TamilNadu Tourism: Things to do in Oooty

Ooty or Udhagamandalam, famously known as the queen of hill-stations, has been hailed as one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. This small picturesque city offers a variety of things to do to her visitors. Once in Ooty, you will be greeted by its lofty mountains, scenic grasslands, miles of tea gardens and a very benign crowd, which will make your stay a memorable one.

Let’s discover some interesting things to do in Ooty.

A visit to the Botanical Gardens

Take a long walk through the variety of exotic plants that adorn these gardens or lie down and relax on the well-maintained lawns. The gardens are home to a unique collection of imported shrubs, roses and eucalyptus.

Ooty Botanical Garden

Spot the famous fossilised tree trunk, said to be about 20 million years old, which has been the site for the shooting of many Bollywood songs. If you are here during the month of May, catch the flower show during the “Summer Festival” and enjoy various cultural programmes.

Fossil Tree Trunk

The Nilgiri Toy Train Ride

While at Ooty, take a trip to Conoor via the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, commonly known as the “toy train”. This fairy-tale like ride will enthral you with the view of captivating scenery along the way! Its delightful wooden coaches and large windows speak of old world charm. It’s perhaps called the toy train because the slow speed lets you greet the children outside while enjoying the ride. The train stops at regular intervals so you can hop out and have a quick photo session with friends and family. Considering the terrain of the region, the toy train is a great way to reach Conoor.

Nilgiri Toy Train

Angling in Ooty

Ooty is truly gifted with a pleasant climate all year round and hence becomes the perfect spot for sports enthusiasts. There are a number of opportunities ranging from hiking and trekking to mountain biking, angling and hand gliding. Angling is a famous pastime here, owing to the numerous water bodies that flow through the Nilgiris. Fishing in Ooty will take some back to their childhood days and those summer vacations when a fishing rod was an invariable part of an English day out.

Fishing in Ooty

Boating at Pykara Lake

Have a wonderful half an hour boating experience in the Pykara dam and lake. It’s a nice, clean huge lake, worth visiting on a sunny day. If possible, try speed boating which is a craze here. There are a variety of boats available, also a restaurant and necessary toilet facilities. The lake looks mesmerizing during the Christmas season. As the lake is located just outside the city it’s comparatively less crowded and makes for a good picnic spot too!

Boating at Pykara Lake

View from the Doddabetta Peak

Get a panoramic view of the landscape from the highest peak of Tamil Nadu. The Doddabetta Peak is perched at the altitude of 2623 metres and is located 10 Kms from Ooty. If you are a photographer, you will fall in love with the enchanting views this peak has to offer on a clear sunny day! In fact, there is an observatory at this peak which offers excellent views of the plateaus. As far as the name of the peak is concerned, it originated from the Kannada words “dodda” and “betta”, meaning big and mountain respectively.

Doddabetta Peak, Ooty

Rose Gardens – a feast for the eyes

Ooty’s Rose Garden is the largest in the country and home to around 1919 varieties of roses. The unique collection includes Hybrid Tea Roses, Yakimour, Polyanthas, Miniature Roses, Papagena and Floribunda. Step on the observation platform at the garden and view the entire rose garden at a glance! The garden has roses according to the season. For instance, if you visit the garden during the month of March, there might be just 5-10 roses in the whole garden. So based on the month you visit Ooty, decide whether it is worth going to the gardens.

Roses at Rose Garden

Into the Toda Hamlet

Near the Avalanche Lake, about 30 km from Ooty, is Mullimund- a small toda village with traditional toda huts. The todas are a close-knitted tribal community who survive mainly by cattle herding. The shawls embroidered by them are a favourite buy among the tourists. Their dwellings or the toda huts are low, semi-barrel shaped with a small entrance and no windows. The todas are simple, religious people, who are the ingenious inhabitants of the city. However, their population has been diminishing owing to modern influences.

