My recent trip to Yercaud
It was the morning of 26th of June, a Monday. My dad's shrill wake up call came at about five thirty in the morning, and by eight thirty, we were all seated in a Volvo bus, speeding its way through the national highway, towards Salem. Close to one fifteen in the afternoon, we reached, and got another bus that would drive us through our last thirty five kilometers over the hill, to Yercaud. About the geography of this place, its located about 1515m above sea level, and you have to go through a good one hour's journey up the hill, consisting of 20 hair pin bends. Like every other hill, this one too is draped in slender, tall green trees, and assures a scenic view as you drive by the tarred roads bounded by little white parapet walls. The hill itself is called Shervoyas. Yercaud's a little more than a village, thanks to tourism, totally unexploited, aptly called the Poor man's Ooty. Famous for coffee, oranges and spices like pepper, cardomom and cinnamon, you are greeted by many estates of these plantations as you near the acme of the hill. The weather is pleasant and the chill, bearable. Yercaud is sparsely populated, mostly by innocent villagers, unfotunately illiterate, engaging majorly in labour jobs.
So, coming back to my journey, it was about three in the afternoon when the bus drove us into the neatly cemented bus stand of Yercaud, offering a splendid view of the down hill. We made our way through the many villagers, who had by then formed a crowd outside the bus, throwing hankerchiefs, bags, and the likes into the bus, to grab their seats. I have to mention here, that Yercaud does not have city buses to speak off, the buses that shuttle between Salem and Yercaud is the only service available. Ofcourse, you can always hire autos and taxis, that charge you a minimum of 20 Rs.
Classic Cottages was the name of the place where we decided to stay, which offered independent cottages at a very decent price. The hotel was spaced out on the slope of the hill, and little cottages on either side, rose up in a line. We checked in, and after some snacks and coffee, decided to go around the lake.
The lake is the central location here, and was just about five minutes walk from the hotel. After a little pestering and whining, my dad finally gave in to the demands of going boating, provided we had a rower. It was a good fifteen minute ride round the lake, the green slopes rose in the distance with the clouds hovering above, on the other side was the beautifully landscaped lake view park. The recent death of a college mate and colleague in the waters, made the boat ride a little uneasy for me, especially when the rower revealed that the lake was a cool sixty feet deep. My mind strayed wondering how it would be to drown, choking for air, that we so inadverently breathe every other second, would one be able to think, to find a way out of the waters, somehow, or would the fear of death erase all logic? However, I have always been fascinated by lakes, for they are deeply serene and still. They make you stop living for a second, just enough to realize life.
We walked around the lake for a little while, and then proceeded to the small market near the bus stand, where we picked up a few spices. As we returned in the evening, the sun was descending, casting its charecteristic metallic gold over the lake. It seemed, in that glorious moment, nothing existed for real but the silence of the golden lake. The night was spent, chatting and catching up on a little bit of tv. Everyone slept sound.
Mornings in Yercaud are a little cold, and beautifully bright. I readied myself for the outing that was to be, and caught some pictures of the hotel. Breakfast done, we were off to sight seeing.
Our first stop was what is called the Ladies Seat. This is one beautiful view point, that gives you a breath taking view of the hill, the distant land, the little houses and roads. There is a telescope here, that shows you I dont know what, coz it wasn't open so early. We had some tea, and went over to the next higher point in the row, called the Gents Seat. Finally, you have the Children's Seat, the highest of the lot, this point also leads you to the near by Rose Garden, a nice walk through the woods. Definitely a must visit for nature and photography enthusiasts.
Our next stop was one of the most interesting ones, at the Bhavani Singh's perfumery factory. This place is said to have been started by freedom fighters, as early as 1931. They grow all kinds of medicinal, aromatic and therapeutic plants here, and have machinery to extract oil from the same. The lady here lead us through the variety of plants, explaining in detail about the benefits of each. Aloe Vera was among some that interested me the most, never knew that each leaf actually was a repository of the pristine gel. We picked up quite a few products from their store, and left content.
The Rajarajeshwari temple hosts under its small gopura, a shimmering idol of the goddess, along with the carvings of various other prominent gods. There is a shiva lingam here, thats made of mercury. The aarti done, and having gone around the navagrahas three times, we descended the steps.
