Christians, 8. Residence of pensioned Rájás. The southernmost town of Kánara, and, according to Wilks, the old limit of Kerala.
Nilgiri Hills (' Blue Mountains '). — District and range of mountains, Madras Presidency. The District of the Nilgiris until recently consisted exclusively of a mountain plateau, lying at an average elevation of 6500 feet, with an area of about 725 square miles. In 1873 the District was increased by the addition of the Ochterlony Valley section of S.E. Wainád. In 1877, the parishes (amsams) of Nambalakod, Cheramkod, and Mananád, in the Wainád táluk of Malabar, at an average elevation of 3000 feet, were added to the District, which now may be said to lie between 11° 12' and 11° 37' n. lat., and 76° 18' and 77° 5' e. long. The Nílgiri Hills District, with the exception of Madras City, is the smallest in the Madras Presidency. Its extreme length from north to south is 36 miles; its width from east to west, 48 miles. Area, 957 square miles. Population (1881) 91,034. Bounded on the north by Mysore (Maisúr) State; on the east and south-east by Coimbatore District; on the south by portions of Malabar a batore; and on the west by Malabar. The administrative head-quarters are at Utakamand.
Jurisdiction. — The Nilgiri Hills formed part of the District of Coimbatore till 1831, when the greater portion was transferred to Malabar. In 1843 they were re-transferred to the jurisdiction of the Collector of Coimbatore, of which District they formed a Sub-division till 1st August 1868, when they were constituted a separate District, and placed under a Commissioner, who, in addition to his revenue functions as Collector, was invested with the powers of a Civil and Sessions Judge. Under him was an Assistant, who had the powers of a District Magistrate, Judge of Small Causes, and District munsif. There were two Joint Magistrates, one at Utakamand (Ootacamund) and one at Wellington. The latter was abolished in 1879. On February 1st, 1882, radical changes, necessitated by the rapidly increasing importance and development of the District, took place. The Commissioner became Collector, District Magistrate, and additional Sessions Judge; the District and Sessions Judge of Coimbatore becoming also Judge in the Nilgiris. The Assistant Commissioner was made Head-Assistant Collector and Magistrate, and a sub-Judge and a treasury deputy Collector were added to the upper staff, while the subordinate establishment was materially strengthened. A deputy tahsildár was further added at Utakamand to the two already existing at Coonoor and Gúdalúr, the joint-magistracy of Utakamand being abolished.
Utakamand was a "military bázár" under a Commandant till 1840. It then became a civil station; it is now the administrative head-quarters of the Nilgiri District, and the summer capital of the Government of Madras. The Nilgiri District contains 5 Sub-divisions