Toda-Huts

Glen Morgan Tea estate

It is the establishment of numerous tea estates which made Ooty famous.  25 Kilometres from Ooty is Glen Morgan tea estate, a beautiful tea garden with toda tribe establishments and a lake at the foot of its base. 3 kms down the hill, at Singara, is the Pykara Power house, which you can reach through the mechanical rope trolley. One can even see the distant planes of Mysore and the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary from here. The drive to Glen Morgan is laden with eucalyptus and wattle plantations. All in all, it’s the perfect place for tea buffs.

Glenmorgan Tea Estate

Snapshots at the 9th Mile

This is a nice place to stop for a few pictures. Huge tracts of land, captivating views makes this place a great spot for clicking snaps, which you can later frame and hang in your drawing room. You can also walk right up to the top of the hill and experience the fantastic view. It’s definitely the place where nature poses for you. So don’t forget to bring your camera for the 9th Mile!

9th Mile in Ooty

Shopping and eating at Ooty

There is a place called Charring Cross in the middle of the town. Shopping enthusiasts can pick up things like silver trinkets, shawls, nilgiri tea, medicinal oils and handmade local chocolates from here. Once you are exhausted with all the shopping and sightseeing activities, indulge yourself in scrumptious meals at local restaurants. Try the Chettinad chicken pepper which is a speciality of the city.

Charing-Cross-Market

While at Conoor, hire a taxi and ask the driver to cover Lamb’s Rock, Dolphin Nose Point and Sim’s Park, among other places. Also check out the Thread Garden and the Honey and Bee Museum.

Dolphin-Nose-Point

Sim-Park

Lamb’s-Rock

Honey-Bee-Museum-Ooty

No need to carry a lot of warm clothes to Ooty as the place offers pretty affordable winter wear with jackets costing as less as 100/- If you are there during the months of January-February, you’ll have a lot of regional festivals to enjoy! Bon Voyage!

Madhya Pradesh Tourism: Things to see in Pachmarhi

Lying in the Satpura hill ranges, Pachmarhi is a quaint hill station in Madhya Pradesh.  A popular tourist destination from both North, Central and West India, Pachmarhi is visited by travelers all round the year. It is popularly known as ‘Satpura Ki Rani’ or the ‘Queen of Satpura Hill Range’.

Pachmarhi is not very large town and for the most part is an Army Cantonment.  The forests around the main town forming part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, along with numerous streams & waterfalls, make for a wonderful natural landscape, which attracts many tourists.  

The main places of tourist interest in Pachmarhi are:-

Rajat Prapat (large waterfall)

A horse tailed waterfall, it is said to be the 30th highest waterfall in India. Its name comes from the hindi word ‘Rajat’ meaning Silver, as when sunlight falls on the waterfall, it looks silvery in color.

Rajat Prapat-Pachmarhi

Bee Fall, Duchess Fall, Little Fall and Apsara Falls (fairy pool)

These are a number of falls in and around Pachmarhi, which are popular for their scenic beauty.

Bee Falls-Pachmarhi

Dhoot Akhilesh, Bada Mahadev and Gupt Mahadev

These are revered Shivaite temples and structures which are frequented by devotees.

Gupta Mahadev -Shrines of lord shiva and lord ganesh inside the cave

Choudaghar – Lord shiva temple

The devotees make a pilgrimage to this place in huge numbers during Mahashivratri.

Lord shiva temple

Dhupgarh

It is the highest peak of the Satpuras and also in Madhya Pradesh.

Sunset at Dhupgarh

Jatashankar

It is a stalagmite-filled cave in a deep ravine and very popular amongst adventure tourists.

Jatashankar-Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi Hill

From this hill, one gets a panoramic  view of Pachmarhi City.

Pachmarhi-Hill

Rajendra Giri

This is a beautiful garden with wonderful natural landscaping.

Forests Near Pachmarhi

Draupadi Kund

A Pond where the epic Mahabharata’s Draupadi is said to have bathed.

