Udhagmandalam (Ooty), nestled in the high reaches of the South Indian Nilgiri Mountains, is an exotic resort town for lowland Indians, as it was for the British colonists. The thick Nilgiri forests, unusually cold weather, and occasional frost-covered grasslands all speak of the unique environment of the region. This western mountain region, the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats, rises 2,636 meters above the surrounding plain. It sits astride some of the major routes connecting the west and east coasts. To the west are the hills leading down to Kerala, while to the south and east are foothills and the great plain of Tamil Nadu. To the north is the deep Moyar River Ditch, surrounded by the Nilgiri Mountains to the south and the Karnataka Plateau on the north, providing a throughway into the open plain to the east. The Nilgiris consist of rugged cliffs alternating with more gently rolling hills surrounding fertile valleys. The valleys are shaped by streams emanating from the mountains, with these river courses carrying large volumes of water from ample rainfall (up to 5,000 mm per annum). These high mountains, despite their natural beauty and productive potential, were believed to have been so difficult of egress, with their mighty cliffs, thick forests, malarial infestation, and wild animals, that they were only amenable to the native “tribal” peoples who traditionally inhabited them.

The native peoples of this mountainous region were also viewed as exotic, supposedly isolated, living on the margins of a civilized world.