Yelagiri Tourism

The Yelagiri Hills 160 km East of Bangalore tower above Jolarpettai Station in north Tamil Nadu, Offering commanding views of Andhra Pradesh.

The complete peace and quiet in cool climes is your idea of a perfect weekend, Yelagiri would fit the bill perfectly. It’s a half-horse town dignified by one main road, which has three teashops fine liquor shops and a couple of fancy stores. That’s it. There’s precious little to do and therein lies yelagiri’s charm.

Yelagiri is actually a cluster of small villages spread over a couple of hill. There’s little or no sightseeing no shopping, no touts and no souvenir-hunting. And no sign of the hordes of tourists who have managed to ruin hill stations like ooty. Ofcourse there are the typical things, some of dubious value which the government has put in place for tourists. The lake is beautiful enough and the desultory boating fits right in with the mood. And there’s the mandatory children’s park.

Yelagiri’s charm lies in its moderation the hills around the gentle, the lake is just lartge enough to stroll around. A typical day here would go something like this good breakfast a gentle walk. Lots of rest then lundh. More rest another gentle walk. Dinner lots more rest. Blissful day.

Punganoor Lake

Tourism in Yelagiri revolves around this smallish, artificial lake. You can take a serene ride on the lake by row-boat or pedal boat. Having done that you could stroll across to the other side of the lake, where there’s a hanging view point a platform on top of a tree from where you get a bird’s eye view of the lake. There’s a garden around the lake, with slides and other games for the smaller kids.

Velevan Temple

This is a temple dedicated to Lord Murugan atop the hillock with a gigantic statue of Gadothgajan in front. Local festivals are conducted here during the Tamil month of Adi (July-August).

Swamimalai Hills

Perhaps the most strenuous activity here would be a trek up the Swamimalai at 4,338 ft, the highest point in Yelagiri. This could be a climb of a goodish two hours, interspersed with breaks to catch your breath. The climb may be taxing but tis worth it because your get a breathtaking view of the valley from the top. This hill has some good trekking routs through dense reserved forests.

Around Yelagiri

Jalagamparai Waterfalls (44 km)

The Attaru River flows through the Yelagiri Hills resulting in a loverly waterfall about an hour’s trek from yelagiri. It’s a very popular spot with locals and with romancing twosomes. Adjacent to these falls is a Murugan temple in a building that has been constructed in the shape of a lingam. You can drie to jalagamparai via Jolarpettai and Trupattur. At Tirupattur take the road opposite Sacred Heart College for the falls. This last stretch is 10 km. You can also drive to Mangalam, park your car and trek 4 km one way to the falls. Hotels can arrange guides for the trek for approx Rs 100. The best time to do this would be post-monsoon when the falls are at their best. The worst time is in summer between April and June.

Route: NH7 o Krishnagiri va Hosur, NH46 almost until Vaniyambadi via Bargur state road to Yelagiri Hills via Ponnari.