Draupadi Kund

Some other places of interest are Pansy Pool, Waters Meet, Picadilly Circus, Patharchatta, Crumps Crag, Lady Robertson’s View, Colletin Crag, Handi Kho , Bansri Bihar, Naagdwari and Reechgarh.

A visit to Pachmarhi hill station is a refreshing break away from the city life and amongst the best of nature offered by Satpuras.  It is truly Queen of Satpuras!!

The Pachmarhi Town is well connected from Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Checkout things to do in Madhya Pradesh here -> 

Maha Shivratri: Jai Bholenath

Shivratri is known as the ‘Great night of Lord Shiva’, the night when millions and millions of his devotees dedicate themselves to his Bhakti in order to get rid of their sins and ask for a happy and healthy life for themselves and their families.

Pouring-Milk-on-ShivLing

Shiva is one of the holy trinity of gods that are known to have created the universe according to the Hindu Mythology.

The 13th or 14th day of the Maghaa or Phalgun month of the Hindu calendar is the day when Shivratri is celebrated all over the country. It is one of the most awaited religious festivals of the year in India especially for the Hindus.

Shiva-Lingas

The festival involves a day long fasting and an all night vigil with devotees waking up all night to worship the lord, chanting his name in piety. Shiva Lingam is the symbol of the Supreme Absolute Shiva, it represents a form or a part of Him and it is this Lingam that is worshipped all over the country on the night on Shivratri. People wash the Lingam with water and milk, dress it up in flowers and worship sitting around it all night. The festival sees millions of devotees turning up at the temples in order to watch the rituals being performed and ask the Lord for his forgiveness for their sins.

Somnath-Jyotirlinga

Though thousands of Lingams are worshipped all over the world, but there is a group of twelve Lingams known as Jyotilingams which are the most important of all and are situated at various cities in India inside temples, every Shiva devotee wishes to pilgrim to these twelve sites once in his/her life.

Jyotirlingam

These are Somnath, one of the architectural marvels of ancient India it is the first of the lot. Next is Mallikarjuna, situated in the Kurnool town of Andhra Pradesh, the temple is also rich in architecture. Other such temples include Omkarshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimshankara, Viswanath-it is situated in Varanasi and is the most famous of them all, and Tryambekeshwara, Vaidyanathan, Nagesha, Rameshwara and the last of them is Grishneshwara. All of these temples see attendance in millions at the time Maha Shivratri.

Rameshwaram-jyotirlingam

Grishneshwar-Jyotirlingam

Checkout 

12 Famous Jyotirlingas of The Lord Shiva

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

UNESCO had declared a list of World Heritage Sites that includes 922 sites of cultural and natural importance. Spread over 152 member countries of UNESCO, these 922 sites include 711 cultural sites, 183 natural sites and 28 sites of mixed importance. There are 28 sites in India that have been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, among which 23 sites are of historical importance while 5 sites are of natural importance.

Let us now take a detailed tour of all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

Agra Fort

Not very far from Taj Mahal, Agra Fort is one of the many marvels of Mughal architecture built during the 16th century. Totally made of red sandstone, Agra Fort is often referred to as the Red Fort of Agra. The Fort has a 2.5 km long wall that surrounds the city from which the Mughal emperors used to rule. Within the Agra Fort there are several palaces like the Khas Mahal and Jahangir Palace. Not only that, the fort also houses a couple of mosques and the audience hall famously known as Diwan-i-Khas.

Agra-Fort

Ajanta Caves

The caves at Ajanta have sculptures and paintings dedicated to Lord Buddha and his teachings. The natural colours used in those religious paintings are very rich in their texture and still appear almost as new with no signs of fading. The style of the paintings and sculpture reflect artistic expertise. The original Ajanta caves date back to 1st and 2nd century BC while the ones added by the Gupta rulers date back to 5th and 6th century AD.

