Access Festivals Excursions General Info Places to Visit

Located on the Servaroyan Hills, in Salem District, Yercaud is a hill station visited by tourists throughout the year. The Servaroyan Hills as a whole, provide many beautiful vistas and panoramic views. Yercaud itself is a pretty hill station with a pleasant cool climate. Yercaud's temperature never rises above 30° C or falls below 13° C. This is one hill station where one does not feel the bitting cold of winter. With such a salubrious climate, Yerkaud can be visited round the year. It is an hour's drive from Salem and is the least expensive hill station in India.

General Information

Places of interest

Yercaud Lake
The first thing that attracts a visitor is the lake. It is a picturesque pool surrounded by gardens and well woonded areas. Boating in the cold water of the lake is enchanting as well as refreshing.

Anna Park
This is a lovely garden near the lake.

Lady's Seat
It overlooks the winding ghat road and provides a breathtaking view. This view is spectacular at night with the twinkling lights of Salem town in sight. The tourists can have a panoramic view of the plains below through the telescope mounted at the Lady's Seat.

Killiyur Falls
This 3000 feet high water falls is situated amidst picturesque surroundings.

The Grange
The castle - like building built by the then Collector of Salem, M.D. Cockburn who first introduced coffee from Arabia and apples and other fruits from South Africa between 1820 AD and 1829 AD in Yercaud is said to have played an imortant role in the revolt of 1857 AD.

Bear's Cave
It is situated near the Norton Bungalow on the way to Servaroyan temple. It is an important tourist spot. Temple here is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. Its innermost shrine is cut out of a solid rock.

The Servaroyan Temple
It is situated atop Servorayan Hill. The tribals here celebrate their annual festival in May every year.

Excursions

Salem (30 Kms)
This is the largest city in the region and has some old temples but is basically known for its industries, mainly steel, sago and hand weaving.

Namakkal (48kms)
The town lies at the foot of a small hillock which is about 200 feet high and about half mile in circumference. There is a fort on the hillock. There are two rock-cut cave temples here, one dedicated to Narasimhaswamy and the other to Ranganathaswamy. There is also a big Hanuman statue of about 20' height here carved out of a single stone.

Aragalur (74 kms.)
Aragalur is about 4 kms South East of Talaivasal on the right back of Vasishtanadhi. The name of the village in Tamil means " Village of six trenches . The village was ruled by a prince named Ekambara Mudaliyar. It has two imposing temples, one is dedicated to Sri Kameswara and the other to Karivaradaperumal. There is a big Budhdha statue at Thiyanganur village on the outskirts of Aragalur Village.

Kodumanal (40 kms.)
It is a tiny village on the banks of the Noyil river. it is an archaelogical site dating back to the 2nd century BC. Hre lies the remains of a megalithic settlement.

Bhavani (50 Kms)
The Sangameswarar temple here is situated at the confluence of the rivers Bhavani and Kaveri. It is one of the most important pilgrims centres in South India.

Vedanthangal (85 kms.)
Vedanthangal is one of the largest bird sancturies in India. It is a marshy, 30 hectare park with lake visited by over 1,00,000 migratory birds every year. The majority of these birds can be seen between November and February. The variety of birds include Herons, Darters, Spoonbills, Pelicans, Sandpipers, White Ibis, Cormorants,Blue winged teals and Swans.

Mettur Dam (52 Kms)
This multi - purpose dam built on the River Cauvery is a nice picnic spot, situated as it is, amidst well - maintained gardens. Water from the Stanley reservoir is used for irrigating a major portion of the plains of central Tamil Nadu.

Kolli Hills (100 Kms)
This is the second hill station in the district at an altitude of 1190 mts. Sri Kapaleeswara Temple is located on the top of the hills called Chathuragiri is one of the oldest. The terrace type of 70-hair pin bend ghat road, the fruits cultivated, honey, and the unchanged tribal culture are unique memories. The wonderful Agasakangai Waterfalls flowing from a height over 2000 feet is a unique scene.

Tiruchengodu (45Kms)
Tiruchengodu is one of the seven Sivasthalams in Kongunadu.This is another pilgrim centre which has an ancient temple dedicated to Ardhanareeswar - a unique concept of Saivism where the deity is half male and half female.

Festivals

Other Festivals

How to get there ?

Air
Nearest rail - heads are Salem Junction (36 Kms) and Salem Town (33 Kms).

Rail
Bus services operate from Salem Junction and Salem bus stand to Yearcaud frequently. There is no town bus service in Yearcaud, but certain buses coming from Salem ply through Yercaud and connect the important Villages like Cauvery Peak, Valavanthi, Nagalur, Velakkadai, Swinton Bridge with Yercaud.

Road
Private Taxis are available.