Nilgiris - Oldest geological mountain ranges in India
One of the oldest geological mountain ranges in India, the Nilgiris (‘blue mountains’ in Tamil language) is located at the conjunction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala states. It is an important portion of the UNESCO certified Western Ghats. Human history in the Nilgiri hills dates back to many centuries. The reason behind the origin of the name ‘Blue Mountains’ is that the smoky haze envelopes the area most of the time. Other sources say that it is because of the ‘Kurinji’ flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the slopes a bluish hue. It was originally a tribal land and was occupied by the ‘Todas’ around what is now the Ooty area, and by the ‘Kotas’ which is now the Kotagiri.
The ‘Badaga’ community is one of the major non-tribal other backward community populations in the district. Although these hills are mentioned in the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’, they remained undiscovered till the Europeans' entry. A Portuguese priest by the name ‘Ferrari’, resolved to explore the hills and succeeded. It was in 1810, the British East India Company unsuccessfully attempted to survey these jungles under the guidance of Francis Buchanan. Next, John Sullivan, the then collector of Coimbatore, sent two surveyors, Keys and Mcmahon, to make a comprehensive study of the hills and they too failed to explore the entire valley. But, their mission held significance as the first Englishmen to set foot here, leading this region to British colonialism. J.C. Whish and N.W. Kindersley were the next to explore but they had studied the region entirely.
They worked for the Madras Civil Service, making a journey in 1819 here. They reported to their superiors that they had discovered the existence of a tableland with a European climate. John Sullivan, the collector of Coimbatore, who went up the same year and built a home, which had been the first European resident of the hills. He reported to the Madras Government about the suitability of the climate. Europeans soon started their settlements in the valley. The valley became a summer resort for them. By the end of the 19th century, the hills were made accessible with roads and rail lines. Now, the hill station stands inevitable for the tourists visiting South India.