Tamil Nadu   

Move to promote heritage tourism in the Nilgiris hailed

— Photo: D. Radhakrishnan

Architectural excellence: The imposing heritage structure housing the Breeks Memorial School in Ooty.

Udhagamandalam: An announcement made on Monday by the Nilgiris Collector Anandrao V.Patil that heritage tourism would be given its due by the district administration has gone down well among the people here.

Many told The Hindu here on Tuesday that in a rapidly changing global scenario conventional methods of promoting tourism would not serve the purpose.

Over dependence on tourist attractions such as the Government Botanical Gaden, the Ooty Lake and Dodabetta Peak would turn out to be counter productive in the long run, they cautioned.

The authorities should evolve plans to cater to the requirements of different categories of tourists especially foreigners interested in things associated with the Raj.

Pointing out that in 1877, the then Governor General of India Lord Lytton had described Ooty as a paradise, the Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), the Nilgiris Chapter, Geetha Srinivasan, said that though developments over the years had ensured that the hill station did not qualify to be described thus any longer, the architectural heritage bequeathed by the British still remained albeit in a state of neglect.

Underscoring the need to convert the heritage into a tourist attraction, she said that many of the heritage buildings were steeped in history.

Giving examples, she said that the Government Arts College building, which was called the Stone House, was built around 1822 by the founder of Ooty, John Sullivan.

With a number of halls and rooms constructed around the original structure it was now a peculiar combination of traditional and Anglican styles of architecture. An oak tree planted near the building by Sullivan in 1823 was a living legacy.

Though the Government Botanical Garden had for long been the most popular attraction in this district, not many know that it was one of the oldest heritage gardens in the country.

While the Raj Bhavan, the present summer residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu, was built over 130 years ago, the Assembly rooms founded by Lady Willingdon was originally a ball room.

Today it housed the best cinema theatre in the district.

The District Court, which formed a part of an important heritage zone of the town, had a unique clock tower which was one of the oldest in the State.

While the Ooty Club was one of the best preserved legacies of the Raj, among the other heritage features were the Lawley Institute, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Saint Stephen’s Church, Saint Thomas Church, Savoy Hotel, Thamizagam, Saint Mary’s Church, the Ooty lake, the Nilgiri Library, the Lawrence School and the Collectorate.

The Project Director, Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), C.Samayamoorthy, said that help would be extended for promoting heritage tourism.

Some of the stake holders said that the entire district should be treated as a ‘heritage attraction’ and optimum use should be made of facilities such as the Nilgiri Documentation Centre at Kannerimukku near Kotagiri where the Sullivan Memorial was located.

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