Nilgiri Hills. Kshetram. October 2016

Transcription

1 October 2016 Kshetram Nilgiri Hills The Blue mountains of India; Nilgiri Hills, in Western Ghats is one of the most ravishingly beautiful hilly terrains in India. The Niligiri is located at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India. Nilgiri district provides fascinating views. The hills begin from the North East corner of the state of Kerala, another tea growing state, but the main range lies in the state of Tamil Nadu, close to both Coimbatore and Cochin. The height of the hills in the Blue mountain range varies between 2,280 and 2,290 metres, the highest peak being Doddabetta at a height of 2,623 metres. The hill derives its charm from its natural setting. Nilgiri Hills ( 1 )

2 The Blue mountains of India; Nilgiri Hills, in Western Ghats is one of the most ravishingly beautiful hilly terrains in India. The Niligiri is located at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India. Nilgiri district provides fascinating views. The hills begin from the North East corner of the state of Kerala, another tea growing state, but the main range lies in the state of Tamil Nadu, close to both Coimbatore and Cochin. The height of the hills in the Blue mountain range varies between 2,280 and 2,290 metres, the highest peak being Doddabetta at a height of 2,623 metres. The hill derives its charm from its natural setting. Niligiri mountains has its peaks, at least 24 of them are above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), the highest peak being Doddabetta at 2,637 metres (8,652 ft). Closely linked peaks in the west of Doddabetta range and nearby Udhagamandalam include: Kolaribetta: height: 2,630 metres (8,629 ft), Hecuba: 2,375 metres (7,792 ft), Kattadadu: 2,418 metres (7,933 ft) and Kulkudi: 2,439 metres (8,002 ft). Nilgiris are much cooler than the surrounding areas, which makes, it a popular tourist spot, especially during the hot summer months. Niligiris lies within the mountains at the junction of Southern India, spanning an area of 2,479 square kilometres and the mountain s central location is N E. The Niligiri mountains spanning130 km (Latitude: 11 08' to 11 37' N) by 185 km (Longitude: 76 27' E to 77 4' E). It is connected through Niligiri mountain railway. The Niligiri mountains are separated from other geographical features by a river Moyar to the north, which falls in Karnataka plateau and by the Palghat gap to the south i.e., Anaimalai Hills and Palni Hills. The Niligiri Hills are part of the Niligiri Bioshpere Reserve and forms a part of the part of the protected bio reserves in India. The Nilgiri Hills, have high steppes, which have been inhabited, since prehistoric times. The hills region can be traced back to 1117 AD, where in the King of Hoysalas, who in reference to his enemies, claimed to have frightened the todas driven the Kongas underground and slaughtered the Poluyas, had put to death the Maleyalas, terrified the King Kalas and then proceeded to offer the peak of Nila Mountain. With this historical background, to the colonial times, as early as 1820s, the hills were developed, after being discovered under the British Raj. Large tracts of lands were privately owned by the British citizens. It was a popular summer and weekend get away during the colonial days for the British. Way back in 1827, Ooty became the official and during summer, capital of the Madras Presidency. It was in 1899, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was completed by influential and enterprising British citizens, with venture capital from the Madras government. The Hills have a distinct geography and climate, the area being hilly, lying at an elevation of 1000 to 2,600 meters above the Mean Sea Level (MSL) and also being divided between the Nilgiri plateau and the lower, smaller Wynaad plateau, the climate is moderate English-like. The topography is rolling, with steep escarpments, as about 60% of the cultivable land is slopes ranging from 16 to 34o. The rolling hills of the Downs look quite, similar to that of the southern England and were formerly used for activities as hunting and picnic. The other important feature of the hills, is that it is much cooler and wetter than the surrounding plains. The temperature during summer reaches a maximum of 25 C and a minimum of 10 C. During the winters, maximum is 20 C and minimum is 0 C. The rainfall is received during both southwest and northeast monsoon. The stretch of Gudalur and Pandalur, Kundah Taluks and parts of Udhagamandalam Taluk get rain from the southwest monsoon, while some part of the Udhagamandalam Taluk and the entire Coonoor and Kotagiri Taluks get rains of the Northeast monsoon and there are a 16 rainfall registering stations in the district and the average annual rainfall of the district is 1, mm. Ootacamund is the principal town of the hills or infamously called as Ooty/ Udhagamandalam, as the district headquarters. The place has several buildings designed in British style. The other main towns in the hills are Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Wellingron. The Nilgiri hills, district administration has been headed by a government-appointed collector, since 1868 and it was the first Commissioner James W. Breeeks, then on 100 men have held the post, as they were responsible for overseeing the various Departments active within Nilgiri Hills ( 2 )

