Kms from Coimbatore and 137 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Needle Rock View Point is situated on the way of Gudalur – Ooty National Highway-67. Gudalur is well connected to Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kerala by Bus and private taxis.

Location | Photos

Nambalakottai Temple, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nambalakottai Temple, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nambalakottai Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Tribal God Betarayasvami (Lord of the Hunt) near Gudalur Town near Ooty Hill Station in Gudalur Taluk in Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. This Temple is one of the ancient shrines in Nilgiris District. This Temple is significant to the cultural ethos, religious life, and rituals of the Mandadan Chettis.

History

Though Avvai Duraisamy Pillai seemed to have correctly identified (as early as 1957) this place as Umbarkadu of the Sangam period (Padirruppattu texts). The seriousness of the suggestion seems to have been ignored by several later authors on the subject. The tendency to identify Umbarkadu with Anaimalai in the Coimbatore region (mainly basing on the words meaning "elephants" and "hills") is not quite sustainable. There is little evidence to show that Anaimalai would have been populous place during Sangam period.

On the other hand, Wayanad region wherein is situated Nambalakod (the present day form of Umbarkadu) appeared to have been a very active zone. The brahmadeya of 500 villages endowed by Imayavaramban Nedum Cheraladan in Umbarkadu to poet Kannanar is a pointer in this regard.  Avvai Duraisamy Pillai further suggests that the present day Cannanore on the western coast was probably named after poet Kannanar. If this were so, the brahmadeya limits probably extended from Cannanore to Nambalakod.

A significant link in this connection is that the Nilgiri – Wayanad even during the British revenue settlement in the 19^th Century had formed part of the jurisdiction of the Raja of Kottayam – a principality in the vicinity of Cannanore. The Badaga name for Nambalakod or Numbelahcotah is "Kottebetta". It refers to the famous fort in Umbarkadu overrun by Palyanai Selkely Kuttuvan.

The original site of the fort, even to the present day, exists a hoary shrine complex called the Betarayasvami Kovil (shrine of the "Lord of Hunt") sacred both to the Todas and Mandadan Chettis. The shrine is maintained by the Janmi of Nilambur in Kerala. The priest at the shrine complex claimed that according to astronomical deductions based on documents at Nilambur, the shrine complex is 1700 years old.

The place is situated at about 3513 feet height, above mean sea level, the military importance of this place in the olden days cannot be overlooked. With the Nilgiri hills at the backdrop including a view of river Pykara and the vast expanse of territory running west towards the coast, the place must have indeed been a strategic one.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 50 meters from Nambalakottai Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Gudalur Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Gudalur, 5 Kms from Srimadurai, 53 Kms from Nilambur Railway Station, 55 Kms from Ooty, 54 Kms from Ooty Bus Stand, 54 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 90 Kms from Malappuram, 73 Kms from Coonoor, 83 Kms from Kotagiri, 104 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 137 Kms from Coimbatore and 149 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Gudalur is well connected to Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kerala by Bus and private taxis.

Location

Nadugani Gene Pool Garden, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nadugani Gene Pool Garden, Gudalur, Nilgiris

Nadugani Gene Pool Garden is a Tropical Garden, located in Nadugani Village near Gudalur Town near Ooty Hill Station in Gudalur Taluk in Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. The Gene Pool Garden is a repository for highly endangered species of flora. The facility has been run by the research wing of the forest department.

Tourists could learn about the varieties of natural flora in the Nilgiris from a fern garden, an orchid centre, an interpretation centre and a medicinal plant garden. Tourists will be charged Rs. 30 as entry fees to visit the gene pool tropical garden. Tourists from Kerala who enter the Nilgiris through Gudalur visits this garden frequently.

Nadugani Gene Pool Garden is located at about 200 meters from Nadugani Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Gudalur, 13 Kms from Gudalur Bus Stand, 37 Kms from Nilambur Railway Station, 62 Kms from Ooty, 62 Kms from Ooty Bus Stand, 62 Kms from Ooty Railway Station, 75 Kms from Malappuram, 81 Kms from Coonoor, 91 Kms from Kotagiri, 112 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 145 Kms from Coimbatore and 157 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Gudalur is well connected to Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kerala by Bus and private taxis.

Location

Kodanad View Point, Kotagiri, Nilgiris

Kodanad View Point, Kotagiri, Nilgiris

Kodanad View Point is located in picturesque Nilgiris Hills near Kotagiri Town in Kotagiri Taluk of Nilgiris District of Tamilnadu. Kodanad View Point is situated adjacent to Kodanad View Point Bus Stop. This View Point is situated to the east of Kotagiri on the eastern edges of Nilgiris. Due to the location it is also called the Terminus Country It commands a panoramic view of the plains and the eastern slope of the Nilgiris.

Some of the places that you can see from here are the Rangaswamy Peak, parts of the Karnataka – Tamil Nadu border, Rangaswamy Pillar, Catherine Falls, Moyar river, Dolphin's Nose, Bhavani Sagar Dam, Thengumarahada Village and of course the lush green landscape of the tea estates. A telescope has been installed to see the places, around and apart. More than the viewpoint, the ride to this place is great.

Kodanad View Point is located at about 18 Kms from Kotagiri Bus Stand, 19 Kms from Kotagiri, 35 Kms from Coonoor, 39 Kms from Coonoor Railway Station, 48 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 49 Kms from Ooty, 82 Kms from Coimbatore and 93 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Buses are available from Kotagiri Bus Stand to this place frequently. Private Taxis are available from Ooty, Kotagiri and Coonoor to reach this place.

Location