Ooty (listenⓘ; officially Udagamandalam, anglicized: Ootacamund listenⓘ, abbreviated as Udagai) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Originally occupied by the Toda people, the area came under the rule of the East India Company in the 18th century.

Ooty is in the Nilgiri hills, meaning the "blue mountains", so named due to the Kurunji flower, which used to give the slopes a bluish tinge.

[9] The earliest reference to Nilgiri hills is found in the Tamil Sangam epic Silappathikaram from the 5th or 6th century CE.

[10][11] The Todas are referenced in a record belonging to Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and his general Punisa, dated 1117 CE.

[12] It was also ruled by various dynasties like Pallavas, Satavahanas, Gangas, Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara empire.

[8] In 1818, J. C. Whish and N. W. Kindersley, assistants to John Sullivan, then collector of Coimbatore district, visited Kotagiri nearby and reported on the region's potential to serve as a summer retreat.

[16] Ooty was made a municipality in 1866, and civic improvements including roads, drainage, and water supply from the Marlimund and Tiger Hill reservoirs were added through Government loans.

[16] In August 1868, the Nilgiris was separated from the Coimbatore district, and James Wilkinson Breeks was appointed its first commissioner.

[8] By the early 20th century, Ooty was a well-developed hill station, with an artificial lake, various parks, religious structures, and sporting facilities for polo, golf, and cricket.

[17] Post-independence, the town developed into a popular hill resort and the nearby Wellington became the home of the Defence Services Staff College of the Indian Army.

It is separated from the neighboring state of Karnataka by the Moyar river in the north and from the Anaimalai and Palani hills in the south by the Palghat Gap.

[26] Because of its high altitude, the temperatures are generally lower than the surrounding plains with the average between 10–25 °C (50–77 °F) during summer and 0–21 °C (32–70 °F) during winter.

[2] Ooty forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected forest area in India.

[32] Mudumalai National Park and tiger reserve lies on the north-western side, about 31 km (19 mi) from Ooty and was established in 1940 as the first wildlife sanctuary in India.

[32] Stunted evergreen trees grow in shola forest patches above 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and are festooned with epiphytes.

[41] Indian giant flying squirrel,[42][43][44][45][46] Smooth-coated otter groups are observed along the Moyar River.

[57] Due to its proximity to the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka and being a tourist destination, Malayalam, Kannada and English are also spoken and understood to an extent.

The Nilgiri Railway Company was formed in 1885, and the Mettupalayam-Coonoor section of the track was opened for traffic on 15 June 1899.

[74][75] Government Arts College, established in 1955, is one of the oldest institutions in Ooty and is affiliated with Bharathiar University.

[23] The Government Botanical Garden, laid out in 1842, has several species of indigenous and exotic plants, and hosts an annual flower show in May.

[85] St. Thomas Church, opened in 1871, hosts many famous graves in the churchyard including those of Josiah John Goodwin, William Patrick Adam, whose grave is topped by a pillar monument dedicated to St. Thomas, the tallest structure in Ooty.

[90] There was also a cricket ground with regular matches played between teams from the Army and Indian Civil Service.

There were riding stables and kennels at Ooty and the hounds hunted across the surrounding countryside and the open grasslands of the Wenlock downs.

The town was used as a setting in David Lean's 1984 movie, A Passage to India, which was based on E. M. Forster's novel of the same name.