Yercaud

Yercaud sits at about 1,500 metres in the Shevaroy hills above Salem, reached by a road of twenty hairpin bends, and it stayed a smaller and quieter hill station than the Nilgiri towns, with coffee, orange, pepper and jackfruit grown across the slopes under shade. A lake sits at the centre with boating, and viewpoints at Pagoda Point and Lady's Seat look over the plains. The Shevaroyan temple on the highest peak is the focus of a Malayali community festival in May. Silk cotton, jackfruit and coffee estates, and a botanical garden with orchids, fill the rest.

History

Stone-age implements have been found near an ancient shrine in the Servarayan Hills, about 5 km from the lake. In the 1820s M. D. Cockburn, collector of Salem district, encouraged coffee plantations and citrus saplings brought from South Africa, and the hills were later popularised as a retreat (Wikipedia, Yercaud).

What you'll find

• The coffee estates - shaded plantations across the hill slopes.
• The lake - the town's central water with boating.
• Pagoda Point and Lady's Seat - viewpoints over the Salem plain.
• The twenty hairpins - the ghat road climbing from Salem.

When to go

October to June; the summer festival in May brings crowds, and the monsoon brings fog. Yercaud is much quieter than Ooty or Kodaikanal outside peak weekends.

Before you go

The town is small with limited to do beyond the lake and viewpoints. Fog closes views in the wet months. Facilities are basic compared with the Nilgiri stations.

Nearby

Salem lies below; Hogenakkal is north-west.

Key facts