Visit Gudalur, The Plastic Free Nilgiris

Gudalur is a picturesque green valley on the way from Mysore to Ooty with a population of 32,605 (1991 census). It is a gateway to three states, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka lying equidistant from both Kerala and Karnataka. Though the history of the name has been lost, it is the place where all of the three states' boundaries meet. Some even say the name originated as 'Koodal'(Joining)in Tamil and 'Ooru'(Village),and Goodal+uru as a mysterious place. As the town is located 50 km from any other nearby bigger towns, Ooty, Sulthan Bathery, Gundalpet & Nilambur it can very well be called as the Joining-Place or Point.

Tea plantations dot the whole region, and the regional economy is heavily dependent on the tea industry. However, this is a place rich in flora and fauna with a variety of hill crops, though lower altitude crops such as paddy and coconut also flourish here. This area was an offspring to the exploration done by the British during the pre-independence period to cultivate tea. Various large companies own tea estates in the region. From the 1960s onwards, the region saw pioneering settlers moving in from neighbouring Kerala.[citation needed] Later, towards the end of the 1970s, the Tamil Nadu Government also granted refuge to a large number of Sri Lankan repatriates. This considerably changed the demography of the region.

Gudalur is the only Taluk to have an Act enacted by the Tamil Nadu State Government and is placed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India (entry 80) which is exclusively made for the Gudalur region. That Act is Gudalur Janmam Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1969 (Act 24/69).