Coonoor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Coonoor Tamil Nadu • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 1,502 m (4,928 ft) |
| District(s) | Nilgiris |
| Population | 50,079 (2001) |
| Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle |
• 643 10x • +91(0)423 • TN 43 |
Coonoor (Tamil : குன்னூர் )is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea. Recently it has experienced a growing networked economy and a significant influx of tourists.
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[edit] Geography
Coonoor is located at .[1] It has an average elevation of 1502 metres (4927 feet).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[2] Coonoor had a population of 50,079. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Coonoor has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86% and, female literacy is 78%. In Coonoor, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Background
The town is the second largest in the Nilgiri hills after Ooty, the district head quarters.
Coonoor’s dominant demographic is a healthy mix of religions, languages and cultures - caused by the tourists who decide to retire here, the Indian Army’s regimental headquarters and Staff College (DSSC) in neighboring Wellington Cantonment, and the local boarding schools. Economic development of the town has at best been lopsided, with very little going towards the maintenance of the town.
[edit] Local Economy
Coonoor's economy relies on seasonal tourist traffic during the summer months, and on the tea industry year round.
[edit] Tea
The local populace almost entirely depends on the tea trade. The massive private tea plantations that surround the hills produce fresh green tea leaves which are picked, processed and packaged in bulk in local factories, for sale at auction houses in Coonoor, Coimbatore and Cochin.
[edit] Tourism
Sims Park is, without doubt,the star attraction of Coonoor. Spread over 12 hectares, its small enough for a comfortable walk around and large enough to house a thousand varieties of trees, plants and flowers and a small lake.
The hills are among the more scenic spots in Tamil Nadu, and consequently attract enormous amounts of tourists during the hot Indian summer months. The town’s infrastructure often finds itself unable to handle the tourist inflow, and life turns especially chaotic when the local horticultural society holds its annual “Fruit Show” at the peak of the tourist season, hosted at Sim's Park.
There are several scenic areas around Coonoor. Coonoor provides tourists with a panoramic view of Eastern and Western Ghats along with its ravines, valleys, and waterfalls. There are some classical viewpoints close to Coonoor notably Dolphin's Nose, Lamb's Rock and Lady Canning's Seat.
Unfortunately "Development" has overtaken the town and hillsides are disappearing under construction activity. Some of the routes that were once quiet walks amid lush greenery have become walks among human settlements. The hill station has become a town.
[edit] Other Industry
Coonoor is home to the Pasteur Institute of India [1] which produces rabies vaccines.
Coonoor has some Sericulture. The Government operates a Silk Farm, though this is largely a research facility. Floriculture and strawberry cultivation are taking root of late.
Coonoor is home to Homedale Tea Factory on Tiger Hill road. This factory headed by Raman Aravindaksha Menon and ably assisted by his son Prashant make some of the finest teas in the Nilgiris.
[edit] Education
Schools are a significant contributor to the local economy. The expensive boarding (residential) schools have for nearly a century now been a feature of the Nilgiris and Coonoor. Originally modelled as British vocational training centers, these have now become comprehensive Kindergarten - Higher Secondary (K-12) schools based on the Indian (Central or State) schooling systems. The pleasant climate and utopian ideas of children growing up away from the maddening rush of life attract parents from all over the world. The schools are generally very well equipped by Indian and International standards, and mostly cater to the Indian elite. However, since most schools are also open to locals, they don't always breed elitist values. Many of these schools are owned and operated by Catholic missionaries. The reasonable availability of infrastructure allows these schools to excel in sports, unlike most other schools in India which have a very strong academic focus. These schools include:
- St. Joseph's Boys Higher Secondary School, Coonoor
- Stanes Higher Secondary School, Coonoor
- St.Joseph's Convent (Girls), Coonoor
- Brindavan Public School, Wellington
- Mountain Home High School, Coonoor
- Mrs. Bullmore School, Coonoor
- St. Antony's Higher Secondary School, Coonoor
- Shri Shanthi Vijaya Girls High School, Coonoor
- Arignar Anna Government Higher Secondary School, Coonoor
- St Mary Girls Higher Secondary School,Coonoor
- The Laidlaw Memorial School and Junior College (also called St. George's Homes), in nearby Ketti
- Holy Innocents High School, Coonoor
[edit] Famous Personalities
Coonoor has been home to several wellknown personalities because of its excellent weather and welcoming people. Colonel Rocheroft, of the famous Hennesey brand lived a retired life on a palatial mansion overlooking Wellington. The Maharajas of Cochin had their summer palace "Springfield" on the Kotagiri Road as did the Maharajas of Travancore whose palace was known as "Elk Hill Palace". The Vijianagaram Palace was on Tiger Hill Road. The consort of the Maharaja of Cochin, Parukutty Neithyaramma, lived at Homedale on Tiger Hill Road as did her son, retired Chief Engineer of Cochin State, V. K. Aravindaksha Menon. Retired chief of army staff, Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw lives in Coonoor. General Thimmayya had a house in Coonoor. The Raja of Chettinad lived near the famous Sims Park. Tata Executive Director Gopalakrishnan summers in Brooklands in Coonoor.
[edit] Transportation Links
[edit] Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is one of the oldest mountain railways in India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in July 2005. This railway links Coonoor to the town of Mettupalayam at the foot of the hills. Coonoor was the original termination point of this railway, before the line was extended to Ooty.
The ardeous task of constructing the mountain railways from Mettupalayam to Ooty, was undertaken by Rao Bahadhur Bellie Gowder, the then local community leader and a Badaga, who hailed from the Hubbathalai Village. He was awarded the title of "Rao Bahadhur" and "Rao Sahib" from the British Raj. He was also known as the uncrowned king of the Nilgiris.
This fantastic world heritige mountain railway still stands testimony to great things of the past.
[edit] Road
Coonoor is also linked by road to Mettupalayam. The road which continues on to Ooty is one of the Nilgiri Ghat Roads and is one of the main access routes for the entire district. Another major road links Coonoor to Kotagiri via Bandishola and Bettati Tollgate and then this road links to State Highway 15 (going from Ooty to Kotagiri).
The nearest international airport is at Coimbatore.
There are several other minor roads passing through Coonoor leading to outlying Tea estates.
[edit] Local Government
Coonoor is a Taluk head quarters, responsible for six Panchayat villages:[3]
The Coonoor Block also contains the following eight Revenue Villages (some of which are also mentioned above):
Adigaratty, Burliar, Coonoor Town, Yedapalli, Hubbathalai, Hullickal, Ketti, Melur
[edit] References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Coonoor
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ District Maps Online
[edit] See also
[edit] Links
- COONOOR Official history and tourism page on www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in. (This site is maintained by the District Administration of the Nilgiris)
