Curiously enough, this slice of paradise remained unknown to the great southern dynasties and it took the British to discover it in the early 1800s. The first inhabitants of the region were, however, the Toda, the tribal people whose belief systems and practices centre on the buffalo. Today only 1500 Toda remain, their cone shaped shrines prominent throughout the hills.

The credit for modernizing Ooty and making it accessible goes to the British who constructed the first railway line in the area and made it the summer capital of the Madras Presidency in the early 19th century. Until about two decades ago Ooty resembled an unlikely combination of southern England and Australia - single storey stone cottages, bijou fenced flower gardens, leafy winding lanes and tall eucalyptus stands.

The Ooty races, held during April-may-June every year, attract thousand of tourists and race-goers. Ooty is a great place at any time - from April to June it's a welcome relief from the hot plains and in winter October to March, it's crisp and clear and the best time to come.