The most important destination of Yercaud, and my personal favorite, came next. The Shervoyas temple. Now for some history. Long long ago, nobody knows how long ago, Yercaud was known to be a place with absolutely no water source. The villagers were despondent. The solution, as was common in these times, was praying to Lord Venkatesh to show a little mercy. The Lord ofcourse, pleased with the prayers, and perhaps the attention he was getting, decided to marry the River goddess Kaveri, thus providing permanent water source to his devout devotees. The Shervoyas temple is a tribute to this union of the lords, and hosts the deities of Lord Venkatesh and Goddess Kaveri. But wait, there is more interesting stuff out here than seems. The temple is basically in the form of a cave, and you have to bent down almost upto the waist, to pass through. The villagers believe that for anyone who wishes to see the Lord, has to necessarily bow, meaning surrender, hence the cave and its entrance. And the most mind boggling part is this, try sitting down in front of the deities, and let a little bit of light from the outside to pass through, and behold, you shall see the continuation of the cave, past the deities, into the unknown. It is said that the cave continues upto the Mysore Talacauvery, believe it or not, but a length of 480kms. There have been a few adventurers who have tried exploring the cave beyond, inspite of the absolute darkness and the lack of air, someone's said to have managed to get as far as 3kms!!!
We entered the temple, bowing, as was expected. The little idols were adorned in glittery silk, and I folded my hands as the priestess lit the camphor and beat on the bell. The cave seemed to suddenly awaken, and so did my soul, the vibrations of the bell echoing within the cave, within my heart. After the enchanting experience, we walked around for a while through the plain grounds outside the temple. And yea, this place is also supposed to be the highest accessible point of the hill. Totally satiated and content, we left.
Our last stop was at the Botanical Gardens, that is nothing like the one in Ooty ofcourse, but keeps quite a few interesting plants. We were all too tired to walk through the whole stretch, so we convinced ourselves with a brief circumscribing walk.
Just to add to the list of places to visit, I have to mention the Kiliyur falls, which is supposedly an interesting spot, though we didn't visit this one. Its a must visit for casual trekkers, it offers an exciting trek of around 3kms, leading to the falls. There is also the deer park, that I believe is somewhere pretty close to the lake, but make sure you visit there before evening, or else you would end up missing it too, like us.
Having had a simple but filling meal at Hotel Malar, we returned. Evening came as we walked around the lake once again. It started to rain, and the lake looked like the earth's only water bearer, that Nature was so adoringly rejuvenating. We watched the rain, eating chatpatta mangoes, and warm boiled peanuts.
There were a couple of farm lands for sale somewhere near by, so we went out for a beautiful long walk to check them out. Amidst dripping green trees, and little huts of farmers, spotting orange trees and coffee beans, we walked like forever. Night fell, and with a modest dinner, we slept sound.
The next morning was our last in Yercaud. We rose early, took a quick shower, idlis for breakfast, and off we were, on the bus to Salem. From there, we would board the bus to Bangalore, that would take me back to my own familiar world, of finite time and space.
So long!
So, coming back to my journey, it was about three in the afternoon when the bus drove us into the neatly cemented bus stand of Yercaud, offering a splendid view of the down hill. We made our way through the many villagers, who had by then formed a crowd outside the bus, throwing hankerchiefs, bags, and the likes into the bus, to grab their seats. I have to mention here, that Yercaud does not have city buses to speak off, the buses that shuttle between Salem and Yercaud is the only service available. Ofcourse, you can always hire autos and taxis, that charge you a minimum of 20 Rs.
Classic Cottages was the name of the place where we decided to stay, which offered independent cottages at a very decent price. The hotel was spaced out on the slope of the hill, and little cottages on either side, rose up in a line. We checked in, and after some snacks and coffee, decided to go around the lake.
The lake is the central location here, and was just about five minutes walk from the hotel. After a little pestering and whining, my dad finally gave in to the demands of going boating, provided we had a rower. It was a good fifteen minute ride round the lake, the green slopes rose in the distance with the clouds hovering above, on the other side was the beautifully landscaped lake view park. The recent death of a college mate and colleague in the waters, made the boat ride a little uneasy for me, especially when the rower revealed that the lake was a cool sixty feet deep. My mind strayed wondering how it would be to drown, choking for air, that we so inadverently breathe every other second, would one be able to think, to find a way out of the waters, somehow, or would the fear of death erase all logic? However, I have always been fascinated by lakes, for they are deeply serene and still. They make you stop living for a second, just enough to realize life.
We walked around the lake for a little while, and then proceeded to the small market near the bus stand, where we picked up a few spices. As we returned in the evening, the sun was descending, casting its charecteristic metallic gold over the lake. It seemed, in that glorious moment, nothing existed for real but the silence of the golden lake. The night was spent, chatting and catching up on a little bit of tv. Everyone slept sound.
