Coonoor () is a Taluk and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea. Coonoor is located at an altitude of 1,850 m above sea level, and is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiri hills after Ooty. It is an ideal base for a number of trekking expeditions leading into the Nilgiris. The Nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport about 56 km from Coonoor town. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Coonoor | |
|---|---|
Hill station | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Nilgiris |
| Elevation | 1,850 m (6,070 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 45,954 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Badaga, Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 643 10x |
| Telephone code | 91(0)423 |
| Vehicle registration | TN 43 |
Geography
Coonoor is located at 11°21′N 76°49′E / 11.35°N 76.82°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 1850 metres (6070 feet) above sea level.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a population of 45,494 with a sex-ratio of 1,058 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[2] A total of 3,768 were under the age of six, constituting 1,871 males and 1,897 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 27.92% and .23% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 84.79%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[2] The city had a total of 12384households. There were a total of 17,421 workers, comprising 50 cultivators, 152 main agricultural labourers, 266 in house hold industries, 15,790 other workers, 1,163 marginal workers, 6 marginal cultivators, 66 marginal agricultural labourers, 31 marginal workers in household industries and 1,060 other marginal workers.[3] The town is the second largest in the Nilgiri hills after Ooty, the district headquarters.
Local Economy
Coonoor's economy relies on seasonal tourist traffic during the summer months, and on the tea industry year round.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. Coonoor also houses the UPASI - the South Indian Tea Board which is involved in the research, commerce and auction of the Tea produced.
Tourism
Coonoor is connected by a metre gauge railway line in the world famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) between Mettupalayam(Coimbatore) (28 km) and Ooty (17 km).
The main attraction within the town is Sim's Park, a small well maintained botanical garden that has several varieties of plants. It is spread over 12 hectares. It is about 19 km on road to the south of Ooty and is accessible by both train and road. It also hosts an annual “Fruit Show” in summer.
There are trekking trails leading out from the town. One of the popular trekking trails leads Tourists to Lamb’s Rock that is 9 km from Coonoor. Lamb’s Rock overlooks the Coimbatore plains, providing a spectacular view of the tea and coffee plantations. A little ahead of Lamb’s Rock is located the Lady Canning’s Seat that offers a panoramic view of the Nilgiris.
Tourists can trek from Lady Canning’s Seat to Dolphin’s Nose, which is located 12 km from Coonoor. Nearby is Law’s Falls, which is located 5 km from Coonoor. It is possible to trek from the falls to Droog that is located at a distance of 13 km from Coonoor. Droog is also known as Pakkasuran Kottai. The ruins of a 16th-century fort can be seen in Droog. The fort is located at a height of 750 m. Coonoor has some Sericulture. The Government operates a Silk Farm, though this is largely a research facility. Recently, Floriculture and strawberry cultivation have taken root.[4]
Attractions
The Sim's Park is an important place to visit in Coonoor. Spread in an area of 12 ha, the park has a collection of over 1,000 plant species, including magnolia, pines, tree ferns, and camellia. The botanical garden is partly developed in the Japanese style and derived its name from J. D. Sim, the secretary of the Madras Club in 1874. The key attraction of the park is the annual fruit and vegetable show held in May.
Pomological Station
The institute is a research centre of the State Agricultural Department for persimmon, pomegranates, and apricot.
The Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint is 10 km from Coonoor. It not only provides a panoramic view of the vast expanse of the Nilgiri Hills but also of Catherine Falls.
On the way to Dolphin's Nose, about 5½ km from Coonoor, lies Lamb's Rock, another vantage point to view the fantastic landscape and the tea and coffee plantations.
At a distance of 13 km from Coonoor, the Droog takes one into the past, with the ruins of a fort, which was once used by Tipu Sultan in the 18th century.
The majestic falls are 5 km from Coonoor, on the way to Mettupalayam.
The hill station of Ooty, also known as the Queen of Hill Stations is 19 km northwest of Coonoor. Ooty is an immensely popular tourist destination. Like Coonoor, Ooty is also set amongst the green setting of the Nilgiri hills and has many lakes, gardens, and buildings featuring colonial architecture.
The main place of attraction is the power station which supplies a power of 1000KW near Selas.
Pasteur Institute
Tourists require a special permission to visit this institute. It is located near Sim’s park and was started in 1907. This institute develops vaccination for rabies (dog bite disease) and Triple Vaccine (DPT, DT & TT). In earlier days, it played a vital role in the research of Influenza vaccine. Now it produces Tissue Culture Anti Rabies Vaccine (TCARV) and the DPT group of vaccines.
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 boarding schools, these have now become comprehensive Kindergarten - Higher Secondary (K-12) schools based on the Indian (Central or State) schooling systems. Many of these schools are owned and operated by Catholic religious orders.
Providence College for Women, Riga College of Hotel Management and M R S Technical Institute are some of the colleges in Coonoor.Mountain Home High School is also one of the oldest School in Coonoor and the saying OLD as THE OAK TREE .St.Joseph's College, St.Joseph's Convent Anglo Indian Girl's Higher Secondary School, St.Antony's Matric Higher Secondary School, Army Public School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Wellington, Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Mountain Home School, Junior College and Brindavan Public School are some of the schools in the town.
Transport
Coonoor is well-connected by road with Ooty, Coimbatore, Mysore and Bangalore. The road that connects with Ooty is National Highway NH 67 is the busiest Nilgiri Ghat Road, and is also one of the main access routes for the entire district. Alternatively, there is another route that links Coonoor to Kotagiri via Bandishola and Betatti Tollgate, this road connects with State Highway 15(SH15) that leads to Kotagiri from Mettupalayam, Aravenu, Ooty. There are regular buses from Ooty, Bangalore, Mysore, Coimbatore, Erode, Calicut, Kanyakumari, Tirupati, Trichy, Salem and Cochin.
Mettupalayam, a suburb of Northern-Coimbatore, is the nearest railhead, which is 46 km away. Coimbatore Junction is about 75 . 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. The Nilagiri Passenger train provides a convenient connection to the Nilgiri Express train to the state capital, Chennai via Coimbatore. Coonoor was the original termination point of the NMR in the hills, before the line was extended to Ooty.
The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport which has direct connections to Mumbai, Bangalore, Singapore, Calicut, Chennai, Hyderabad, Sharjah and New Delhi.
Municipal administration and politics`
Coonoor is a Taluk headquarters, responsible for six Panchayat villages, namely, Bandishola, Bearhatty, Burliar, Hubbathalai, Melur and Yedapalli.The Coonoor Block also contains the following eight Revenue Villages Adigaratty, Burliar, Coonoor Town, Yedapalli, Hubbathalai, Hullickal, Ketti, Melur. Coonoor assembly constituency (SC) is part of Nilgiris (Lok Sabha constituency).[5]
Gallery
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The bustling Coonoor bazaar -
Coonoor town panorama -
Daily wage labourers plucking Tea -
Pasteur Institute, 1927 -
The Nilgiri Passenger train Nilgiri Mountain Railway -
Old Picture of Coonoor town -
A view of Coonoor from a nearby hillside
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See also
References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Coonoor
- ^ a b "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Census Info 2011 Final population totals - Coonoor". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Sericulture proceedings of Chief conservator of forests" (PDF). 14 November 2011. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Tamil Nadu. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
External links
- COONOOR Official history and tourism page on www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in.