Yercaud

     This charming hill station is about 8 km from Salem at an altitude of 5000 ft. The temperature never raised beyond 29°C and never falls below 13°C. There is neither a biting winter nor a scorching summer.  An ideal place to visit throughout the year.  It is on the Shevaroy range of the Eastern ghats.  It was brought to light by Sir Thomas Munroe, the erstwhile governor of Madras in 1824.  A fine motor able ghat road with several hair-pin bends links the top after a 23 km ride through coffee plantations.  Fruit plantations like apple, cherry, orange also abound.  ‘Yer’ means beauty in Tamil, ‘Kadu’ means ‘beautiful forest’. Hence, yercaud in Tamil means ‘beautiful forest’.  Some say that the word was a corruption for Erikadu which means forest full of lakes and true to it there are a number of lakes big and small and waterfalls on this hill.  A beautiful lake with boating facilities adorns the centre.  Yercaud is also ideal for trekking.

Anna Park

The park is situated next to the Lake.  It is typical park used to host the “Flower Show” in the month of May.  The Japanese Park” inside Anna Park is must see.  Children can play around and elders can take rest. The entrance ticket will be Rs.2/- for adult and Rs. 10/- for Camera.

Bear’s Cave

This is situated within a private coffee estate owned by a Mettur business man.  The main part of the cave is situated about 7 feet below the ground level and contains a deeper gorge which is believed by the local people to lead up to the cave situated in the Shervaroyan Temple.

Bears Hill

This hill is the one diagonally adjacent to Monfort on the South Eastern side of Yercaud.  It also lies to the East of Sacred Heart Convent one gets a panoramic view of the portion of Yercaud covered with Schools and Seminaries, 2 km from Yercaud Town.

Botanical Survey of India

Well maintained Botanical Garden by the BSI contains a rich collection of plants.  It is a treat for “Botany” students.  A”Bell Rock” in the BSI campus makes bell sound when you hit with stone.  You have to climb to reach the rock.  The entrance ticket will be Rs. 3/- for adult and Rs. 10/- for Camera. It remains closed on Sundays and National Holidays.

Horticulture Farm

It has “Rose Garden” and “Children Seat”.  The Rose Garden is filled with various varieties of Roses from Button Rose to Very Big Rose.  A “Garden Rose” plant is grown along with beautiful rose plants. Saplings of various plants are available at reasonable price.  The entrance ticket will be Rs. 2/- for adult Rs 10/- for Camera.

Kiliyur Falls

This delightfully breathtaking water falls is 3 km from the Yercaud Lake and should be visited after the South West of North East monsoon.  The surplus water from the Yercaud Lake and the other reaches of the Shevaroys Hills fall deep into the Kiliyur Valley in a breath taking 300 feet fall.  The views from the bottom and top of the falls are breathtaking.  The view from the top of the falls into the Valley is heart stopping.  The trek to the bottom of the falls is only for hardcore trekkers as it takes about one hour from the lake to reach the bottom of the falls which is heavily wooded, but a good 2 ½ hours to get ones breath and trek back again. 7 km from town.

Lady’s Seat, Gent’s Seat and Children’s Seat

This is a cluster of Rocks on the South West of the Yercaud hills overlooking the ghat road and the town of Salem to the south.  There is a natural rock formation in the form of a seat where reportedly a white English Lady spent her evenings viewing the magnificent panorama.  There is a sheer drop of about 200 feet at this point into a private estate in the valley below.  Here is a man made viewing tower with Telescopes.   One can see the magnesite deposits on the plains and on clear days a view of Mettur Dam.  One should not miss the night view of the Salem town with millions of twinkling lights.  On the right of Ladys Seat are sterling resorts, Gents Seat and Children Seat.  There is a mini park and it is a breath taking spot for a picnic. 2 km from town.

