Bhavani Historical Railway Cum Eco-Tourism

Project Proposal

Phase 1
Introduction
In 2014 Railway minister Honorable DV Sadananada Gowda spoke about Indian
Railways plans to take up Eco-Tourism and Education Tourism that special pilgrim a
similar Educational cum Eco-Tourism can be planned in the foot hills of Nilagiri
Mountain Range, Close to Bhavani River under PPP scheme which could be name as
“Bhavani Historical Railway Cum Eco-Tourism”.
Who could be partners
1. Central Government Though Ministry of Railways (Nilgiri Mountain Railway)
2. State Government through Ministry of Forestry and Tourism Development(Tamil
Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and State Government Horticulture Farm
including Horticulture and state forest department.
3. Local Bodies Like Mettupalayam town panchayat, Odanthurai panchayat
4. Private enthusiast and entrepreneurs like Swami Satchidananda's school
Satchidananda Jothi Nikethan in Mettupalayam, Resort, Theme parts, Hotels,
Restaurant Theme Parks, All India Railway Enthusiasts Groups, Mountaineering Group,
Heritage, Private tourism group
5. Other Partners as per Central and State Government Decisions.

Places for visit in Mettupalayam and Kallar During Railway History Cum Eco-Tourism

Phase 1 Activities (Half to 1 day)

1. Non Guide/Guide Explained Niligiri Mountain Rail Museum visit, Mettupalayam.

2. Short Round Rail Trip from Mettupalayam to Kallar and Back Using Dual Guage if
Permitted by UNESCO or Meter Guage either New Electric Locomotive or Oil/Steam fired
Engine
3. Visit to Odanthurai
4. Understand the variety of trees and fruits it produces in Kallar Horticulture Farm
5. Visit Kallar Garden
6. Yoga and Meditation session at wami Satchidananda's school Satchidananda Jothi
Nikethan (Proposed)
7. Enjoy the Kallar in water (River Front)and its purity, taste.
8. Nature camps on the farm for All & School children.
9. Taste the value added jams, juice essence and pickles which are made in the farm.
10. Biodiversity is often used as a measure of the health of the biological system we
could always see
11. Butterfly watching & Butterfly enthusiasts,
12. Bird watching
13. Safe Bathing Ghats children, Women and other groups enjoying nature at the
14. Safe Water Sports & Adventure Sport.
 Phase 2 (1 to 2 day Including night stay and forest Guest House/ Resort/Bhadrakali
amman temple_Bhavani)
1. New Ghat (Padithurai)at Bhavani or Bhadrakali Amman Temple ghat for visit and
evening aarathi. (Proposed)
2. Recreating old heritage structure (Either 1 or more Kallar Hanging Bridge Prototype
1,2,3,4,t) for tourism ((Proposed))
3. Renovation with food court/ Creating or new Kallar Siding station for shunting or
Charging of Batter based Electric Engine (Dual/Meter Guage).
4. Visit to Odanthurai and Coracle Boat die at Nellithurai or Barali kadu ensuring safety
equipment

Introduction about Mettupalayam & Historic Nilagiri Railway (Background)

Mettupalayam is a tourism and Ecological rick taluk and municipality in the Coimbatore
district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located to the north of the city of
Coimbatore on the way to Ooty.It is located in the foothills of Nilgiri hills about 34 km
north of Coimbatore Mettupalayam is the third largest town in the district. As of 2011,
the town had a population of 66,595. It is important for the Nilgiri ghat road. The Nilgiri
Mountain Railway which connects Mettupalayam railway station with Udagamandalam
(Ooty) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nilgiri Express connects Mettupalayam to
capital Chennai via Coimbatore. Mettupalayam is situated at the base of Nilgiri Hills and
hence is the starting point for the Ghat Roads. Coimbatore is 35 km by road from
Mettupalayam and the nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport.

Mettupalayam railway station is a train station located in Mettupalayam, a suburb of

Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu, India. Its railway code is MTP. It is one of the
important railway stations located in the Coimbatore District,[4] because the Nilgiri
Mountain Railway starts from here. The station is served by the Salem Division of
Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways. inauguration of the service, from 15 October
1929, the two through carriages operating between Mangalore and Peshawar (Which
was located in India Afghanistan Border then) were restricted to run between
Mettupalayam instead of Mangalore as it was more financial viable. The British officer
working in northern India could come for resting in Neelagiris using this train.[5], [6]. . Tea
Garden Express ran in metre gauge between Udhagamandalam and Mettupalayam and
broad gauge between Mettupalayam and Cochin Harbour Terminus. Post Indian
independence, the Ooty–Mettupalayam trip was cut off and the train ran as No.565/566
between Cochin Harbour Terminus and Mettupalayam, since the 1970s.[7], [8], Nilgiri
Express termed as Blue Mountain use to cover Madras to Mettupalayam & acts as link to
MG Blue Mountain Express for Ooty with through Coach attached to Podanur Calicut
Mail. Madras Ooty Through Timings were:- Madras 21.00; Ooty 10.20 & in return:- Ooty
16.30; Madras 05.50. It still exist past NMR UNESCO World Heritage Tag in 1994 with
Ooty Mettupalayam Passenger acts as connecting train. Nilgiri Express use to be main
portion of Bangalore Mail, Island Express, Malabar Express & Bombay-Coimbatore
(Through Coach bifurcate/amalgamate to Madras-Bombay Mail). Opened = 1873; 148
years ago[1], Same year as Madras Central was Built and is also a Terminus Type
Station for Both Broad and Meter Gauges Trains., After Uni gauge Coimbatore district
will the only district in India to have both Broad & Meter Gauge | Opened Mettupalayam
(1873–Till Date) Modes of Engines Electric, Diesel & Steam (Only Station in India to
Handle all 3 Modes of Engine)

The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track
railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the
mountainous location the work only started in 1891 The line was completed and
opened for traffic in June 1899 upto Coonoor and was completed in 1908 upto Ooty.
This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest
technology of the time.

Model for Bhavani River Front Beautification in Mettupalayam Town(Proposed)

Proposed Dual Guaging of Mettupalayam Station 1st Platform(Phase1),
Mettupalayam to Kallar (Phase 2)
Phase1

Phase 2
Introduction about Kallar

Kallar is a place located in the foothills of the Nilgiri mountain. The name Kallar originally
evolved from the name of the River Kallar. Kallar Horticulture Farm is the most playing role in
Kallar. This place is a perennial source of gravitational water from the Kallar stream flowing from
Coonoor along the hill slopes. Kallar literally means Kal – “Stones” and Aaru – “River”.

It is an astonishing natural beauty with Kallar waterfalls implementing, it attracts thousands of

tourists from in and around Coimbatore. This place receives an average rainfall of 1200 mm.
Spread over 70-80 rainy days. The main attractions are The Black thunder theme park, Kallar
river and the Kallar horticulture farm.
Wildlife At Kallar:

This is one of the very important wildlife pathways in the Western Ghats Part of Tamilnadu.
Elephants use this pathway to travel from the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats and vice
versa.

Here, you could easily site elephants crossing the road or wandering on the farm. During the
Jackfruit season, it is a feast for the elephants as they tend to stay in the area for a very long
time as their need for food and water is fulfilled. These elephants are mostly migrants from
Kerala and travelling towards Karnataka at a certain time of the year.

Apart from Elephants and monkeys, this place also has the record of Indian Gaur, Sambhar
deer, Spotted deer, Leopard, etc.,

Butterfly Watching:

Butterfly in Kallar

In the last half-decade, there is an increased number of butterflies seen in the Kallar area. Out
of 300 plus butterflies species in Tamilnadu, Kallar alone to have around 100 plus species.
During the monsoon, it is always a colourful treat on the banks of the river Kallar as the
migratory butterflies tend to mud puddle in the river banks. Butterflies such as
common-emigrants, albatross, spot swordtail, crow, tigers, Mormon, orange tips, many-tailed
oak blue, Helen, lime, gull are usually seen mud-puddling near the stream at Kallar.

Tamil Nadu Butterfly Society has identified 321 butterflies in the state of Tamilnadu so far and
recently they have spotted rare Orchid Tit ( Chliaria othonna ) in this place. There are also plans
for the forest department to improve the facility into a Butterfly Park.
History of Kallar Bridge
Phase 2

The Suspension Bridge in Kallar Pre 1890 Era (Prototype 1)

The need for a proper road arose when Ootacamund and its surroundings started
gaining popularity as a sanatoria and a summer retreat, and was completed in 1833. It
was constructed by Lt. LeHardy and his corps of pioneers, but the original alignment
was so faulty and the gradient so steep, that it was relaid by Colonel and the then
Lieutenant Law, The remnants of Lt. LeHardy’s Road still remain as the Old
Mettupalayam Road.
Create a Jute/Root/Coir or Nature Fibre based Hanging bridge across Kallar river
(Prototype 2)

Wooden Bridge Like Thenmala/Langkavi Model (Prototype 3)

(Prototype 4)
Recreating Brick & Rope Based Hanging bridge only for walking purpose like Malampuzha
(Prototype 5)
Historic Facts for Reference

