Yercaud

Yercaud is a hill station near Salem, Tamil Nadu, India in the Servarayan range of hills in the Eastern Ghats. It is at an altitude of 1515 metres (4969 feet) above the mean sea level. The highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple. Hence the Yercaud hill area is called Shevaroy Hills.

Yercaud has a very pleasant climate. Yercaud is considered to be a poor man’s Ooty, as it is less expensive place than Ootacamund.


Owing of its picturesque scenic beauty and greenery, Yercaud is now gaining popularity as a favorite tourist spot among locals as well as foreigners. In Tamil language, "Yeri" means lake and "Kaadu" means forest. Yercaud has a lake located at its center and hence the name.

Yercaud is famous for oranges and coffee plantations and it has preserved some of the forests in original condition with several resident species of flora and fauna. The main crop of Yercaud is coffee, but fruits like guava and jackfruit and spices like black pepper, cardamom are also grown as plantation crops. The coffee plants were brought to Yercaud from Africa in 1820 by M. D. Cockburn.

The forest areas of Yercaud are abundant with teak, sandal wood and silver oaks. The wildlife in Yercaud comprises of bison, deer, foxes, mongooses, squirrels, snakes and birds like kites, swallows, bulbuls and sparrows.

As the temperatures do not fall to the extremes, there is no need for any heavy winter clothing for tourists who visit Yercaud. There are also many trekking spots available in and around Yercaud. During the month of May, a summer festival is conducted which includes flower shows, dog show boating races and fairs.

Yercaud Lake
          It is a pool surrounded by gardens and well-wooded trees.
Lady's Seat
          It is overlooks the winding ghat road. Tourists can have a panoramic view of the plains below through the telescope mounted at the Lady's seat.
Killiyur Falls
It is situated in 3000 feet high water falls.
The Servaroyan Temple
It is situated atop Servaroyan hill. The tribals here celebrate their annual festival in May every year.
Bear’s Cave
It is situated near the Norton’s Bungalow, Bear’s Cave is considered as one of the abodes of Lord Subramanya. It is believed that the great Tipu Sultan used Bear’s Cave as a hideout and a secret route to escape at the time of war.
Green House
It is the paradise for nature lovers. The place is filled with heavenly fragrances of innumerable varieties of flowers and spices thriving in the premises of Green house.
The Grange
The Grange is one of the oldest buildings in Yercaud, built in 1820's by the then District Collector of Salem, M D Cockburn who first introduced Coffee from Arabia, Apples and other fruits from South Africa between 1820 and 1829 A.D. It is believed to be the summer resort of Robert Clive - The British Big Wig of the East India Company way back in the late 1800's.
Pagoda Point
This is also another vantage view point. Once upon a time a beautiful place adorned with stone built pagodas, it is now home to a huge temple.