3 the District. Later on, the hills were classified and today comprises of six taluks and they are Ootacamund, Kundah, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur and Pandalur. These taluks are divided among four Panchayat Unions, apart from two municipalities and the two municipalities are Wellington Cantonment and Aruvankadu Township. The entire District consists of 56 Revnue villages and 15 Revenue Firkas and the two Revenue Divisions here are Coonoor and Gudalur. For the local concerns, the Nilgiri hills also have 35 village Panchayats and 13 Town Panchayats. The demographic pattern in the hills, according to 2011 census, the district had a population of 735,394 with a sex-ratio of 1,042 females for every 1,000 males. Much above the national average of 929 females and the SCs and STs accounted for around 32.08% and 4.46% of the population. The literacy average in the district is 77.46%, when compared to the national average of 72.99%. The district had a total of 197,653 households. There were a total of 349,974 workers, comprising 14,592 cultivators, 71,738 agricultural labourers, 3,019 in household industries, 229,575 other workers, 31,050 marginal workers, 1,053 marginal cultivators, 7,362 marginal agricultural labourers, 876 marginal workers in household industries and 21,759 other marginal workers. The hills are home to 10 Hydel Power Houses (Hydroelectric) in the district and they are as follows: 1. Pykara Power House Location, Pykara 2. Pykara Micro Power House Location, Pykara 3. Moyar Power House Location, Moyar River 4. Kundah Power House I Location, Kundah 5. Kundah Power House II Location, Ketti 6. Kundah Power House III Location, Pillur 7. Kundah Power House IV Location, Paralli 8. Kundah Power House V Location, Avalanche 9. Kundah Power House VI Location, Kattukuppam (Emerald) 10. Kateri hydro-electric system Location, Kateri The District Headquarters has Government Hospitals, 5 Taluk Hospitals, 28 Primary Health Centers (PHCs), 194 Health Sub-Centres and 5 Plague circles in the District. The hills, having serene and one of the biodiversity hot spot has two ecoregions. The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, which lie between 250 and 1000 meters elevation and these forests extend south along the Western Ghats, which ranged to the southern tip of India. They are dominated by a diverse assemblage of trees. Many of the species are deciduous during the season of winter and spring dry season. The forests of nilgiris are home to the largest herd of Asian elephants and range from the hills across marching towards the Eastern Ghats. Not only, this fauna, but the hills and the south-western ghats are also one of the most important tiger habitats left in India. Also, the south-western ghats mountain rain forests eco region covers the portion of the range above 1000 meters elevation and these evergreen rain forests are extremely diverse and above 1500 meters elevation, the evergreen forests begin to give way to stunted forests, which are locally called as sholas and are interspersed with open grassland of the south-western ghats. It is here, that these high grasslands are hoe to the endangered Nilgiri Thar, which closely resembles a stocky goat, with curved horns and these Thar s are only found in the montane grasslands of the south-western ghats and barely are 2,000 in number. Over 2,700 species of flowering plants, 160 species of fern and fern allies, countless types of flowerless plants, mosses, fungi, algae, and land lichens are found in the sholas of the Nilgiris. No other hill station has so many exotic Nilgiri Hills ( 3 )

4 species.much of the Nilgiris' natural montane grasslands and shrub lands interspersed with sholas has been much disturbed or destroyed by extensive tea plantations, easy motor-vehicle access, extensive commercial planting and harvesting of non-native eucalyptus and wattle (Acacia dealbata, Acacia mearnsii) plantations, and cattle grazing. The area also features one large and several smaller hydroelectric impoundments. Scotch broom has become an ecologically damaging invasive species. Threatened plants of the Nilgiris include: Vunerbal species: Miliusanilagirica, Nothapodytesnimmoniana, Commelinawightii Rare species: Ceropegiadecaisneana Ceropegiapusilla, Seneciokundaicus Endangered species: Youngianilgiriensis, Impatiens neo-barnesii, Impatiens nilagirica, Euonymus angulatus and Euonymus serratifolius. There are three national parts, which are protected portions of the Nilgiris. The Mudumalai National Park lies in the northern part of the range, where the three states i.e., Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu intersect and covers an area of 321 km. This is followed by Mukurthi Nationa Park, which lies in the southwest of the range, in Kerala and covers an area of 78.5 km, which includes intact shola-grassland mosaic, a habitat for the Nilgirithar. The third one being Silent Valley Nationa Park, is just to the south and contiguous with the above two parks, and covers an area of km. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is the India s first biosphere reserve. Apart, from elephants and tigers, the hills also is home to a number of bird species and to name a few are Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri wood pigeon and Nilgiri blackbird. The pristine hills is home to 15 tribes and their origins are uncertain, as there are no written records about them. The best known among these are the Todas and the Kotas, who have related cultures based on pastoral management of the buffalo, with its dairy products being the basis of their diets. The tribes have developed highly refined red, black and white embroidered shawls and silver jewellery, which are GI-registered and much sought after. The Hills are also home to Kurumba, Irula, Paniyan and Kattunaicken or the Nayaka and as well the Badaga. The tribes occupy the plateau in different regions. The lower Wynaad plateau in the west of the district has different tribal population, as the todas and kotas, who have similar culture, language and genetic ancestry have their settlements much of the Nilgiri plateau and the Badaga, who are a part of the major non-tribal group and the largest indigenous group in the District. The Toda live in small hamlets called mund, which are located across most of the plateau region. The Kota tribe lived in seven dispersed villages named kokal and the Badaga, having 435 villages hatti in central and eastern parts of the plateau. One can clearly state that there is no historical evidence is found of a state on the Nilgiris or it was a part of any kingdom or empire, but has always been a tribal land. The Toda and Kotas have only few hamlets on the lower Wynaad plateau and also in nearby Biligiri and Rangan hills. There are ten Dravidian languages found here only and have also been detail studied by the professional linguists. Local place names are derived mainly from the dominant Badagu language e.g., Doddabetta, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudaluru, Kunda etc., Ootacamund is of the Toda origin and Udagamandalam is a very recent Tamil language version of this place. Sadly, tamil is today the principal language spoken in the Nilgiris, apart from tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi too have taken the place of Dravidian languages. The belt is famous for horticulture, as its economy is based on commodity crops of tea, coffee and spices. Followed by the above in importance the other crops grown are potato, cabbage, carrot and fruits. The main cultivation is plantation crops viz., tea and coffee and many of the tribal communities work in these plantations. Apart, from the plantation, there are other spices, which are grown in this district and they are cardamom, pepper and rubber. Generally, the tea gardens are at elevations of 1,000 to over 2,500 metres. The Nilgiri hill is also famous for Nilgiri Hills ( 4 )

