Mettupalayam:
Mettupalayam is a taluk of Coimbatore
Rural district, located to the north of the city of Coimbatore on the way to
Ooty. It is located in the foot hills of Nilgiri hills about 38 km north of
downtown Coimbatore, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Mettupalayam is the
third largest township in the district and one of the fast developing suburbs
on the northern side of Coimbatore. Mettupalayam is located at 11.3000°N
76.9500°E. It has an average elevation of 314 metres (1033 feet). Mettupalayam
is situated on the bank of Bhavani River at the foot of the Nilgiri Mountains.
Mettupalayam railway station is the
originating place for the Nilagiri passenger (NMR), also called "Ooty
Train", the only rack and pinion railway in Asia. Mettupalayam provides
the interchange for passengers of this subline to the broad gauge railway. The
Nilgiri Superfast Express (Blue Mountain Express) connects Mettupalayam to the
state capital Chennai via Coimbatore.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Mettupalayam is the starting point for
two of the Ghat Roads into the Nilgiri Hills. Subsequently it has established
itself for the trade of fresh fruits & vegetables coming down from the
hills and also for produce that grows on the plains and is destined for the
hills. Fresh products from here, is supplied to most parts of Tamil Nadu and
Kerala.
Coimbatore is 38 km by road from
Mettupalayam. The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport which has
regular (Air timings) flights from New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,
Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu,
Pune, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi,
Colombo, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, etc.
You can go to Mettupalayam from
Coimbatore by Bus, train and taxi. Take the bus from Gandhipuram bus stop. Bus
service starts from morning 4'o clock till night 12'o clock. Frequency -- every
5 mins all days in the year. Duration : 1 hour. Distance : ~35 Kms. Buses
which go to OOTY, Kothagiri, Gudalur will also stop at Mettupalaym.
By Train Take the train at Coimbatore
Junction or Coimbatore North. Two trains per day.
1. Blue Mountain starts at morning 5:50
AM, reaches mettupalayam at 6:20 AM.
2. Coimbatore - Mettupalayam passenger
starts at evening 5:45 PM and reaches mettupalaym at 6:30 PM.
Places of interest
The Kotagiri road is a fabulous walking
spot for Mettupalayam locals, where one can see spotted deer.
•
Black thunder largest theme part in Tamil nadu.
•
Vana Bathrakali Amman Kovil,
•
Then Thirupathi and Dhasampalayam Vishnu temples.
•
Kumaran Kundru Murugan Kovil,
•
Karamadai Ranganadhar Kovil are all famous temples located near Mettupalayam.
Black Thunder is a water theme park
located 3 km from the town that attracts many tourists. It has attractive rides
such as The Lazy River, Wave Pool, Thrillarium, Surf Hill, Cannon Ball, Aqua
Bowl, Side Winder etc.
For a magnificent view of the hillside
covered with forests, a train journey from Mettupalyam to Ooty is recommended.
This narrow gauge mountain train winds through 46 km of forests, tea plantations,
16 tunnels and crosses more than 250 bridges, starting from Mettupalayam on the
plains. Moving at a pace that is just a little faster than walking, the journey
takes four and half to five hours, but is more than compensated by stunning
views of the hills and the plains. The train journey to Mettupalayam is one of
the most fascinating experiences for tourists. This steam train was built
during the British period.
Bypass Project
An Eastern bypass road project from
Sulur to Mettupalayam connecting NH-47 with NH-67, bypassing Coimbatore city is
likely to begin on 2013 (mid-June). The stretch from Sulur would be from
Kangeyampalayam, Neelambur, Mayilampatty. Vehicles from Kangayam, Karur,
Trichy, Dindigul, Madurai and other southern districts, of Tamil Nadu could
proceed to Mettupalayam and Ooty without having to enter Coimbatore city. Three
rail-overbridges would come up at Sulur, Narasimhanaickenpalayam &
Karamadai. The entire stretch of Mettupalayam bypass road from Coimbatore would
be 53.95 km.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mettupalayam,_Coimbatore]
