Atop Shevaroy Hills in the northern part of Tamil Nadu is Yercaud Hill Station. It is at a distance of 30 kilometers from Salem. Yercaud is often referred to as the Jewel of the South. Yercaud gets its name from Yercaud Lake – “Yeri” meaning lake and “Kaadu” meaning forest in Tamil. It is greatly renowned for its magnificent beauty, lush green ambience, endemic wildlife and coffee plantations.
Yercaud hill station is situated in the Shevaroys Range of hills with an altitude of 1623mts and the highest point being the Sevarayan Temple at 5,325 feet. Just 28 km away from Salem, Yercaud is filled with scenic beauty that is totally enchanting.
Major Attractions in Yercaud
Yercaud Botanical Garden
The Botanical Gardens at Yercaud gives us the feel of fresh air and fragrance of flowers. Botanical Survey of India maintains an Orchidarium in Yercaud.
Yercaud Lake, Yercaud Big Lake
Yercaud Lake is a major tourist attraction. The picturesque water body is surrounded by gardens and forest area. Boating in the lake would be an unforgettable experience.
Pagoda Point, Yercaud
This place also called the Pyramid Point based on an arrangement of rocks in four piles built by the local tribes. The Pagoda Point is located on the Eastern part of Yercaud, at a distance of 5 kilometers from Yercaud Lake.
Shevaroy Temple
Located atop the Shevaroy Hills is the Shevaroy Temple, dedicated to Lord Shevaroyan and Goddess Kaveri. It is believed that this narrow cave temple’s bottom touches river Kaveri. Tribals around the region and pilgrims from all over the world gather here during the Annual Festival celebration in the month of May.
Killiyur Falls
An idyllic place to visit in Yercaud during the monsoon season would be Killiyur Waterfalls. It is 3 kilometers from the Yercaud Lake.
Anna Park, Yercaud
Another prominent place to visit in Yercaud is Anna Park, located near the lake. It has a collection of the natural species of trees and plants seen around Shevaroy Hills.
Tourists gather during Flower Show conducted in the month of May every year. The thrilling Japanese garden inside the park makes it worth a visit.
Lady’s Seat, Yercaud
Present in the form of a seat, are a group of rocks located on the Yercaud Hills, the names of which are Lady’s Seat, Gent’s Seat and Children’s Seat. Lady’s Seat overlooks the winding ghat road and provides an enthralling view of Salem.
Things to do in Yercaud
Yercaud is famous for coffee, citrus fruits like oranges, pears, banana, and jackfruits, etc.
Tourists can benefit from the salubrious climate of Yercaud anytime during the year. It is also a good spot for trekking, bird watching and to relish the fairs and festivals during summer season. Plan your next adventure with our ultimate trekking gear guide.
Ideal time to visit
The ideal time to visit Yercaud is from October to June. It usually takes 1-2 days to visit all the places in Yercaud.
How to reach Yercaud
Yercaud has frequent buses running between Salem and Yercaud. The nearest rail head is Salem Junction which is 31 kilometres from Yercaud. Salem is well connected to all the major cities in India. The closest Airport is at Salem (38 kilometres), Tiruchirapalli (165 kilometres) and Coimbatore (195 kilometres).
Mookaneri Lake is situated at Kannankurichi, Salem. Also called Kannankurichi Lake. Just a couple of kilometers from the city.
In Salem, this has become the main tourist spot. This place is a home for many birds and plants. Beautiful lake with mountains in the background
Surrounded by many plants, the lake has park and seating arrangements made for visitors to comfortably enjoy the visit.
There are proper parking facilities here. Since, it is not too far off from the city limits, it attracts many tourists every year.
People from Hasthampatti can just walk down to the lake without incurring much cost to enjoy nature and be there for a while.
Fishing activity is encouraged here and we can see people buying fish during the weekends here.
This lake is renovated by Salem people and NGO. Really a good initiative by Salem people to renovate this lake.
Mettur Dam – Salem
Mettur Dam situated in Salem is one of the largest dams in India and is the largest dam as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned.
With a capacity of 93tmcft, it caters to the water needs of Tamil Nadu for drinking and other purposes. Constructed across the river Cauvery, in the year 1935, it creates the Stanley reservoir and the construction of the dam took 9 long years to be completed. The maximum height and width of the Dam are 214 and 171 feet respectively.
The maximum storage height is 120 feet. With all that, the Mettur dam has two hydroelectric power stations which are big and was constructed during the British rule and the other one was constructed by the Indian Republic.
The dam is surrounded by hills, a park called Ellis Park etc., which has made the place the best place to visit in Salem.
Hogenakal Falls is close to this Dam. Mettur Dam is two times larger than the KRS dam located in Karnataka that was built by Sir M. Vishveswaraiah. Visit the place and explore the area for your reviews. If you visit during the monsoon season, you can spend more time to see around.
Mettur Dam Park
Mettur Park is located below the foot of the Mettur dam. Maintenance is very good, more games there and Kids will love it.
Poolampatti, Poolampatti lake, Poolampatti boat house
Poolampatti is a tourist spot and a nice place to be visited in Salem. It is located at about 40kms away from Salem and is there over one of the banks of river Kaveri.
Boat ride on a daily basis on the waters of the river Cauvery is a sight to watch from the banks of the river.
The main occupation at this place is Agriculture and cattle business also adds on to the income of the people here.
Palamalai Hills and Palamalai lord Perumal temple are also a place of interest here at Poolampatti.
Cinema artists and serial artists can be seen here often as this place is best suited for shooting. So, people add this to your list and visit the place for sure.
Paravasa Ulagam theme park is located at Salem to Namakkal Highway, NH-7, Salem. This is the best place suited for all age groups and is located on a hilly region at about 16kms away from Salem close to Mallur.
