Heritage walk organised in the Nilgiris 

A heritage walk to commemorate the bicentenary year since the first colonial expedition to the Nilgiris was organised in Udhagamandalam on Sunday.

A heritage walk to commemorate the bicentenary year since the first colonial expedition to the Nilgiris was organised in Udhagamandalam on Sunday.

The heritage walk, which started on the Government Arts College premises, where the Stone House, the bungalow of the Nilgiris’ first colonial administrator is located, was flagged off by the Nilgiris Collector S.P. Amrith and MP, A. Raja.

The district administration stated that John Sullivan, a colonial administrator, first made his way up the slopes in 1824, and that 200 years passed since the “discovery” of the district by the British. It may be noted that indigenous tribal communities, such as the Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyas and Kattunayakans were already residing in the slopes that comprise the district today.

The heritage walk will take walkers on a tour through the town and show them the buildings that were built by the British that have become sites linked to the history of the district. The walk took participants from the Government Arts College through the Assembly Rooms, Theatre, the Breeks School, the Nilgiri library, St. Stephen’s Church, the district collectorate and other sites. The participants were briefed about the history of the sites and the town itself. The heritage walk was organised by the district administration and the tourism department.

The heritage walk will be organised every Sunday throughout May. The district administration invited interested persons to join the walk. The Nilgiris district Superintendent of Police K. Prabhakar was also present.