Kotagiri or Kothagiri is a taluk and a Panchayat town in The Nilgiris District[1] in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri hills has been the traditional home of the "Kota" tribes. The name ‘Kota-giri’ itself means ‘mountain of the Kotas’. Kotagiri was known in the past as “Kota-Keri” or “Kota-gherry”, the street of Kotas. The town has developed around numerous knolls and valleys. It is the third largest hill station in the Nilgiri Mountains. Located at an average elevation of 1,950 m (6,400 ft), Kotagiri is quietly tucked away in the Nilgiris and used to be one of the summer resort of Madras Presidency. The Kotagiri weather is more bracing than that of Coonoor and balmier than that of Ooty.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Kotagiri town Panchayat has a population of 28,207, of which 13,607 are males while 14,600 are females. The population of children aged 0–6 is 2,340, which is 8.30% of the total population of Kotagiri (TP).[3] In Kotagiri Town Panchayat, Female Sex Ratio is 1073 against state average of 996. Child Sex Ratio in Kotagiri is 945 compared to Tamil Nadu state average of 943. Literacy rate of Kotagiri city is 86.79% higher than state average of 80.09%. In Kotagiri, the male literacy rate is around 93.55% while the female literacy rate is 80.57%.[2]

Villages in Kotagiri Town Panchayat[edit]

Educational institutions

• St. Jude's Public School & Junior College

Tourist spots

• Kodanad View Point
• Catherine Falls
• Elk Falls[4]
• Longwood Chola[5]
• Rangaswamy Peak And Pillar[6]
• John Sullivan Memorial[7]