Closer to Nature...in Yercaud!

My first post on travel, this one, and am really excited to share my experiences. New-year weekend it was, and with 3 days off from our routine lives, we wanted a getaway, far from the city, its crowd, smoke and man-made high-rises. "Where?", was the first question that rose in our minds. A day-long research on travel sites and reviews, and i found Yercaud to be the destination that fulfilled our criteria, a five-hour-long scenic drive from Bangalore, scenic hill-station, and most importantly: not crowded. 

The beautiful Yercaud lake, surrounded by a host of teak and pine trees, 
epitomises the beauty of this hill station 

Yercaud is a sleepy hamlet  lying amidst the Shevaroy Ranges of the Eastern Ghats of India. It lies atop these hills, around 30 kms, from Salem town, Tamil Nadu. The name 'Yercaud' comes from two Tamil words : yeri meaning 'lake' and kaadu meaning 'forest' or 'wood'.


This small town it also termed "The poor man's Ooty" after South-India's famous hill-station Udhagamandalam aka Ooty. For people who have visited Ooty, Yercaud's scenic valleys may seem familiar. But what makes the small-time Yercaud still a sort-after tourist destination is the fact that it is away from the complexities of the present-day urban life; no glitzy malls to visit, no hyper-fashion-conscious men and women, and only traces of commercialization here and there.


We initially made a list of the hotels and lodges that we could choose from, but when we called them up we learnt that all the hotel rooms were booked due to tourists visiting in large numbers, that being the New-year weekend. "Let's spend the night in our car, then", we thought and started off towards our destination. To our good-fortune, though, we found out about a guest-house, 'The House of Peace', run by a Christian Missionary Trust, from a travel magazine (and i'd thought, Travel guides aren't exactly of much practical use for commoners like us). And this place turned out to be the best part of the whole "Yercaud-experience"!

True to its name: The House of Peace !

The beautiful British-style windows of the House of Peace

It was mid noon, and after a quick Tamil-style lunch at the House of Peace we set out to explore the town. The Montfort School was the first stop, and what a place that was! The school has a truly mesmerising campus with well-kept lawns, a chapel, a huge soccer ground, a swimming pool,  and its-own mini zoo with various species of birds, from emus to parakeets. 

The Monfort School Campus

The soccer ground inside the campus

The Kiliyur falls was our next destination, around 8 kms from the town. And reaching the waterfall was in itself an adventurous experience; with sunset minutes away, the place deserted, and the path leading to the waterfall frighteningly rugged and tortuous, we had a kilometre to be covered by foot! But once we did reach the falls, all the pain was forgotten. I did feel a sense of achievement at the site of it! Though not one among the highest or hugest falls, this one was beautiful!

The Kiliyur Falls

An enchanting view of the Shevaroyan hills at sunset, 
on the way back from the Falls

The chapel adjacent to the House of Peace

Back to the town, we had a stroll around the Yercaud lake and the Anna Park opposite the lake. As the night set, the breeze got cooler. Back to the guest house, and after a homely dinner, we were free to go 
around the House of Peace. The chapel adjacent to the house had been decorated for Christmas and had a display of tiny clay figurines depicting the birth of Christ .

Since it was mid-winter, it was breezy and the temperatures had dipped, especially during the nights. It was freezing cold, by South-Indian weather standards. My teeth were chattering and i couldn't stay out for long. To our pleasant surprise, there was a lovely bonfire arranged for a visiting family that was celebrating their kid's birthday. 

In the comfort of a bonfire at the House of Peace

Christmas display

The next day we woke up early enough to feel the misty weather, walking down the by-lanes of this tiny town. The feeling was truly heavenly, the roads were narrow and the place was calm and pristine. We could hear the birds chirp and the walk was one to be remembered for a lifetime. You can clearly feel the difference between a metro and a tiny town when you go around a place by foot. Admiring the beauty of nature is among the best ways to  keep oneself cheerful. 

