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Brooklands
Municipality
Coordinates: 11.3510875 76.8081471
Country	India
State	Tamilnadu
District	Nilgiris
Municipality	Coonoor
Government
• M.L.A	Ramu (A.D.M.K)
POSTAL CODE	643101
Vehicle registration	TN 43

Brooklands

Brooklands, a calm and tranquil localty is a part of Coonoor municipality. Coonoor is a small town in the Nilgiris District situated in Tamil Nadu, covering the Western Ghats region in the state. Coonoor is famous for its verdant environs and for a variety of wildflowers and birds. Coonoor provides a perfect setting for activities like trekking and hiking. It is also famous for its tea plantations and festivals. During summer, this hill town is over-spilled with holidaymakers. Coonoor is also an ideal locale for filmmakers, both from India and abroad. It formed the backdrop for David Lean's movie A Passage to India (1984) based on E. M. Foster's novel. Coonoor comes under the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Ooty circuit.The town is classfied into two catergories based on its demography _ Lower Coonoor that houses the Railway Station, Mount Pleasent, Bus Station and the busy town market. While Upper Coonoor is more of a residential area and covers Bedford, a very happening junction in town dotted with small eateries and confectioneries and two of the biggest supermarkets in the town, Sims' Park and Brooklands amongst the other regions that come under this thaluk. Brooklands is a completely residential area which also houses a couple of gated communitites, homestays and resorts. It is about 3kms from the Coonoor bus station and could be reached by bus or autos. Coming down from Bedford, one happens to reach the Darlington Bridge which marks the onset of Brooklands. Coonoor , Ooty, Kotagiri and all the other thaluks under Nilgiris come under Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu. Since 2009 , this constituency is reserved for the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes.

History

The first mention about Coonoor as a European settlement is seen in the first edition of Dr. Baikie’s ‘The Neilgherries’ published in 1834, here he mentions an encampment of officers and men of the Pioneer Corps, where the present day railway station now stands.When Coonoor was declared as a municipality in 1866, either on 19 Oct according to H. B. Grigg in his District Manual, or on 1 Nov as per Sir W. Francis of the Madras Gazetteer, the population doesn’t seem to have increased much. It numbered just around 1,400 odd individuals, and there appear to have been 39-42 bungalows belonging to the Europeans and about 263 native houses and shops.oonoor by this time had a post office, a third class telegraph office, a hospital, a dentist’s establishment, a day school, yet another hotel called ‘Gray’s’ in addition to Davison’s which was now called Glenview, and a transport company attached with a refreshment room. A library, a music depot, and a European general store were a few of its luxuries.

John Sullivan first discovered it for the outside world. In May 1819, Sullivan visited the eastern plateau for three weeks with a noted French naturalist, who was named somewhat pompously, Jean-Baptiste Louis Claude Theodore Leschenault de la Tour. Despite that name, he was no stranger to the ills that befell white men in the plains of India. But on reaching the hire altitudes near Coonoor, he recovered and got his strength back. Sullivan built the first stone house in Ooty. Between 1820 and 1827, he pleaded with the directors of the East India Company to develop that area in the Nilgiris as a sanatorium for sick European troops in India. When they finally capitulated, they began developing the area and also laid down the first railway lines -- which still exist as The Blue Mountain Railway thus making it easier for the ailing. But long before heat-and-dust-ravaged white men began making the pilgrimage to the hills and health, the Danayakas held the country adjoining the Coimbatore region, which included the talukas of Kotagiri and Coonoor. The Toda tribe has lived in these parts since time immemorial. Some of their ancient tribal homes can still be found on the outskirts of the region.

Geography

Coonoor is situated about 1,850 meters (6,070 feet) above sea level in the mountainous Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, in the far western corner of the state. It's not far from the borders of Kerala and Karnataka. The closest major cities are Bangalore in Karnataka (about 300 kilometers/185 miles north), and Kochi in Kerala (about 280 kilometers/170 miles south). Coimbatore, a large city in Tamil Nadu, is 68 kilometers/42miles south of Coonoor and also has an airport that receives flights from all over India.

Transportation

Beyond Brooklands lies Lamb's Rock, Dolphin's Nose, Tigerhill, Gurrency and other small settlements which are major tourist flocking regions. Government buses ply this way once every 20 minutes. Private buses too ply this way but go only uptill TigerHill Bus Stop. Albeit with more than two buses plying in the region, they don't reach the remote parts where the roads are too narrow allowing only two wheelers to pass through. The main bus stop is the Darlington Bridge Bus Stop which marks the onset of Brooklands coming down from Bedford.

Nearby Places

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Brooklands is actually a gateway to numerous closed communities and residential clusters. Tigerhill, Singara and Lamb's Rock are to name a few. It is home to CMS (Christian Mission Service) is a charitable organization that has been caring for orphan and destitute children for the past 49 years. It has 74 institutions for the care of children, young people and senior citizens, mostly located in rural areas. Presently for 6,000 and approximately 38,000 have passed through the gates of CMS. Crossing that one can reach Tigerhill which is home to closed societies and also houses one of the oldest cemeteries in South India. There are numerous tea estates all around the region and every estate has its own factory and is run by different companies making them separate communities. Lamb's rock and Dolphin's Nose remain to be one of the most visited places by tourists in Coonoor. They are essentially viewpoints overlooking the Coimbatore - Sathyamangalam plains. The road leading to both the places winds into the dense jungle and is dotted with upscale resorts and eateries that makes it a very happening place.

Brooklands Christian Guest Home - 1.6km

Lamb's Rock - 4.4km

Coonoor Bus Stand - 2.7km

Coonoor Railway Station - 3.0km

Head Post Office - 650mts

Municipal Court - 3.2km

Nankem Hospital - 1.5km

References

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