Yercaud – A Scenic forest in Tamilnadu

An ideal place to visit throughout the year. 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 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 its there are a number of lakes big and small and waterfalls on this hill. A beautiful lake with boating facilities adorns the centre. This city is popular for oranges and coffee plantations. Coffee was first cultivated on the Grange Estate in 1820, which was initially brought from Africa to Yercaud by Mr. M.D. Cockburn. Many other fruits and spices were cultivated on the coffee estate in Yercaud such as jackfruit, oranges and guava and black pepper and cardamom. Yercaud was discovered in the 19th century by the British and attracted many Christian missionaries. The city was discovered by the governor of the Madras Presidency, Sir Thomas Muroe in 1842 and David Cockburn, the Scottish collector of Salem district. Salem district was purchased by Mr. G.F. Fisher, the only European Zamindar, in 1836.The temperature of Yercaud ranges from 15o Celsius to 30o Celsius throughout the year. Though it is a year round destination, the ideal time to visit is from October to June.

Places to see:

• The Kulliar Falls: This 300 ft high waterfall among sylvan surroundings is a beautiful sight for spending hours together without boredom. This delightfully breathtaking waterfall is 3 km from the Yercaud Lake and should be visited after the South West or North East Monsoon.

• 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 remnants of a meteorite which fell to earth. It is pure white rock compared to the Black Granite available on these hills.

• 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 a must see.

• 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.

• 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 "Green Rose" plant is grown along with beautiful rose plants.

How to Reach:

Reach Salem and then it is 22 km uphill. Regular interval buses are available from salem central bus stand. Pay 22/- per person and just alight before the last bus stop at yercaud, near the lake most of the hotels are nearby from the lake. while returning better to get the buses from the starting stop at yercaud rather than the lake side stop as it is not easy to stand in the bus on the hilly road.

Bus tickets are easily available online. One can plan trip and do bus booking online in advance. Online bus tickets booking is an easy process which can save your time and price.