Ajanta-Caves

Ellora Caves

This is a temple complex consisting of 34 monasteries and temples dedicated to various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The Ellora Caves are rock monuments built in the wall of a high cliff and cover an area of almost 2 km. Built near Aurangabad, between the period of 600 AD to 1000 AD, Ellora caves reflect architectural brilliance along with religious tolerance.

Ellora-Caves-Aurangabad

Taj Mahal

Situated in Agra, Taj Mahal is an architectural wonder made totally of white marble by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz. Built between the period of 1631 and 1648, this mausoleum houses the tomb of Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz.

Taj-Mahal-Symbol-of-Love

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram

These are a group of rock monuments and temples made by the kings of the Pallava dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries. Built along the South Indian Coromandel coast, this group of monuments include rock temples depicting chariots and they are known as rathas. Along with that, there are mandapas and giant sculptures such as the temple of Rivage and Descent of the Ganges. Most of the temples here are dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Mamallapuram–Temples galore

Sun Temple, Konark

Depicting the chariot of sun god Surya, the Sun Temple at Konark from the 13th century is considered as one of the architectural masterpieces of Orissa. Situated along the shore of Bay of Bengal, this chariot representation of Surya consists of 24 wheels adorned with various forms of design and the chariot is shown to be pulled by 6 horses.

Sun-Temple-Konark

Churches and Convents of Goa

The churches and convents of Goa reflect the Portuguese style of architecture as Goa was the Portuguese capital of India. There are several famous churches in Goa that showcases the influence of Christianity on India through its Manueline, Baroque and Mannerist forms of art. Among all these churches and convents, the most renowned one is the Church of Bom Jesus and it houses the tomb of St. Francis Xavier.

Church-in-Goa

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire during the rule of Emperor Akbar. This city of victory was founded by Akbarduring the latter half of the 16th century. Housing several palaces like Jodha Bai Palace, audience halls like Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas and monuments like Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri showcases the Mughal form of architecture.

Fatehpur-sikri

Group of Monuments at Hampi

The monuments and temples at Hampi were built by the last Hindu rulers of Vijayanagar. The temples and palaces reflect Dravidian form of architecture and highly attracted travellers during the period of 14th and 16th century.

Hampi-Karnataka

Khajuraho Group of Monuments

Built by the rulers of the Chandella dynasty, Khajuraho group of temples and monuments are an architectural as well as sculptural masterpiece. The temples that remain have been divided into 3 groups and are dedicated to Hinduism and Jainism. The Temple of Kandariya had been adorned with numerous sculptures that reflect the rich artistic face of Indian art and sculpture.

Khajuraho-Temple

Elephanta Caves

Often referred to as the ‘City of Caves’, Elephanta Caves are rock sculptures and architectures dedicated to the cult of Shiva. Situated on an island near Bombay, these caves are famous for their high sculptural reliefs inside the monuments.

Elephanta-Caves

Great Living Chola Temples

These are a group of temples built by the South Indian rulers of the Chola dynasty during the 11th and 12th centuries. The most notable temples among this group include the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and Thanjavur and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The architecture of these temples reflects the achievements of the Chola kings and that has been neatly portrayed through artistic brilliance in sculptures, bronze casting and paintings.

Brihadeeswarar-Temple

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal

The temple complex at Pattadakal in Karnataka was built by the Chalukya rulers during the 7th and 8th centuries. There are 9 Hindu temples and 1 Jain temple in this complex and their architectural style showcases a wonderful blend of North Indian and South Indian forms of architecture. The most notable temple among this group is the Temple of Virupaksha.

Pattadakal-Temples

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

Situated just 40 km away from Bhopal, Sanchi is one of the most ancient sites of religious importance for the Buddhists and consists of several Buddhist monasteries, sanctuaries, monolithic pillars and palaces from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC.

Sanchi-Stupa

Humayun’s Tomb

Built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1570, Humayun’s Tomb is Indian subcontinent’s first garden-tomb.

