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Introduction
Yercaud
Situated 1,515 metres high in the Shevaroy Hills, in the
state of Tamil Nadu, Yercaud is quiet little hill station on the
Eastern ghats is the only one of its kind in northern Tamil Nadu.
While the rest of this region is generally dry, Yercaud presents
a welcome contrast with its cool climate where temperature never
rises above 30 º C and dip below 13 º C . It is also a
less expensive place than either Udhagamandalam or Kodaikkanal the
peaceful hill station of Yercaud nestles among coffee plantations
and thickly forested slopes and is a good place for trekking and
boating.
Some people believe that these hills were part of the ancient megalith-builders'
domain which stretched from Cornwall through Brittany and Iberia
to India. Clearly visitors have been streaming into Yercaud from
well before recorded history
Sightseeing
(Yercaud)
Before
getting into this coffee-plantation hamlet, you have to drive through
the textile town of Salem. If you browse around the shops, you might
pick up bright handloom fabrics at half the price you would pay
elsewhere.
Just before the road begins to climb up the mountains
to Yercaud, do look out for an interesting group of brightly coloured
idols to the left of the road. These guardian deities, found only
in Tamil Nadu, are worshipped as protectors of villages and are
often known as Aiyanars.
On the way up the winding hill road with its 20 hairpin
bends, stop at a thatched wayside stall selling 'Fresh Garden Produce':
packets of cloves and pepper. Then come the coffee plantations before
entering cottage-dotted Yercaud.
You can amble around leisurely, or do a tandem
tour of the lake in a pedal boat, or hire a taxi to 'do' the sights.
3 km away is the rocky escarpment overlooking the plains. It is
known as Lady's Seat and some wag has named another viewpoint as
Gent's Seat.
Pyramid point, 3 km away, has cairns of stones
and was once a Stone Age fortress shrine before the new temple was
built. 7 km from the lake is the Servaroyan Temple with a modern,
striped, facade leading to an old cave temple.
Once you get into this soothing,
lake-centred, quiet and undisturbed green place, you don't have
to do anything but unwind .
Weather
Yercaud experiences salubrious climate and is pleasant to be visited
any time of the year.
Travel
Information
By
Air: The airport at Tiruchirapalli is the nearest
to Yercaud. Though the other options are the airports at Coimbatore
and Bangalore.
Rail:
The closest railway stations are those of the Salem
junction and the Salem town.
Road:
Frequent bus services and taxi services link Yercaud with Salem
that is thirty km away. Other important places linked with Yercaud
are Madras, Trichy, Madurai, Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore.
General
Information
Area :- 38.3 sq. km.
Altitude :- 1515 mt.
Population :- 36,863
Climate:-Summer-Pleasant
whether;Winter-Mild Cold
Clothing :- Summer
- Cotton ; Winter - Light Woolen
Languages Spoken :-
Tamil, Hindi and English
STD Code :-04281
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