88 Topographical Report on the Neilgherries, fJuLY 



return to their own stations, whence they came on the same day, as 

 neither those from above will advance into the low country, nor those 

 from below go up the hills. This particularly obtains with respect 

 to the jungle between Mysore and Goodalore, which is called the 

 Karkar ee juD gle. 



The pass which rises from Seejoor is now in progress, and wil^ 

 appicach Ootac;:mund by Kulhutty, or " stony shepherds walk." The 

 ascent is fifteen miles in length to Oolacauiund, and is very gradual 

 At the f( ot of this ghat there is a tremendou** ravine,the sides being 90o 

 feet high and almost perpendicular, and the span upwards of 2000 feet, 

 but a practicable wpy is being made to the bed of the Moyar river, 

 V Inch runs at ihe b( t!( m of this great chasm. The advantage in this 

 r( u!e is to do awHV wi h the necessity of going to Neddobetta, which, 

 al liough in ilie cold climate of tiie hills, and approachable by a good 

 rcau, is 17 niiles from Oulaeamund,nine miles of wliich distance will be 

 saved by the Seejoor pass, as travellers will thereby be able to reach 

 Guundelpett, on the Mysore road from Ootacamund, in one day, and 

 will also avoid much of the dangerous jungle on the Karkaree line. 

 Nevertheless, occasionally this line will be impassible when the 

 Moyar river is flooded, to which it is very liable during the south-west 

 monsoons. 



The Koondah ghat is thirty miles from Ootacamund on the road to 

 Calicut, over a very good road for palankeens, bullocks and horses, but 

 not for carts. The summit of the pass is 6000 feet above the level of 

 the sea, and the descent is rapid, through thick jungle,which covers the 

 whole visible plain below, and is infested with elephants, and other 

 wild beasts, which have not yet been scared by the frequency of travel- 

 lers. The road, having traversed twenty miles through dense forests, 

 reaches the Baypoor river, which runs into the sea at Baypoor, and 

 offers rin easy and speedy mode of access to Calicut, as a boat is soon 

 carried dov;n the stream, so that it would be possible to proceed from 

 Cisparey, at the top of the pass,to Calicut, in one day, although it would 

 require much longer to ascend the ghat, as it would be unsafe to ven- 

 ture into the forests when the sun was not up. This approach, there- 

 fore, will not be frequented unlii the bungalows at the top and bottom 

 of the pass be completed. But, when once established, it will be of 

 great value to travellers com.ing from Bombay and the Malabar Coast, 

 as it will enable them to reach a cold climate from the sea shore in 

 thirty six hours. 



The pass to Kotagherry is now but little used, as that place is less 

 frequented by invalids, since the withdrawal of a Commissioned Me- 