Mornings in Yercaud are a little cold, and beautifully bright. I readied myself for the outing that was to be, and caught some pictures of the hotel. Breakfast done, we were off to sight seeing.
Our first stop was what is called the Ladies Seat. This is one beautiful view point, that gives you a breath taking view of the hill, the distant land, the little houses and roads. There is a telescope here, that shows you I dont know what, coz it wasn't open so early. We had some tea, and went over to the next higher point in the row, called the Gents Seat. Finally, you have the Children's Seat, the highest of the lot, this point also leads you to the near by Rose Garden, a nice walk through the woods. Definitely a must visit for nature and photography enthusiasts.
Our next stop was one of the most interesting ones, at the Bhavani Singh's perfumery factory. This place is said to have been started by freedom fighters, as early as 1931. They grow all kinds of medicinal, aromatic and therapeutic plants here, and have machinery to extract oil from the same. The lady here lead us through the variety of plants, explaining in detail about the benefits of each. Aloe Vera was among some that interested me the most, never knew that each leaf actually was a repository of the pristine gel. We picked up quite a few products from their store, and left content.
The Rajarajeshwari temple hosts under its small gopura, a shimmering idol of the goddess, along with the carvings of various other prominent gods. There is a shiva lingam here, thats made of mercury. The aarti done, and having gone around the navagrahas three times, we descended the steps.
The most important destination of Yercaud, and my personal favorite, came next. The Shervoyas temple. Now for some history. Long long ago, nobody knows how long ago, Yercaud was known to be a place with absolutely no water source. The villagers were despondent. The solution, as was common in these times, was praying to Lord Venkatesh to show a little mercy. The Lord ofcourse, pleased with the prayers, and perhaps the attention he was getting, decided to marry the River goddess Kaveri, thus providing permanent water source to his devout devotees. The Shervoyas temple is a tribute to this union of the lords, and hosts the deities of Lord Venkatesh and Goddess Kaveri. But wait, there is more interesting stuff out here than seems. The temple is basically in the form of a cave, and you have to bent down almost upto the waist, to pass through. The villagers believe that for anyone who wishes to see the Lord, has to necessarily bow, meaning surrender, hence the cave and its entrance. And the most mind boggling part is this, try sitting down in front of the deities, and let a little bit of light from the outside to pass through, and behold, you shall see the continuation of the cave, past the deities, into the unknown. It is said that the cave continues upto the Mysore Talacauvery, believe it or not, but a length of 480kms. There have been a few adventurers who have tried exploring the cave beyond, inspite of the absolute darkness and the lack of air, someone's said to have managed to get as far as 3kms!!!
We entered the temple, bowing, as was expected. The little idols were adorned in glittery silk, and I folded my hands as the priestess lit the camphor and beat on the bell. The cave seemed to suddenly awaken, and so did my soul, the vibrations of the bell echoing within the cave, within my heart. After the enchanting experience, we walked around for a while through the plain grounds outside the temple. And yea, this place is also supposed to be the highest accessible point of the hill. Totally satiated and content, we left.
Our last stop was at the Botanical Gardens, that is nothing like the one in Ooty ofcourse, but keeps quite a few interesting plants. We were all too tired to walk through the whole stretch, so we convinced ourselves with a brief circumscribing walk.
Just to add to the list of places to visit, I have to mention the Kiliyur falls, which is supposedly an interesting spot, though we didn't visit this one. Its a must visit for casual trekkers, it offers an exciting trek of around 3kms, leading to the falls. There is also the deer park, that I believe is somewhere pretty close to the lake, but make sure you visit there before evening, or else you would end up missing it too, like us.
Having had a simple but filling meal at Hotel Malar, we returned. Evening came as we walked around the lake once again. It started to rain, and the lake looked like the earth's only water bearer, that Nature was so adoringly rejuvenating. We watched the rain, eating chatpatta mangoes, and warm boiled peanuts.
There were a couple of farm lands for sale somewhere near by, so we went out for a beautiful long walk to check them out. Amidst dripping green trees, and little huts of farmers, spotting orange trees and coffee beans, we walked like forever. Night fell, and with a modest dinner, we slept sound.
The next morning was our last in Yercaud. We rose early, took a quick shower, idlis for breakfast, and off we were, on the bus to Salem. From there, we would board the bus to Bangalore, that would take me back to my own familiar world, of finite time and space.
So long!
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