The Nilgiris: Stories, culture and traditions in a changing landscape

Imagine sitting in a carriage of the toy train in the late 19th century, as it chugged and whistled through the hills from Mettupalayam to Ooty. Looking through the window, you would see the landscape change as the train snaked through slow bends and climbed up the forested lower elevations towards Ooty. Before tea became the dominant feature, the Upper Nilgiris might have looked different from what we see today. Patches of shola forest tucked into valleys, surrounded by wide open grasslands. Indigenous settlements, millet fields and grazing grounds. Streams and wetlands in the valleys. Now, more than a century later, the train takes us through a visibly different landscape. This is the Nilgiris we recognise today - tea gardens, eucalyptus and acacia-covered slopes, and the densely populated hill stations of Ooty and Coonoor. 

So if you’re looking for things to do in Ooty, think about the Nilgiris as a mountain hideaway with its own story. Indigenous communities like the Todas, Kurumbas and Badagas have lived here for generations. The shola grasslands and forests act as natural water towers, feeding the streams and rivers in the region. Waterfalls and lakes break through the greenery, adding to the character of these Blue Mountains. And of course, there are the sprawling tea estates that make up so much of the region, it’s hard to imagine the Nilgiris without them. 

Beyond the tea gardens: Get closer to the shola grasslands and forests

The Nilgiris can be understood through its landscape. It’s the common thread that ties together its history, biodiversity and people. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is spread across 5,520 sq km and three states and is one of the largest protected landscapes in India. It shelters the evergreen shola forests and rolling, montane grasslands that have existed for more than 20,000 years. Found in the higher elevations of the Western Ghats, the shola ecosystem acts as nature’s own water tank, absorbing rainwater into the ground and releasing it slowly throughout the year. These forests and grasslands also support a remarkable variety of endemic flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. The livelihoods, food, knowledge and belief systems of many tribal communities are deeply linked to the land. 

Shola grasslands of the Nilgiris. Photograph by Pritish Bhanushali

Unexplored Nilgiris takes you through the shola-grassland landscape where you get a sense of its scale and why it matters. But there are other places where you can get forest permits to walk through some of the protected areas.

Avalanche: View the scale of the shola ecosystem 

Avalanche Lake is around 28 km from Ooty and is surrounded by denser, more enclosed, almost impenetrable shola forest. Another highlight of this region is the Cauliflower Shola in the Avalanche–Upper Bhavani landscape. One of the larger sholas in the Nilgiris, its rounded canopy resembles cauliflower heads when viewed from above or across the valley. 

Avalanche is also an Important Bird Area, recognised for its importance to several endemic and threatened birds of the Western Ghats. Its shola forests and grasslands are  home to species such as the endemic Nilgiri laughingthrush.

Longwood Shola: Take a walk in a dense shola forest

Longwood is a small pocket of dense evergreen forest surrounded by tea plantations. You can walk inside this intimate, 116-hectare shola forest with permission from the forest department. The easy 3 km trail takes you beneath a closed canopy, past moss covered trees, marshes and streams. Trees here can reach around 20 metres.

Longwood Shola might not be as large as the shola grasslands of the Upper Nilgiris, but don’t let the size fool you. Located just 3 kms from Kotagiri, it’s one of the last urban shola forests in the Nilgiris district. It has also been listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 2023. But Longwood is more than a beautiful forest ; it’s critical to the Nilgiris water system. During the rains, the marshes and swamps absorb the water like a giant sponge, helping to recharge the groundwater. This is fed slowly into three main perennial streams which supply water to 18 villages downstream.

Mukurthi National Park: Trek through a higher, wilder and protected ecosystem 

Located about 40 km from Ooty, the Mukurthi National Park gives a different, high-altitude perspective of the shola–grassland mosaic. Once you get closer to Mukurthi, you’ve left behind the largely manicured terrain of Ooty. In the high altitude of the Upper Nilgiris, the landscape feels open, windswept, remote, and much wilder. Mukurthi is a combination of open, rolling grasslands and dark patches of stunted evergreen forests tucked into the hills and valleys. The cooler, shaded forest shelters mosses, ferns, orchids and other endemic plant species. If you’re lucky, you may also see the Nilgiri tahr grazing on the slopes. The Mukurthi National Park plays an important role in conserving this endangered animal.