5 Snowdon (height: (2,530 metres (8,301 ft)) N E is the northern extent of the range. Club Hill (2,448 metres (8,031 ft)) and Elk Hill (2,466 metres (8,091 ft)) N E are significant elevations in this range. Snowdon, Club Hill and Elk Hill with Doddabetta, form the impressive Udhagamandalam Valley. Devashola (height: 2,261 metres (7,418 ft)), notable for its blue gum trees, is in the south of Doddabetta range. Kulakombai (1,707 metres (5,600 ft)) is east of the Devashola. The Bhavani Valley and the Lambton's peak range of Coimbatore districtstretch from here. HullikalDurg: (height: 562 metres (1,844 ft)), N E In the Kannada language, HulikalDurg means Tiger Rock Fort. The Sanskrit name of his place is BakasuraParvata. It is 3 km. southeast of Coonoor. Tropical pine forest flourishes at the base of this hill, while the valleys support green foliage. CoonoorBetta (2,101 metres (6,893 ft)) is also called Teneriffe. It is on the northern side of the gorge, accommodating the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Coonoor. Rallia Hill (height: 2,248 metres (7,375 ft))11 25 N E is in the midst of a reserved forest and almost equidistant from Udhagamandalam and Kotagiri. Dimhatti Hill (height: 1,788 metres (5,866 ft)) N E is above the Gajalahatti pass, which provided a short cut from Mysore to thecarnatic plains and was of much strategic importance in the eighteenth century. This peak, dedicated to the deity Rangaswamy, is considered holy by the people of the surrounding villages. Avalanche hill of this range has the twin-peaks of Kudikkadu (height: 2,590 metres (8,497 ft)) and Kolaribetta (2,630 metres (8,629 ft)). Derbetta (or Bear Hill) (height: 2,531 metres (8,304 ft)) and Kolibetta (height: 2,494 metres (8,182 ft)), south of the Ouchterlony valley, are a continuation of the Kundah range. Mukurthi Peak 2,554 metres (8,379 ft)) N E, Pichalbetta (height: 2,544 metres (8,346 ft)) and Nilgiri Peak The (2,474 metres (8,117 ft)) N E are the important heights of this area. These three hills of the Wayanad district are generally low in relation to other heights of the district but are distinguished in relation to the generally uniform level of this area. MuttunaduBetta (height: 2,323 metres (7,621 ft)) N E is about 5 km, north northwest of Udhagamandalam. Tamrabetta(Coppery Hill) (height: 2,120 metres (6,955 ft)) N E is about 8 km southeast of Udhagamandalam. Vellangiri (Silvery Hill) (2,120 metres (6,955 ft)) is 16 km west-northwest of Udhagamandalam. Source: ( eucalyptus oil and also temperate-zone vegetables. If one views, the economy region wise or taluk wise, in Coonoor and Udhagamandalam Taluks, potato and other vegetables are raised. In Gudalur and Pandalur Taluks, paddy, ginger, pepper and rubber are grown. Paddy is grown in Then gumarahada area in Kotagiri Taluk. As the land is home to many tribal communities, varieties of millets, wheat, fruits and vegetables are cultivated by the tribal communities. The District does not have any irrigation facilities, having no irrigation facilities, the area is rain-fed. The natural springs are exploited, by way of construction of check-dams. The hills being unique, a home to wide variety of fauna and flora, and one of the India s biodiversity hotspots, calls for a comprehensive plan and necessary measures to be taken up, before its too late to preserve this unique geographical unit. Nilgiri Hills ( 5 )