Udagamandalam, town in southern India, in Tamil Nadu state. Udagamandalam is the administrative headquarters of the state's Nilgiri district. It lies among the coffee and tea plantations and the forests of the picturesque Nilgiri Hills, on a plateau about 2130 m (about 7000 ft) above sea level. It has tea-producing and textile industries and two colleges affiliated with the University of Madras (founded in 1857). Points of interest include the artificial Ooty Lake; the Botanical Gardens; the Charing Cross and its statue of Britain's Queen Victoria in the town center; and local colonial homes and Indian palaces. The area is the homeland of the Todas, and there are many local shrines.
Udagamandalam was founded in 1821 by British colonists who chose the high-altitude spot to escape the heat of the Indian summers. It soon became a popular British summer retreat and a favored resort of the Indian maharajas, or ruling class. It is still primarily a tourist resort. Population (1991) 78,000.