The drive from Ooty towards Avalanche, Longwood Shola or Mukurthi takes you deeper into the Upper Nilgiris. But if you really want to immerse yourself in the shola landscape, plan ahead and get the necessary permits from the Forest Department to walk through these ancient forest trails.

Tea & water landscapes: The Kundah-Manjoor scenic route 

A trip to the Nilgiris is incomplete without a visiting a tea estate. Factory visits are the best way to understand the skill and hard work that goes behind plucking a single tea leaf and also how the leaves are processed to make the dried and cured brewing leaves.

Unexplored Nilgiris tea plucking experience. Photograph by Nitesh Kumar

If you’re driving towards Kundah, you can stop at a roadside tea shop for a quick break. There’s also Chamraj Tea Center, located just 2 km from Ooty on the Manjoor Road near Balacola. This charming little outlet overlooks tea gardens and the working Chamraj factory.

No boards, signposts or landmarks. Located between Avalanche and Manjoor and about 30 minutes from Chamraj Factory, Kundah Waterfalls is tucked away inside a tea estate. After parking your vehicle on the road, follow the sound of the water through a tea garden, and along a mud path to reach Kundah Waterfalls. The trail ends at a rocky pool where you can sit by the water or dip your feet. Fed by mountain streams, Kundah is a perennial waterfall that flows throughout the year. 

Kundah waterfall flows throughout the year. Photograph by Pritish Bhanushali

But the larger Kundah region, which lies in the southwestern part of the Nilgiris, is one of the most important water catchments of the Nilgiris. The Kundah River is a tributary of the Bhavani, with the Avalanche and Emerald streams joining it in the upper reaches. This network of streams and reservoirs is associated with the Kundah hydroelectric system. 

Kotagiri — the oldest and quietest hill station in the Nilgiris

There’s a quiet charm to Kotagiri. Located just 30 km from Ooty, it feels less developed and manicured. The folded terrain rises and dips and streams run through the valleys between the knolls. During the monsoon, the landscape isn’t obscured by heavy cloud cover. Instead, the mist moves gently over the hills.

For someone interested in exploring the landscape, Kodanad Viewpoint and Catherine Falls usually make the top of the list. But these are conventional tourist spots that can get crowded. Instead, spend some time simply walking through the town. Kotagiri is working tea country, surrounded by 30,000 acres of tea plantations. Red and white colonial-era bungalows still stand among these estates. Ambling along the winding estate roads gives you time to take in the surroundings - tea being plucked, life in Badaga hattis (villages), vegetable farms and patches of forest.

The Kotagiri homestay in Unexplored Nilgiris. Photograph by Yogesh Chandran

Kotagiri’s colonial history, which dates back to 1818, is still a part of the landscape. In fact, the British established their presence in Kotagiri first, before Ooty became the summer capital and administrative centre. John Sullivan, then Collector of Coimbatore, built his residence in Kannerimukku, a Badaga village about 3–4 km from Kotagiri. Called Pethakkal Bungalow, this brick-red building with white doors and windows was renovated in 2002, and houses the John Sullivan Memorial and Nilgiris Documentation Centre. Here, you can get a glimpse into the history of the Nilgiris, the lives of its indigenous communities and the changes that came with British rule.

People of the Nilgiris: Traditions tied closely to the land

The Nilgiris may have been developed as a hill station by the British, but the indigenous communities and their relationship with the land existed long before that. The Todas, Irulas, Kotas, Kurumbas and Paniyas each have their own distinct languages, traditions and cultural practices. These communities are also custodians of ancient wisdom that has been passed down through generations. The Irulas, for instance, have extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and herbal medicine. The Kurumbas are skilled forest gatherers and honey hunters. The Todas are buffalo herders and also renowned for their distinctive hand embroidery featured on their puthkuli shawls. Today, these communities continue to live alongside tea estates, towns and modern infrastructure. 

