Yercaud is a hill station near Salem, Tamil Nadu, in the Servarayan range of hills in the Eastern Ghats . Situated at an altitude of 1,500 metres above sea level, the town gets its name from the lake located at its center – in Tamil “Yeri” means “lake” and “Kaadu” means “forest”. Yercaud is known for coffee plantations and orange groves and also has an orchidarium run by the Botanical Survey of India.
The Yercaud hill area is also called Shevaroy Hills owing to the Servarayan temple which is the highest point in Yercaud, situated at a height of 5326 feet. Some of the original forests continue to exist in the Yercaud hills and contain several endemic species of plants and fauna. The Yercaud hills have many faunal and floral similarities to the Western Ghats. Wild life includes bison, deer, rabbits, hares, foxes, mongoose, squirrels, partridges, snakes, bulbuls, kites, sparrows, swallows and the bird of paradise.
The Yercaud Lake is a picturesque pool surrounded by gardens and well-wooded trees and is the first thing that attracts a visitor. The garden surrounding the lake is well groomed and best seen during the month of May when the Summer Festival is organized. The Lady’s Seat offers a panoramic view of the ghats and all the distant vehicles winding their way in and out of trees along the winding ghat road.  The Kiliyur Falls is a 90-foot high waterfall which is situated amidst picturesque surroundings in Yercaud. Akasagangai waterfalls is on Kolli hills which is known for medical herbs and plants.

Grange, the Castle – like building was built by the then Collector of Salem, Mr.M.D. Cockburn who first introduced Coffee from Arabia, Apples and other fruits from South Africa between 1820 and 1829 A.D. It is believed to be the summer resort of Robert Clive – the famous British Officer of the East India Company in the late 1800’s.
The Bear’s Cave is situated near the Norton Bungalow on the way to Servaroyan Temple. A huge cave formation beside a fantastic bungalow that was supposed to be home for the bears is now an important tourist spot. The Servaroyan Temple is on the third highest range with a bald hill top and offering a real open view of all the hills around.

Best time to Visit: October to March

How to Reach:
By Air: The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli, 165 km.

By Rail: The nearest railway junction is Salem (36 Km) and Salem Town (33 Km).

By Road: Yercaud is 190 km from Coimbatore, 220 km from Bangalore and 357 km from Chennai.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.