Gudalur (Nilgiris district)

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This article is about a town in Nilgiris district. For other uses, see Gudalur.

Gudalur
Gudalur
State - District(s)	Tamil Nadu - Nilgiris
Coordinates	9.68° N 77.27° E
Area - Elevation	- 1071 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001) - Density	43,038 -

Gudalur is a panchayat town and taluk in Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

1 Overview
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Tourist Attractions
5 Trivia
6 Transportation Links
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Overview

It is a picturesque green valley on the way from Mysore to Ooty with a population of 32,605 (1991 census). It is a gateway to three states, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala, lying equidistant from both Kerala and Karnataka. It is said that Gudalur gets its name from Koodal - uru, meaning the "meeting place". Though the history of the name has been lost, it is the place where all the three states' boundaries meet. Tea plantations dot the whole region, and the regional economy is heavily dependent on the tea industry. Being a satellite town between Ooty and Mysore, both tourist spots, Gudalur has the prospect of developing into another tourist destination. Gudalur is a place where one can see people from the three states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, and Karnataka live together cordially.

The name Gudalur also derived from "goodal" + "oor" which means a place which is not easy to findout. At some time it was a hiding place for the newly wedded couples who married without the consent of their parents and eloped from their home. Criminals also find this place as a place to hide themselves from the law of the land. but the history of gudalur says that it is a land of hardworkers. people from different part of India migrated to gudalur and fought with the wild animals and with malaria and thereby reaped gold from the land. the present generation of gudalur is the sons and daughters of those saints of the land.

Gudalur is the only Taluk which is having an Act enacted by the Tamilnadu State Government and is placed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India(entry 80)which is exclusively made for the Gudalur region. That Act is Gudalur Janmam Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1969 (Act 24/69). This act is a curse for some in Gudalur and a blessing for some others. Thousands of small scale farmers are struggling without getting ownership under this Act and at the same time many are getting ownership of land through unfair means and through back door.

Eralier Gudalur Taluk was divided into two talukas: Gudalur and Pandalur. Pandalur Taluka consists of the major portion of Nelliyalam Villages and Cherangode village. It was the seat of erstwile Nelliyalam Ratti. Nelliyalam is a small village where you can find the remains of the fort of Nelliyalam Ratti. Unfortunately Nelliyalam is not the capital of Pandalur Taluk.

Now gudalur is a IIIrd grade selection muncipality.

[edit] Geography

Gudalur is located at 9.68° N 77.27° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 1071 metres (3517 feet).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Gudalur had a population of 43,038. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Gudalur has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 68%. In Gudalur, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Tourist Attractions

Needle Rock View Point (Ooshi Malai/Soochi Malai): (Needle point rock view) It is 12 km. on the way to Udhagamandalam - Gudalur. From here one can enjoy panoramic view of can see almost every part of Gudalur and Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, Gudalur town, bandipur and parts of Mysore. On the other side you can see part of Kerala. You can also see a mountain popularly known as 'Sleeping Beauty'(also called Aanakkallu) which is excately in the shape of a sleeping woman.
Frog Hill View: The hill is in the shape of a huge frog. Frog hill view point is 14 km. from Gudalur on the way to Udhagamandalam-/ Gudalur road. From here one can see gigantic Frog shape of a hill view.
Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary is in Gudalur.
Nambalakkotta (Numbalkottah ): 8 km. from Gudalur. A shrine of Battarayaswamy (Lord of the hunts) with sub-shrine built in Kerala style is here. Wynad scenes is visible from here.
Nelliyalam: 20 km. from Gudalur. A few ruins of historical Ummatur dynasty can be seen here. There is ruins of a Fort which were the seat of the erstwhile Nelliyalam Rani.
Ponneni: There is a Vishnu Temple where 'Utsavam' were taking place once in 12 years. It was under the control of Nilambur kovilakam and it is not maintained properly after the 'Gudalur Janmam abolishment and Conversion Act, 1969' passed by the Tamilnadu State government.
Pandalur: Capital of Pandalur Taluka. There are so many tea plantations.
Gudalur: Capital of Gudalur Taluka. There is one Government Arts College in Gudalur. Higher Educational facilities are very pooor.
Singara and Moyar: Power houses under the control of Tamilnadu State Electricity Board. Power house is under the ground. This is the speciality here. water flows through tunnels.
Cherangode: There is a shrine dedicated to Velankanni Mata. This is a pilgrims centre.
Cherambady 35 km. from Gudalur. It is extreme western corner which has plantations and mica mines. Sultan battery is very near.

Cherambady is a place of hardworking people, near Kerala-Tamilnadu border, majority of people residing here are Malayalees.

Kunnalady: Kunnalady is a centre of Malayalees as well as Tamils. It is a centre of Tea Leaves business. Bekky is near by. The people here are mainly tea planters and life depends on the rise and fall of tea leaf value. There is a church in Kunnalady and another in Bekky. Bekky Matha Church is ancient and very famous for its feast called'perunnal'.This is a pilgrim centre. There is a temple 'Anchmbalam' in kunnalady and its 'Utsavam' is very famous. People from various places visit here during that time.Ammankavu is near by. Amman kavu utsavam is a time for the tribals to meet in a year.
Nellakotta: It is 15 km. from Gudalur. A dilapidated fort is there.
Hanging Bridges : Located on the way to Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary. It is 14 km. from Gudalur

[edit] Trivia

Gudalur is blessed with biodiversity. Many species of medicinal plants are available in Gudalur, but because of the lack of proper awareness these medicinal plants are destroyed.

[edit] Transportation Links

Gudalur is linked by road to Ooty and this is one of the Nilgiri Ghat Roads. In the other direction, the same road continues on towards Gundlupet (and on to Mysore) in Karnataka State. Another road links it to Sultans Battery in Kerala State. Gudalur is therefore on the access route to other towns in the district for goods and passengers from the state of Karnataka and some from the state of Kerala.