The rest of the trip involved visiting the Shevaroy temple atop the hills, which is a small dark cave where the local God is worshipped. The temple has mythological significance and supposedly has a tunnel that runs all the way up to Talacauvery in Coorg, Karnataka. One can have a bird's-eye-view of the whole town from outside this temple. On the way back to the town, we also did visit a newly renovated Sri Chakra temple that is claimed to be the world's largest of its kind. The drive en-route was breath-taking as we drove past rows of teak and pinewood. 

The Sri Chakra Temple, considered the largest in the world

En-route the Shevaroy temple

There were multiple view points throughout the town with fancy names like Arthur's Seat, Ladies' Seat, the Pagoda Point and so on. These places are more likely to have tourists and hence be littered. The beauty of Yercaud lies in those rustic village roads and enchanting pine forests where Nature still holds her virginity, untouched by man and his technology. Nostalgia did strike me as i walked through those lanes. Yercaud is among those places that i have come the closest to Nature, a place just a few hours away from a metropolis like Bangalore, contradictory it is! 

Reminds me of home....reminds me of John Denver's words..........
Country Roads,....
... Take me home.......
.... To the place i belong.......

TRAVEL TRIVIA:

Tidbit! Yercaud is known as "the poor man's Ooty"

Best Time to Travel: Round the year

Location: Salem district of Tamil Nadu; 

• Distance from Bangalore - 230 kms  (approx. 4.30 hrs by road)
• Distance from Chennai - 355 kms 
• Distance from Coimbatore - 195 kms 
• Distance from Trichy - 163 kms 

A few thoughts on Spirituality, Religion and Us

                                                                                        Image Courtesy: silvieandmaryl.com

This is an attempt to delve into a concept that's always been close to my heart, but not something i get to discuss often with people during day-to-day interactions of our monotonous lives. Of late, i have observed an interesting trend in people updating their Religious views on Facebook (can't deny the fact that people spend more time on Social Networking Sites than face-to-face with loved ones, me included!). From what their profiles read, looks like lots of people are getting to both the extreme ends; one reads "There's no one mightier and greater than God ..." , while another insists "God! 'am an atheist!". A few belong to the popular "Secular" category, who "Believe in the equality of all religions", while there are others who are "Spiritual but not Religious!". Then there are the lot who have got every possible field updated in their profile except his/her Religious views.


To learn how many of us do really understand what Spirituality or Religion actually means would be really interesting. The one thing that I have kind of figured out from interactions with people personally as well as on various Social Networking Sites, these days, is that lots of  girls and guys of my generation think that it's "uncool" to speak or have any positive views about Religion in general. I, personally, after around 3 years of having a profile on a Social Networking Site, updated "Spirituality" as one of my interests one final day, that too, with hours of thought given to whether or not i should be making such an update.


While i have been brought up as a believer of Hinduism, and proud of it, i have always had friends who grew to believe differently. And i have for not once felt threatened, by them speaking proudly about their religion, moreover, have always respected their views. I think the concept of Spirituality comes in over here, it is a culmination of various religious teachings and more. Being spiritual is to know the reason of our existence and that of others around us. It is to know and to practise the way of living that brings the best to oneself as well as the people around. It doesn't matter if you believe in Krishna or Allah or Jesus or the absence of a Supreme Being. Being Spiritual is being human in the best possible way. It is about rising above our mundane  lives and its unpredictabilities. For people who believe in Karma, i.e. to reckon "What goes around, does come around", Spirituality, itself, lies in this belief. That you would get back what you give is not necessarily the way. What you give away could come back to you in a completely transformed manner, now or later, which, one would never recognise or realise.


In my case Spirituality is what i learn from my Religion; that the forms of worship may be infinite, but the Supreme Spirit is One and all you do reaches this Supreme Being. In every being lies the Supreme Spirit, he/she/it be a Monotheist, a Polytheist or an Atheist. The art of respecting and loving everyone and oneself, whether at home, in office or while partying, this is the real understanding of Spirituality.  


Let me end with the Native(American) Indian saying. 
...... everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.