History of the Nilgiris where Ooty is situated

The Nilgiris have a history dating back a good many centuries. The name is derived from the fact that the mountains have a blue smokey look when seen from far. There is also another theory that it is because of the kurunji flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the slopes a bluish tinge. The Nilgiris were originally inhabited by the Todas from Ooty and Kotas from Kotagiri. However the Badagas appeared here much later from the Mysore Plateau, around the 16th century. It is to be noted that Nilgiris has its mention in the great Epic Ramayana of Valmiki.
It was only in the 19th Century the English unsuccessfully considered surveying this area. The first European resident of the hills was John Sullivan, the Collector of Coimbatore, who went up to Ooty the same year and built himself a home. It was during this time that the English came to know the existence of a tableland possessing a European climate. Europeans soon started settling down here or using the valley for summer stays. The Nilgiris became a summer resort.
By the end of the 19th century, the Nilgiri hills were completely accessible with the laying of roads and the railway line.

Ooty Carrots are a big attraction for Tourists