Humayun-Tomb

Qutab Complex, Delhi

This complex of monuments in South Delhi was built in the 13th century. The most renowned monument is the Qutb Minar, the 72.5 m high red sandstone tower built by Qutb-uddin Aibak. The other notable monuments in this complex include the Ala-i-Darwaza and Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. All these monuments portray Indo-Muslim form of architecture.

Qutab-complex

Mountain Railways of India

Mountain Railways of India include 3 hill passenger railway sites that are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka Shimla Railway.

Nilgiri-Toy-Train

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

This site is one of the four holy sites for the Buddhists as Lord Buddha attained his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. This site contains several temples and monasteries dedicated to Lord Buddha and the first temple of the complex dates back to 3rd century BC.

Mahabodhi-Temple–Bodhgaya

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

Located in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains, there is a cluster of 5 natural rock shelters. These rock shelters date back to the Mesolithic period and features several rock paintings depicting the lifestyle of the people who used to live in these shelters.

Bhimbetka

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

This site in Gujarat consists of several unexcavated archaeological and historic heritage monuments from the pre-historic period and also a hill fortress, palaces, agricultural structures, religious buildings and residential buildings from the period of 8th to 14th centuries.

Champaner & Pavagadh, Gujarat

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai

This heritage site depicts the successful blending of traditional Indian architectural themes with Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. Featuring a stone dome, pointed arches and turrets, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus witnessed the fusion of Indian and British cultures as the British architects worked with the Indian craftsmen.

Chhatrapati-Shivaji-Terminus-Mumbai

Red Fort Complex

Built as the fort of the Mughal Empire’s capital city Shahjahanabad, Red Fort is an example of Mughal architecture which reached its peak during the rule of Shah Jahan. Although the palace fort’s planning is of Islamic prototype, the architecture of several buildings in the complex reflects a strong blend of Timurid, Hindu and Persian styles.

Red-Fort

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory that was built during the 18th century. Featuring about 20 fixed instruments, Jantar Mantar was built for the purpose of observing astronomical positions with the naked eye.

Jantar-Mantar

Kaziranga National Park

The Kaziranga National Park is home to the largest number of one-horned rhinoceros, in the whole world. Located in Assam, this national park provides a natural habitat to several animals such as panthers, elephants, bears, tigers and a large number of birds. This park is considered as one of the very few sites in India that have not been disturbed by human presence.

Kaziranga-National-Park

Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur

This national park once used to be the site of duck-hunting for the Maharajas. The Keoladeo National Park now acts as a wintering area for several exotic aquatic birds from various countries such as Siberia, Afghanistan, China and Turkmenistan. Among the 364 bird species that have been recorded in this park, the Siberian crane is the most notable bird to have visited this park during winters.

Keoladeo-national-park-Bharatpur

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

Situated in the Himalayan foothills, the grasslands and tropical forests of Manas Wildlife Sanctuary serve as the home to several rare animal species such as the pygmy hog, Indian elephant, tigers and the Indian rhinoceros.

Manas-Wildlife-Sanctuary

Sundarbans National Park

Home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers, the Sundarbans National Park is shared by India and Bangladesh. Covering an area of almost 10000 km2 including land and water, Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and lies in the Ganges delta. Other than the tigers, crocodiles, aquatic mammals, birds and several other animals are also found here.

Sunderbans

Nanda Devi/Valley of Flowers National Parks

Valley of Flowers National Park offer awesome picturesque view and meadows of alpine flowers besides acting as home to several rare wild animals such as snow leopard, blue sheep, brown bear and the Asiatic black bear. Situated in the West Himalayas, this national park serves as a zone of transition between the Great Himalayas and the Zanskar ranges.

Valley-of-flowers

India is truly remarkable and list of heritage sites will keep increasing over the period of time. Start your journey today to see all historical monuments in this lifetime.