Doddabetta is the highest mountain in the Nilgiri Hills, at 2637 metre (8650 feet). There is a reserved forest area around the peak. It is 9 km from Ooty,on Ooty-Kotagiri Road in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. It is a popular tourist attraction with road access to the summit. The Chamundi Hills

Chamundi Hills

The Chamundi Hills are located in India, close to the palace city of Mysore. The hills' average elevation is 1,000 meters.According to legend, the demon Mahishasura, king of the area that is currently Mysore, was killed by the Goddess Chamundeswari after a fierce battle. The hills are named after...

 can be viewed from the peak.

Etymology

The name "Doddabetta" traces its roots from the Badaga

Badaga

Badaga may refer to:*The Badaga people, an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India.*The Badaga language, spoken by the Badagas....

/Kannada language translating into 'Big Mountain'. Hecuba (2375 m), Kattadadu (2418 m) and Kulkudi (2439 m) are the three closely linked heights in the west of the Doddabetta range and nearby Udagamandalam. In the Nilgiris plateau Doddabetta is highest peak of the Nilgiris districtsss remarkable for the flattened curve of its summit. Shola

Shola

Sholas are patches of stunted evergreen tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India. These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating...

s cover the hollows of its slopes. Slightly stunted, rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

 trees, in the midst of thick coarse grass, flowering sub-elphine shrubs and herbs are common, even very near the peak.,

Telescope House

There is an observatory at the top of Doddabetta with two telescopes available for the public to enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the whole district. It opened on June 18, 1983 and is run by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). The average number of viewers in 2001-2002 was 3500 per day in season and 700 per day in the off season. See panoramic photograph taken from the Telescope House.