Shevaroy Hills, Yercaud, Tamil Nadu India

 Shevaroy Hills, outlying range of the Eastern Ghats, north-central Tamil Nadu state, southern India. The Shevaroy Hills occupy an area of about 150 square miles (390 square km). The highest peaks are in the southwest, reaching 5,231 feet (1,594 metres) at Sanyasimalai (Duff’s Hill) on the Yercaud plateau. Widespread bauxite deposits are the basis for aluminum-processing plants at Mettur and Yercaud. Coffee is extensively grown on the plateau. In 1845 the British established a hill station at Yercaud, which is now a resort and educational centre. 

This is one hill station that does not have rose gardens, filmi shooting locales, amusement parks and bhel puri eateries. You probably have never even heard of it; when you do get there, you wish that it continued to remain that way. Far from the madding crowd, Yercaud soars above the hot, dusty plains of Salem in Tamil Nadu. Only 230 kms away from Bangalore and half a day’s train ride from Chennai, Yercaud is dwarfed by the enormous popularity of Ooty and Kodaikanal. 1,500 metres high (Ooty is 2,200), the place has a salubrious climate year round. This is the place to go to if you want to enjoy the ambience of the heights without enduring the misery of the winter cold.

Yercaud is definitely the holiday destination if you want to enjoy some peace and quiet. There is no mall where you can shop for knick-knacks and take a stroll in the misty evenings. Gourmets, take note, you may find yourselves dining out of a smattering of hotels that dot the small town.

The Lake dominates the town. You may be disappointed by the size, but the lush greenery around makes pedal-boating a pleasurable experience. Bordering the placid waters is a small park with deer, peacocks and rabbits. Believe me, you can spent an entire holiday boating in the Lake.

Yercaud is a veritable paradise for flora. Coffee is grown widely. So is cardamom. Surprise, you will see orange trees all over, but the fruits bloom only during winter. Flowers of different shades and hues bloom even during the winter under the shade of the lofty coniferous trees.

You need a vehicle to get around Yercaud. I didn’t see bicycles available on hire, so you may have to contend with travelling in 10-seater vans belching black diesel smoke. Of course, you can always take a walk.

The Ladies Seat is a prominent landmark you can gaze at the plains stretched down below as far as eye can see. The Sterling Resort Hotel virtually falls off the steep cliffs. Try the chilli bajji if you have the stomach for the spice and the oil. The Pagoda Point is far more quieter and offers you a similar vista. The roads leading to these viewpoints are narrow, winding and thickly wooded.

A trip to the Shevaroyan Temple takes you up through the clouds all the way to the summit of one of the highest hills in the area. I do not know whether the Shevaroy Hills (that is the name of the range of hills where Yercaud is located) are named after the temple or is it the other way? The deity is inside a cave, which you enter with your head bend down to pay your obeisance. Legend has it that the cave continues behind the deity to become a subterranean tunnel that goes 300 kms all the way to Talai Cauvery (where the River Cauvery begins) in Coorg, Karnataka! I did not try out this route! There are bauxite mines in the hills, so take care to avoid the tipper lorries carrying the ore that hurtle around all over the place. I enjoyed myself the most when I drove along the circuitous Loop Road that goes off the Shevaroyan Temple beyond the small village of Nagaloor and the Cauvery Peak. Vegetation abounds in this unspoilt wilderness, cool and speckled with clouds that swoop down over you from time to time.