Festivals and Places of Interest in Niligiris

From Left to Right My brother,grandma and me :)) (when i was 14 yrs)
At Ooty Botanical gardens

The summer usually commences with few traditional festivals that take place in Ooty.I remember visiting Ooty annually for the flower show each year.Our visits included the flower show,rose garden,Horse race at the race course and the dog show. My grandpa used to take me and my brother traditionally every year till i was in high school.The first flower show was organised in the year 1896.The flower show is conducted at the Government Botanical Garden during the third week of May every year.Elaborate arrangements are made to conduct the flower show.The flower show attracts large number of tourists from all over India.Flower show is held for two days. The floral decorations, Indian and Japanese flower arrangements, vegetable carving, flower rangoli, bonsai etc., are the few attractions during the show days. There is also a rose show conducted at the centenary rose park, Ooty.I have a photograph clicked with my grandma in the Rose garden when i was in high school,see how all of you like it ! The dog show was my most favorite , i used to be fascinated by the puppies when i was young.Good old days! Apart from this the fruit show is also conducted every year.Nilgiris is highly noted for its Horticultural wealth especially temperate fruits like apple,plums, peaches, pears, persimmon and citrus.There are a lot of places to see in Ooty.I have visited the Botanical gardens of Ooty,Centenary rose park and doddabetta.Doddabetta is the highest peak in Tamil Nadu.It is at the junction of the Eastern and Western ghats.

Conoor is a place near Ooty.I visited Conoor with my friend Anita to visit my collegemate's Reshma and Uma.We visited Sim's park and Dolphin's nose(which is a view point).Conoor is famous for it's tea plantations and trade.

Apart from Ooty and Conoor,i got to visit Kotagiri twice.The first visit was during my college days,and we just bypassed Kotagiri onour way to Catherine falls which is 8 kilometers away.We stopped at a place quite far from the falls and trekked our way

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in/

Catherine falls

through Catherine falls.Our college had arranged the trek in collaboration with Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI).It was one of my memorable tour.I got to see more of Kotagiri during my last trip to India, Dec 2008-Mar 2009 when i visited Kotagiri with my in laws.It was a memorable trip.