Yercaud – Poor man’s Ooty

A couple of years back I visited Ooty for the first time. As I have seen in many movies, I assumed Ooty to be a remote place with village girl look, who wears mist always as natural ornaments. But when I landed there, I could easily find that Ooty has lost its natural charm, a lot of buildings everywhere and now it has turned to a commercial town. Then I happened to read about Yercaud from woman’s magazine Vanitha, another hill station of Tamil Nadu, only 36 kms away from hot Salem known as ‘Poor man’s Ooty’. Through this column let me give an idea of this peaceful hill station giving comparisons with ‘Rich man’s Ooty’.

Boating in Yercaud lake

Why is Yercaud so special?

Low expenses to stay there make it a special tourist spot for common man. You can enjoy everything that nature lends you at Ooty here, but in mild quantities. Though piercing chillness of Ooty is not found in Yercaud its mist surely invite a lot of tourists here.

20 hairpins to reach the top gives you exact the same effect while you climb the mountain to reach Ooty from Mettupalayam. Though you can’t find big shops like Ooty, if you wish to visit a hill station to get peace of mind away from pollution and noises of vehicle horns, Yercaud is of course the best option. Rental for stays is also cheap and you can enjoy two days here with your family if you have sufficient time.

Spots common to Ooty and Yercaud

Chillness, hairpin points, view from the top, boating by lake side, flower shows exactly in the same season, children’s park, rose garden, water falls, deer park – everything in Ooty is found in Yercaud too. Lord Servayan is considered to be the protector of this hill station and a temple is situated in a den in the top of Yercaud mountain ranges called Shevaroy temple. Pagoda point also known as Pyramid point is the best view point of Yercaud. Rocks known as Gentleman’s seat and Ladies’ seat are situated there, which were once used by British to enjoy the village view from mountain top. It’s somewhat similar to Doddabetta Peak of Ooty which is the highest point of that hill station.

So, let me conclude. If you want to get the full effects of a hill station in low budget you can visit this place.

Image source: Wikipedia

Also read a few more articles on temples of India outside Kerala. Click on the images in the gallery to read