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Yercaud is a hill station in the midst of the Shevaroy Hills in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The name Yercaud means a ‘Lake in the Forest’. There are numerous coffee plantations and orange groves in the area. It is located at a height of 1500 meters above the sea level.
This place is not as expensive as other hill stations and hence has earned the sobriquet “Poor man’s Ooty”. There are forests surrounding the town, which contain a lot of flora and fauna. Before you get into the town you have to pass through Salem, which is well known for its fabrics. You might end up buying a few handloom fabrics at prices that you would not get in the cities. As you proceed toward Yercaud, you will find the ways littered with brightly colored idols. These idols are unique to Tamil Nadu and are said to protect the Village or town from any disasters. These idols are really huge and are called Aiyanars.
History of Yercaud
Yercaud is located in the Shevaroy Hills and these hills are thought to have been inhabited from the Neolithic ages. The people in those days are said to have had trade contacts with the Roman Empire even in those days. The arrival of the British only meant that more trade was carried out from here.
Credit goes to the then Collector of Salem, David Cockburn for utilizing and developing the infrastructure in the Shevaroys. He was also responsible for the introduction of Coffee, Apples and a number of other fruits in plantations here. David was the collector here from 1820 to 1829. He is aptly called as the “Father of Yercaud”.
The Shevaroys were filled with wildlife at one point of time. However, as human occupation increased, wildlife decreased. The area was a habitat for elephants, which were very common here. But the elephants disappeared totally by the end of 19th century.
Attractions in and around Yercaud
Yercaud has numerous attractions in and around the hill station.
- Arthur’s Seat: This gives a good view of the lake, the town of Yercaud and the peak of Shevroyan.
- Grange: The Grange was built by David Cockburn in the early 1800’s and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Yercaud.
- Kiliyur Waterfalls: The waterfall has been formed by excess water from the Yercaud Lake and other sources in the Shevaroys Hills. This water drops down nearly 300 feet into a valley known as the Kiliyur Valley.
- Lady’s Seat: This spot is a great place to look at the lights of Salem Town. The Cliff drops down nearly 200 feet. At this point there is a telescope house, which offers a good view of Salem Town.
- Pyramid Point: The Hill Tribes have constructed 4 pyramid-like structures at this point using nothing but stones. Hence the name; pyramid point. However, there is a temple dedicated to Lord Rama now.
- Servarayan Temple: This is a cave temple dedicated to Servarayan and Kaveri.
- Bear’s Cave: Legend has it that this cave leads up to the Cave temple of Servarayan.
- Mettur View: This point is maintained by MALCO. Here you can view the Mettur Dam through a telescope
- Yercaud Town: The town is famous for its various seminaries, convents which serve as training grounds for the brothers, sisters of various religious orders. The town itself is at a height of 4700 feet and is the taluk headquarters.
- Emerald Lake: The unique feature about this lake is the floating fountain constructed by MALCO. Surprisingly, this is the only naturally formed lake among all the lakes found in Hill Stations in South India.
- Anna Park: This park is located right next to the Emerald Lake. There is a park within this park called the Japanese park. This park is a must visit for anyone visitng Yercaud.
- Botanical Survey of India: This Garden is a treat for Botany students and has a very rich collection of various species of plants. There is also a rock called the “Bell Rock” that sounds like a bell when struck with a stone.
- Horticulture Farm: One of the biggest attractions here is the Rose Garden. This place offers innumerable treats weith different species of rose plants including the ‘green rose’ plants. If you have an interest in gardening, you can buy saplings of various plants at very reasonable prices.
- Deer Park: The Deer Park is located right next to the lake, in the heart of the Yercaud Town. It is a great place for kids to frolic around.
- Silk Farm: Here you can see the entire process of making Silk. Right from the cultivation of Mulberry leaves to silk worms to various methods of spinning silk.
- Retreat: St. Don Bosco founded the retreat and it belongs to a religious society.
- Kottachedu Teak Forest: This place was occupied by tribals initially. As plague struck this area, the tribals migrated to other areas and the Government took over the lands, converting it into a Teak Wood Plantation. The Vaniar River flows through the teak wood plantation and goes on to reach the Vaniar Dam.
- Tipperary View Point: You can watch the Elephant Tooth Rocks from here. These rocks are said to be the remains of a meteorite that crashed into the Earth, ages ago. Instead of just plain black granite, white granite is found here.
Location:
State: Tamil Nadu
District: Salem
Nearest Airports: Bangalore: 230 km, Trichy: 163 km, Coimbatore: 190 km
Railway Stations: The nearest railway station is the Salem Junction
Tourism Department:
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation,
Tourism Complex,
No.2, Wallajah Road, (near Kalaivanar Arangam),
Chennai- 600002
Ph. 91 044 25367850 Extn.221
Ph: 91 044 25383333, 25389857, 25360294,
Fax: 91 044-25361385, 25381567.
E-Mail Id:
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Climatic Conditions
Yercaud is pleasant to be visited any time of the year.
Clothing: Warm, woollen clothing
Best time to visit: Anytime during the year
Mode of Transport:
There are regular bus services from Salem as well as other major cities of South via Salem.
Lodging:
There are numerous lodging facilities available in Yercaud.
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