PLACES OF TOURIST INTEREST

Yercaud Town

            The Yercaud town is situated at an altitude of 4700 feet. The Taluk headquarters is located in Yercaud. The town has a number of seminaries and convents where brothers and sisters of various religious orders have their training schools. The Monfort School and Sacred Heart Convent are famous in the country. There is a large native Shandy (bazaar) every Sunday and a smaller one on Wednesdays, where vegetables (Chiefly native produce) and fruits are sold.

The Big Lake Or Emerald Lake

            The first thing one sees as you enter the Yercaud town is this placid lake in a wonderful surrounding of hills and natural shoals. Also a beautifully landscaped garden on one bank. It has boating facility. The Anna Park is a excellent picnic spot. There is also an island park and Japanese garden. It is also known as the Emerald Lake. This lake is the only natural lake among all the hill station lakes in the South.

            The Natural shoal seen around the Petrol Bunk, Round Tana and adjoining the Anna Park are about the oldest shoals of natural species of trees that one can see around the Shevaroys. Another shoal of this type can be seen adjoining the Orchidarium. In the interests of conservation this last stronghold of original trees should be preserved and replenished for the future.

Ornamental Lake

            This is also known as Small Lake and lies in the heart of the town between the Yercaud Library and Sports Club and the Monfort School. A fort like compound wall has unfortunately obscured this picturesque lake in the heart of town and made it look like a well.

Arthur Seat

            A bird’s eye view of the Big Lake, Yercaud Town and the Shevaroyan Peak is available from this vantage point, which is reached by taking the steep road going north from the centre point of town 1 km from town.

Lady's Seat, Gents Seat and Childrens Seat

            This is a cluster of Rocks on the South West of the Yercaud hills over looking 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 of yester years spent her evenings viewing the magnificent panorama before ones eyes. There is a sheer drop of about 200 feet at this point into a private estate in the valley below. There 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 Childrens Seat. There is a mini park and it is a breath taking spot for a picnic. 2 km from town.

Silk Farm & Rose Garden

            One can see the cultivation of Mulberries, the growing of silk worms and the method of spinning silk. The Rose Garden – one can see a good collection of colourful Roses and also purchase nursery plants from here 2 km from town.

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.

Monfort School

            Monfort School was established in 1917 in Yercaud by the untiring effort of Bro.Denis. 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 play grounds, well planned and beautiful gardens, and a swimming pool which is the envy of all the schools in the South.

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 Novitiate house where students of the religious order stay and study.

Kiliyur Falls

            This delightfully breathtaking water falls is 3 km from the Yercaud Lake and should be visited after the South West or 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 lthe falls which is heavily wooded, but a good 2½ hours to get ones breath and trek back again. 7 km from town.

Orchidarium-Botanical Survey of India.

            This is one of two orchidariums run by the Botanical survey of India. It has a large collection of native orchids. One can see the rare Ladies Slipper, an insect eating Orchid. A rare tree Shevaroys Bombax which was reported on one of the private estates has also been identified and multiplied in this farm. A treat for plant lovers. 5 km from town.

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 prosperit 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 Godess Sri Raja Rajeswari is seen surrounded by a plethora of Gods.

Shevarayan Temple

            The Shevarayan is a flat-topped hill with a plateau. The view from the summit on all sides is magnificent, one looks down on a mass of mountains and hills far and near, with the plains spread out like a map between the Shevaroys and the nearest hills. The Yercaud town and Nagalur is well seen from this hill. The Shervarayan Temple is situated at the top of this hill. It is dedicated to Lord Shervaroyan. 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 colour event in which thousands of tribal people of the hill take part.

Bears Cave

            This is a private property to which one does not have access except with permission. The old European Bungalow was once owned by Norton a famous Criminal lawyer of Chennai. Adjoining this bungalow is a cave which goes deep into the hill. After the first 60 feet or so one has to go down on all fours to proceed further in.

The Grange, Yercaud

            This is one of the oldest buildings in Yercaud, built some time in the 1820's 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 traveller.

Kottachedu Teak Forest

            The hills tribes who cultivated these lands are said to have abandoned this area after plague struck the area. These lands were than utilized by the Government for a Teak Wood plantation. Vaniar River passes through this Teak forest and leads to the Vaniar Dam. Bisons are frequently seen in the Teak Forest. 11 km from town.

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 panaromic view of the portion of Yercaud covered with Schools and Seminaries. 2 km from Yercaud Town.

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 remanants 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 from town.

White Elephant Tooth

            One is located on the Southern Spur of the Shevaroys below the villages of Guntur and the other is located in the east overlooking the Ghat road, above the 60' bridge.

            The larger one next to Guntur has two rocks about 120' high and consists of pure white quartz, which is in stark contrast to the greenery around and the black of the granite available around. Easy to climb up but hard to climb down as the material is soft and crumbles beneath your feet. 9 km from town, it is a days trek up and down. Alternatively one can trek down to the plains and catch a bus to return to Yercaud.

            The Smaller one which can be reached on the short cut to the 60' bridge from Tipperary Estate is said to have seen some Gold Mining Activity. It can be reached in about 2 hours time and from there another 1 hour to the ghat road, from which one could catch a bus to Yercaud or Salem.