Nī Āla Giri

India was once a continent in the middle of water. For that reason, it was known as ‘Samba U Deepa’. ‘Samba’ means ‘water’ and ‘u’ means ‘in the middle’ and ‘deepa’ means ‘a continent’. This land mass was much larger than the land mass of modern-day India, for some of it went under the Indian Ocean and some of it rose above the rest creating the Great Himalayas, when the Indian Plate/Indo-Australian Plate moved towards the north and rammed against the Eurasian Plate. This tectonic movement had changed this huge island mass into a peninsula. Therefore, the name ‘Samba U Deepa’ refers to either a huge island mass or a peninsula.

In Samba U Deepa, there are eight special mountains called ‘Ashatagiri’. They are Kailai or Veḷḷi Malai, Imayam or Panimalai, Mandharam or Kadalaikadaindha Malai, Vindham or Ārya Dhesathu Thenpurathu Ellai Malai, Nidadham or Nidadha Naatu Malai, Emakoodam or Pon Malai, Neelagiri or Asthamikkum Malai, and Gandhamadhanam or Meruvin Kizhpaaluḷḷa Malai.

Of these eight special mountains, Neelagiri or Asthamikkum Malai had kindled a spark of interest within me and made me put my mind to it. It is believed by the Primitive Dravidians that the sun went to the bottom of these hills. To my great wonder, I have discovered that the name Neelagiri corresponds to the description Asthamikkum Malai by all means. In Baḍugu, a primitive Dravidian language, the word ‘nī’ means ‘bottom’ and ‘āla’ means ‘the sun’ and ‘giri’ means ‘hills’. How apt the name Nīālagiri, The Hills of the Setting Sun, is!

The description ‘nīla giri’ meaning ‘Blue Hills’ becomes no longer applicable to the Nilgiris as the blueness of the distant hills is caused by the refraction of light and has got nothing to do with the geography of the Nilgiris.

All Baḍugu place names, about 7000 place names, are based only on the physical features of the Nilgiris. It is astonishing to note that the Baḍuga tribe knew the lie of the land better than any other tribe inhabiting the Nilgiris.