The Old Mettupalayam Road, 1847

The new road is indeed a reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the steep
Coonoor Ghat, starting at Mettupalayam and crossing the Bhavani River, before
traversing the picturesque village of Kallar with its Areca Nut plantations, from where
the ascent begins.
The view in the ascent is indeed breathtaking, the road winding through deep
ravines and under lofty crags, while far below rushes the Kallar, and on the opposite
stands the grand bluff of the Hulical Droog, before reaching the head of the Ghat,
from where it levels out to reach Ootacamund some 18 kms away.
The Rivers Bhavani and Kallar were initially unbridged and had to be crossed by
coracles, and most of the mountain streams were bridged over with wooden bridges.
Later the Bhavani was spanned over with a masonry bridge and the Kallar initially
had a suspension one, the remnants of which were demolished recently. The
masonry bridge, the suspension bridge and the other wooden bridges, gave way to
regular steel truss bridges in the 1890s.

Masonry Bridge over the River Bhavani

Historic Kallar Railway Station

Retaining Old Ticketing For Nostragia (Edmondson railway ticket)

Autumn in Kallar Bridge
Kallar bridge. NMR, Nilgiri Mountain Railway & Beginning Point of rack pinion

Some Historical Notes

An alternate project was proposed in 1877 by the Duke of Buckingham, which provided for a regular
railway from Mettupalayam to a point about 3 kilometres (all distances given in kilometres rather than
miles for easier comprehension) north of Kallar, and thence an inclined ropeway to Lady Canning’s Seat.
This again fell through for not only was the proposed cost was almost as much as Rigenbach’s, but also
for the reason that pulling up passengers up such a steep incline was considered to be a hazardous
undertaking.
It was Major Morant of the Royal Engineers who took personal interest in this issue and invited Monsieur
Riggenbach to come over to the Nilgiris in 1880, and work up an estimate for a rack railway from
Mettupalayam to Coonoor. The upshot was a ‘Railway Committee’ being formed with Sir Robert Staines
as the Chairman, with Major Morant, Riggenbach, and thirteen others as members. The committee met at
the library at Ootacamund on 16 March 1880, and a Limited Joint Stock Company called the Coonoor
Railway Company (Limited) was proposed.
Owing to an unsatisfactory public response, necessary funding wasn’t forthcoming, and a new company
called the Nilgiri Railway Co., was formed in 1885, and though it dropped the proposal for a Rigi Line in
favour of an adhesion line, the rack principle eventually found favour again. It was not until August 1891
that work commenced, the first sod being cut by Lord Wenlock the then Governor of Madras.
This company was unable to complete the line and went into liquidation in April 1894 and a new one was
formed in 1896 to purchase and finish the line, which finally opened in June 1899, and was worked by the
Madras Railway under an agreement. The government eventually purchased the line in 1903, but it was
still worked by the Madras Railway on certain terms, and it was never considered as a profitable venture.
It was for this reason that the line was extended to Ooty, as it was soon recognised that without this
extension, there was small probability of the project proving to be a financial success.
A decision to continue the rest of the track as an adhesion line along an easy but circuitous gradient was
finally made, and work began with the line being declared as open to traffic in September 1908.

Horse/Bullock cart from Podanur to Ooty

Human Drawn Cart within Ooty and Coonoor
 Old Mettupalayam & Coonoor Railway station had Horse/Bullock cart to ferry
Passenger coming via train as Ooty Railway Station opened on in 1907
In 1862, this was the only means to go to Ooty or Coonoor, The Coonoor Ghat
Road.
 First Cars from Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor

References
1. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/rail-budget-2014-railways-to-promote-eco-tourism-and-
education-tourism-in-northeast-199674-2014-07-08
2. "IR History: Early Days – I". IRFCA. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
3. https://sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1313562170395-Nilgiri_Mountain_Ra
ilway.pdf
4. "Electric Traction-I". IRFCA. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
5. Palaniappan, V.S. (15 March 2012). "Associations demand extra coaches in
Coimbatore – Mettupalayam train". The Hindu.
6. "VIII". Report by the Railway board on Indian Railways for 1929-30:Volume I.
Calcutta: Central Publication Branch, Government of India. 1930. p. 71.
7. S. Shankar. "Classic Trains of India". Indian Railways Fan Club Association.
Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
8. "Waiting for the TRAIN of Hope". The Hindu. 24 June 2004. Archived from the
original on 10 November 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
9.
https://www.aanavandi.com/blog/trip-historic-cochin-harbour-terminus-station-ern
akulam/
10. https://www.railrestro.com/blog/interesting-facts-to-know-about-nilgiri-express
11. https://whc.unesco.org/document/154650