Understand the people before you visit their settlements

The Tribal Research Centre and Museum at Muthorai Palada, is a good place to start if you want to understand indigenous communities of the Nilgiris better. It’s located about 10 km from Ooty on the road towards Avalanche. The centre was established in 1983 and offers a window into the region’s indigenous heritage. It showcases the traditions, tools, arts and everyday life of the Todas, Kotas and Kurumbas, as well as tribal communities from elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.

The Tribal Research Center and Museum in Ooty. Photograph by Nitesh Kumar

The grasslands and the Todas 

The Todas are a pastoral community who have a deep connection to the high, open grasslands of the Nilgiris. These grasslands are not only their home, but also grazing grounds for the buffaloes, which hold a sacred place in Toda culture. As tea plantations and commercial forestry replaced large areas of the original grassland–shola landscape, their lives and livelihoods have changed over time.

There’s a Toda settlement called Garden Mund on a hillside above the Government Botanical Garden. Another settlement, Muthanad Mund, lies off the Ooty–Pykara road, near Thalaikundha. Both munds have the community’s distinctive barrel-shaped huts, along with a traditional Toda temple. These are living settlements, so visitors must be mindful of the community’s privacy and local restrictions. 

A Toda temple in the Nilgiris. Photograph by Pritish Bhanushali

Toda culture is also expressed through puthukuli embroidery, the community’s textile tradition. Red and black geometric patterns are embroidered onto white cotton cloth, traditionally used for shawls. If you’d like to see Toda embroidery and support the artisans who keep the craft alive, look for artisan-led or community-linked craft outlets in Ooty. 

The intricate puthukuli embroidery. Photograph by Pritish Bhanushali

The shola forest and the Kurumbas

Sacred landscapes are found all across the Nilgiris. Banagudi Shola is a 70-acre sacred grove just outside Kotagiri town. There’s a Kurumba settlement right beside the forest where the community conducts traditional rituals. The Kurumbas have a deep knowledge of the forests, and this sacred site remains closely connected to the community’s beliefs and way of life. Banagudi Shola is also important to the Badagas of neighbouring Kesalada, providing water through its stream and bringing the two communities together for annual ceremonies.

The shola also contains ancient dolmens or megalithic burial sites that date around 3,000 BC, adding another layer of history to this sacred landscape. They are built by arranging large stone slabs into a chamber, usually covered by a large capstone. Kurumba art is also inspired by the forest. Traditionally made using natural pigments, the paintings depict huts, honey gathering, forests, animals, weddings, rituals and other aspects of community life. 

Kurumba art uses natural pigments from the forest. Photograph by Nitesh Kumar

Banagudi Shola isn’t a conventional tourist attraction, and some areas and shrines have restrictions. It’s best experienced through a local guide. This can help you understand Kurumba culture and how their beliefs, livelihoods and art are all connected to the forest.

What will the Nilgiris look like in the future? 

The Nilgiris is one of the most diverse landscapes of the Western Ghats. But it’s also under threat. The hills have changed dramatically over the past two centuries. So much of it has been replaced with tea gardens, agricultural land and commercial developments. These high-altitude grasslands were once categorised as ‘wastelands’ and gradually replaced with exotic trees like eucalyptus, pine and acacia, as well as invasive species like scotch broom and wattle. A recent study comparing an 1848 map of the Nilgiris with modern satellite imagery found that the Nilgiris have lost nearly 80% of their grassland area. 

While there are efforts to restore native vegetation, the ecology of the region may have already changed forever. What does this mean for the indigenous communities who have had to adjust to the changing landscape? This is where hope for revival in these hills may rest. The Blue Mountains still carry ancient stories, traditions and ways of life that have endured through these changes, kept alive by its people for future generations.