There are a variety of water rides and dry rides at the theme park that can keep the visitors totally occupied.
Wet Zone ‘A’ consists of Back Lash, Back hole, Balloon slide, family slide, Lazy balloon pool, Activity pool, wave pool etc.
Wet Zone ‘B’ consists of water falls, Lazy river, Giant Tilting Bucket, free fall for adults, Multi lane for adults etc.
Dry Zone of the park has Bungee jumping, Jalli kattu, Dizzee wheel, Lotus cup ride, Pendulum Ride, Mini Gymnasium, Free Swirl ride etc.
Food is present so that you don’t have to carry food. Lockers are available. Parking facilities, Clothes for both boys and girls are available here. Apart from these, changing rooms for both the genders, and First Aid with transportation facilities to travel to a close by Hospital in case of emergencies are also available.
So, if you are at Salem or if you are planning to visit Salem, this theme park should be on your places to visit list.
ISKCON Temple Salem is housed at Salem and has been moved to a new place that is three acres big. It is near and just half a kilometer away from Periyar University and Government Engineering College.
It is run by a set of Bhramacharis under the guidance of H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaj. This temple has its own set of devotees who feel the place is divine keep visiting the temple.
The idols are made out of Marble and are universal at every ISKCON temple. The festivals that are celebrated here are Guru Poornima, Krishna Janmastami, Radhastami, Govardhana Puja, Narasimha Chaturthi etc.
If you find divinity in the Marble idols and want a change from the usual stone idols, this is the place you should visit.
Kariya Perumal Karadu Temple is situated on a small hill near Salem District at Nethimedu village. The hill has few Hindu temples located on it, namely: Subramania Swamy Temple, Kariyaperumal Temple, Kariyamalai Nathar Temple, Veera Anjaneyar Temple & Uchi Pillaiyar Temple.
Proper steps are available till Lord Murugan Temple and further from the temple it is a rocky path to climb up the hill to see Lord Kariya Perumal.
A small hill has 500+ step staircase. We can observe the Silence and feel the fresh air at the top of the hill. We can park our vehicles at the downstairs and Carry enough Water.
Kariya Perumal temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is in the name of Kariya Malai Nathar along with his consort Karunambigai.
Oothumalai Bala Subramaniar Temple is 17 kms away from Salem Junction at Seelanaickenpatti. It is dedicated to Lord Muruga who is in the name Balasubramaniar.
Here, Lord Muruga is in the standing position with his vehicle Peacock, Lord Vinayaga on the left and Lord Shiva on the right with his vehicle Bull. It is believed that Sage Agasthiya has visited this temple and prayed Lord Muruga and has written Tamil grammar Agathiyam in this temple.
Jains have led their life during their times in the caves here and you can see the evidence of their lives here. Mythology says that seven rishis took bath in the holy waters surrounding the hills specially on the New moon days early in the morning and performed Puja to Lord Sadha Shiva.
Sri Chakra devi with 43 triangles, hermitage of sages, etc. are installed in the temple. The holy tree of the temple is Vilwa tree.
As thanksgiving, devotees perform Abhisheka for Lord Muruga when their prayers for prosperity and progress in life gets fulfilled.
The temple is open from 6 AM to 11AM and 4 PM to 8 PM. Make a visit to the temple and engross yourself in the divinity of the temple.
Kalangi Siddhar Temple
Siddhar Temple or Siddeshwara temple is located at about a distance of 12kms towards the west direction of Salem. It is a small village where the shrine of Siddhar, also called as Kalangi Nathar is placed.
Kalangi Nathar is believed to be the guru of Bhogar and their relationship as the Guru and disciple was very much admirable. Kalangi Nathar was also called as Kanjamalai Siddhar. Here. “Kanjam” means Gold, copper, and Iron and “Malai” means hill. It is a popular pilgrimage spot and special pooja is done on all full moon days and new moon days.
The temple is associated with prominent Siddhars namely seven of them those include: Indran, Soman, Rudhran, Kanduru, Brahman, Kanjamalaiyan and Kalangi Nathar.
The temple is in the foothills and is surrounded by various herbs that has curative properties. People take a dip in the water running there and consider it to be holy. It is believed that Kalangi Nathar went to China to spread the Knowledge of Yoga and Acupuncture.
Later, he took Jeeva Samadhi at Kancheepuram. If you visit Salem, please visit the temple for a new experience.
A very popular temple of Salem that is located at Tharamangalam. It is an ancient temple of India that is there for about 500-1000 years now.
Sri Kailasanathar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. They are in the name of Kailasanathar and Sivakami Amman.
The door facing towards the west direction is made up of Vengai woods and the temple has a stone wall that is quite huge with a measurement of 306′ by 164′ and was constructed in the 13th century.
The walls are decorated with iron rods that are non-rusted ones with different patterned wooden carvings of Vishnu’s avatar, which can never be seen in a Shiva Temple. The entrance is about 90ft tall with 5 storeys and looks like a chariot that is driven by elephants and horses. It is believed that when enemies elephants attack, they get hit by the iron rods. The vehicle of Lord Shiva, Nandi lies at the entrance. The Miracle that happens that needs to be mentioned is that the Sun light falls on the Horns of Nandi on the 9th, 10th and 11th of Masi month of the Tamil Calendar and the light reflects like a crescent on the idol of Lord Shiva.
People pray for the fulfillment of their wishes like a child born, marriage, getting the right job etc. After the fulfillment of their prayers, they come back to the temple and Abhishekam is done to Lord Shiva just as a way of thanking the Lord.
The temple is open to the public from 6.00 a.m. To 11.00 a.m. And from 5.00 p.m. To 8.00 p.m. Do visit the temple when you plan a trip to Salem and experience the beauty of the temple.
