The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.30

v1.c15.30

To-day there is a railway from Madras through the Gap of Coimbatore to Cochin and Calicut, and from this railway a rack and pinion line has been constructed up into the Nīlgiri heights to give access to the hill station of Ootacamund. There are magnificent landscapes at the edge of the Nīlgiris where the mountains descend abruptly to the plains. On the slopes are great forests in which large game abound, such as sāmbar and tiger. On the heights the vegetation is naturally different from the lowland. The cultivation of the Nīlgiris is chiefly of tea and cinchona.