![Doddabetta Peak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Doddabetta_Peak.jpg)
Doddabetta is the highest mountain in the
Nilgiri Mountains
The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in northwestern Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, and eastern Kerala in India. They are located at the trijunction of three states and connect the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. At le ...
at 2,637 metres (8,652 feet). There is a reserved forest area around the peak. It is 9 km from
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
, on the Ooty-Kotagiri Road in the
Nilgiris District
The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ker ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is a popular tourist attraction with road access to the summit. It is the fourth highest peak in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
next to
Anamudi
Anamudi is a mountain located in Ernakulam district and Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and in South India, at an elevation of and a topographic prominence of . The name Anamudi lite ...
, Mannamalai and
Meesapulimala
Meesapulimala is an Indian peak, the next south of the second highest peak (Manna Malai ) of the Western Ghats on the border of Idukki district, Kerala state. Its peak is above sea level.
The name derives from its appearance from the southwes ...
. The peaks Hecuba (2375 m), Kattadadu (2418 m) and Kulkudi (2439 m) are the three closely linked summits in the west of the Doddabetta range near to Udagamandalam.
Flora
The area surrounding Doddabetta is mostly forested.
Shola
Sholas are the local name for patches of stunted tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These patches of shola forest are foun ...
s cover the hollows of its slopes. Slightly stunted,
rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
trees, in the midst of thick coarse grass, flowering sub-alpine shrubs and herbs are common, even very near the peak.
Telescope House
There is an observatory at the top of Doddabetta with two telescopes available for the public. It was opened on 18 June 1983 and is run by the
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation is a state-government Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of Tamil Nadu located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has been entrusted with the promotion of tourism and development of ...
(TTDC). The average number of viewers in 2001-2002 was 3500 per day in season and 700 per day in the off season.
References
External links
Doddabetta Peak"Doda Betta, India" on Peakbagger
{{Tourism in The Nilgiris
Mountains of the Western Ghats
Mountains of Tamil Nadu
Two-thousanders of Asia
Highest points of Indian states and union territories
Geography of Ooty
Tourist attractions in Nilgiris district
Tourist attractions in Ooty