, Nilgiri Hills culture, 1st millennium CE. British Museum The high steppes of the Nilgiri Hills have been inhabited since
prehistoric times, as demonstrated by a large number of artifacts unearthed by excavators. A particularly important collection from the region can be seen in the
British Museum, including those assembled by
colonial officers
James Wilkinson Breeks, Major M. J. Walhouse and
Sir Walter Elliot. The first recorded use of the word
Nila applied to this region can be traced back to 1117 CE. In the report of a general of
Vishnuvardhana, King of
Hoysalas, who in reference to his enemies, claimed to have "frightened the
Todas, driven the Kongas underground, slaughtered the Poluvas, put to death the Maleyalas, terrified Chieftain Kala Nirpala, and then proceeded to offer the peak of Nila Mountain.(presumably Doddabetta or Rangaswami peak of Peranganad in East Nilgiris) to
Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth. A
hero stone (
Veeragallu) with a Kannada inscription at Vazhaithottam (Bale thota) in the Nilgiri District, dated to 10th century CE, has been discovered. In 1814, as part of the
Great Trigonometrical Survey, a sub-assistant named Keys and an apprentice named McMahon ascended the hills by the Danaynkeucottah (Dannayakana Kote) Pass, penetrated into the remotest parts, made plans, and sent in reports of their discoveries. As a result of these accounts, Messrs. Whish and Kindersley, two young Madras civilians, ventured up in pursuit of some criminals taking refuge in the mountains, and proceeded to observe the interior. They soon saw and felt enough favorable climate and terrain to excite their own curiosity, and that of others. After the early 1820s, the hills were developed rapidly under the
British Raj, because most of the land was already privately owned by British citizens. It was a popular summer and weekend getaway for the British during the colonial days. In 1827,
Ooty became the official
sanatorium and the summer capital of the
Madras Presidency. Many winding hill roads were built. In 1899, the
Nilgiri Mountain Railway was completed by influential and enterprising British citizens, with venture capital from the Madras government. In the 19th century, when the British
Straits Settlement shipped Chinese convicts to be jailed in India, the Chinese men settled in the Nilgiri mountains near
Naduvattam after their release and married
Tamil Paraiyan women, having mixed Chinese-Tamil children with them. They were documented by
Edgar Thurston. ==Peaks in the Nilgiris==