Monfort School

Monfort School was established in 1917 in Yercaud by the untiring effort of Bro. Denis.  It is a famous public school and the Sacred Heart Convent is another school imparting education to boys and girls respectively. The school was named after the founder of the Order of St. Gabriel.  St. Louis Marie Grignoin de Monfort.  Its vast campus with attractive buildings, spacious plays grounds, well planned and beautiful gardens, and a swimming pool which is the envy of all the schools in the South.

Pagoda Point

This lies on the Eastern side of the Yercaud hills and is also known as Pyramid Point.  The name comes from the hill tribes having made four piles of random stones in a Pagoda or Pyramid formation reportedly to mark some event.  Today there is a Rama Temple which lies between these Pagodas. One can get a grand view of Attur and Ayothiapattinam from this picnic spot.  5 km from town.

Retreat

The Retreat belongs to a Religious Society founded by St. Don Bosco (1815-1888).  The Saint wanted his spiritual son, popularly known as Salesians  of Don Bosco, to work for the poor land abandoned youth through Schools, technical institutes, agricultural and trade schools. The Retreat serves as a Novitiatehouse where student of the religious order stay and study.

The Big Lake or Emerald Lake

This first thing one see as you enter the Yercaud town is this placid lake in a wonderful surrounding og hills and natural shoals. Also a beautifully landscaped garden on one bank.  It has boating facility.  This lake is the only natural lake among all the hill station lakes in the South.  A floating fountain is constructed by MALCO, at the center of the lake.  The lake is surrounded by a “Deer Park” and “leisure Park” and Tamil Nadu Hotel.  Boat services are available at reasonable rate and rowing boats are available you have to pay the same amount as caution deposit.  The safety measures are followed strictly.  The minimum time can be spent 20 min.

Shevarayan Temple

The Shevarayan is a flat-topped hill with a plateau.  The view from the summit on all sides in magnificent, one looks down on a mass of mountains and hills far and near, with the plains spread out like a map between the Shevarayans and the nearest hills.  The Yercaud town and Nagalur is well seen from this hill.  The Shervaroyan temple is situated at the top of this hill.  It is dedicated to Lord Shervarayan.  The temple itself is a narrow and dark cave and seated inside are god Shervarayan and goddess Kaveri representing the Shervaroyan Hills and the river Kaveri.  The annual festival in the month of May is a color event in which thousands of tribal people of the hill take part.

Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple

This is said to be the goddess of all gods in the Hindu Pantheon and by praying to her one can attain wealth and prosperity and be elevated to higher levels of spirituality.  This temple was founded by Tirukovilur Thapovanam Srila Sri Gnanananda Giri Swamigals Parampara Disciple HH Swami Poornananda Giri in the year 1983 and now succeeded by his son V.Sri.  In this temple the goddess Sri Raja Rajeswari is seen surrounded by a plethora of gods.

The Grange

This is one of the oldest buildings in Yercaud, built some time in the 1820s MD Cockburn the then collector established the first commercial plantation in this area and planted Coffee, Oranges, Apples and other fruit trees brought from South Africa. The other coffee plantations in Tamil Nadu are said to have originated from this humble beginning.  During the Sepoy mutiny, great efforts were made to strengthen the roof and ramparts were built with Gun emplacements and 3 Canons were mounted at vantage points.  A large cellar was made to hold provisions for about 6 months in case there was a long siege and the Europeans of the Area had to hold off insurgents.  Well this never happened and all was peaceful during those years.  There is a well planned and executed Resort alongside the Grange, set amidst coffee & Orange plantations and Silver Oak Trees, a delightful get away for the well heeled traveler.

Tipperary View Point

One can reach this southern most view point of Yercaud by taking the Tipperary Road.  From there one can see the Elephant Tooth Rocks. Which are reportedly said to be the remanents of a meteorite which fell to earth.  It is pure white rock compared to the Black Granite available on these hills.  The Estate adjoining known as Tipperary Estate was once a posh hotel catering to the elite of British India from 1930 to 1940.  The night view from this spot-with the lights of Salem in the distance is mesmerizing. 2 km form town.