World Heritage Site: Mountain Railways (Nilgiri Mountain Railway)

The The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest mountain railways in India. It connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Ootacamund, popularly known as Ooty. The lines were laid in the Nilgiri Hills – popularly known as the ‘Blue Mountains’ of South India – by the British in 1908. The trains run on a single track which spans a distance of 46 kilometres. It runs on a long metre gauge single line. The railway is one of the few in the world that is dependent on steam locomotives. It is also the only rack railway in India. It runs on the steepest rail track in Asia. This rail route falls on the way of a number of exotic hill stations in the south including Coonoor, Wellington, Lovedale, Ooty, etc. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the year 2005.

DID YOU KNOW? The Nilgiri Mountain Railway has been featured in quite a few movies. Coonoor station was featured in David Lean’s film A Passage to India. Ketti station also was used as the location in a Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem. The famous Bollywood song Chaiyya Chaiyya from Shahrukh Khan’s Dil Se was shot on the rooftop of NMR. Lovedale station has featured in the famous Tamil hit, MoonramPirai.

PICTURE GALLERY

ACTIVITY SECTION:

1. A JOY RIDE…… The mountain railways are a marvellous experience. Have you ever been on a ride? Can you write a poem about your experience? Don’t worry if you haven’t experienced it so far.your poem can also be an imaginary one. ______

______

______

2. How and when was NMR attained the status of World Heritage Site from UNESCO? ______

______

3. DRAW IT YOURSELF……. You can draw a beautiful mountain railway route—chose the one you like the most. Exhibit your creative instincts here.

4. Tell us about your most memorable train journey. Did you see any site, structure or landscape with historic value during your journey? ______

______

5. Work out a timeline of Railways in India, starting from the first train, line, kind of train etc. 1.______

2.______

3.______

4.______

5.______

6.______

6. Design a logo for the Indian Railways.

gf

Reference: Online reference: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944 Picture credits: http://movingshoe.com/nilgiri-mountain-railway/ https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944