Yercaud……Where the Hills Are Alive!

by Sarina Menezes

Imagine walking through the mist……sipping Arabica over the hills….stopping & staring at the wild flowers, pepper creepers and coffee beans…..when all at once you come face to face with a Bison who has a quizzed look on his face that says “I’ve been sitting here all along”.

Nobody I spoke to had heard of Yercaud and yet it is only a 3 hour drive from Bangalore! Honestly, I am not surprised why few people know of this beautiful, unexploited hill station because that’s how it is – verdant and fallow!

As we drove up to the Shevaroy Hills, we were welcomed by a cool nip in the air and were soon enveloped in the pleasant environs of endless White Oak trees, Coffee estates and Spice plantations where peppers, avocado and fruit bearing plants like oranges and jackfruits grow. We were glad The Lake Forest Hotel was going to be our home for the next 3 days because it truly felt like home. Lake Forest Hotel has 75 villas and is set in the Eastlynne Farm Estate, a live coffee plantation on the banks of the Yercaud Lake, created by Ms Henrietta Charlotte Rosario during the 1800s. The hotel has evolved around ‘Rosar’. Once called AVIEMORE, ‘The Rosar’ has been carefully restored to its original glory and is a reflection of the pride of past centuries. Most of the rooms have been raised on the ruins in the estate, maintaining the regal Anglo-Indian style of Architecture of the late 1800’s.

We quickly settled into our little cottage and after a warm cup of tea, put on our walking shoes for a nice long walk on the windy roads of Yercaud. With temperatures as pleasant as 17 degrees C, no amount of walking is too long as we discovered the home and estate of the Singhs who specialize in making essential oils and fragrances. A long natter with them and we discovered they were Rajputs but now settled in Tamil Nadu for as long as they could remember.

We picked up some peppercorns and aromatic essential oils and were on our way back to the hotel in time for dinner where we met up with Aditya and Sahana Mathai, the proud owners of Lake Forest. A hard look at an old British Club photograph on the walls of the restaurant got us engaged into a very interesting conversation with Aditya. Always the one to avoid touristy beaten paths, I was so glad he insisted that if we wanted to peep into the
real Yercaud we should visit the old British Colonial Homes, the Montfort Schools, the old Anglican Church and definitely a Night Off-Roading Safari at the Tipperary Estate where the Anglican Club still exist.

Knowing me and my comrade, we were mentally chalking out our itinerary for the next couple of days starting with a promise from Aditya that he would walk us around his estate and tell us the history and architecture of Lake Forest which we did the next day.

Spread over 45 acres, it was like walking through a forest because the villas have been created only where nature has permitted such developments, within the ecological niche using all traditional practices to protect the land, its heritage and ecology making it a signature project for reuse & recycling practices. As Aditya explained, not an ounce of fresh wood has been acquired from the forests; and other sources have been explored and utilized for the creation of the Lake Forest hotel.

Condemned wood and wooden structures from palatial buildings in whatever form, are continuously collected, restored and re-used. According to his family, “The joy of saving condemned wood & living trees is far more than saving huge sums of money.” And huge white oak trees, Peppercorn creepers and thick fauna and foliage just adds to the beauty and experience at Lake Forest. What a privilege to be living in such environs that believes in preserving nature and history!

We were soon on our way to Tipperary Estate and delighted to know that an invitation to this Charles Dickens family home for coffee was arranged. A welcoming team awaited us at this 70 acre working coffee farm that was built around the 1900s. And as we sipped our Arabica coffee, the view of Salem was stunning. A view of the elegance of the woodlands, greeneries and steep rocky hills of Yercaud hills from this point – scenic and beautiful! We were told that we would be back that same night for the Night Safari and I was definitely looking forward to that.

The Rahm House, the Fairholme Bungalow were other reminders of how the British would seek out these hill stations to get away from the hot and humid plains. Our next stop was the old Anglican Church which was built in 1834. The church is a memorial and the resting place of Robert Bruce Foote, (1834–1912), the British archaeologist and geologist who is considered the \\\”Father of Indian Prehistory.\\\” The Church also has a memorial plaque for Charles Dickens – which was a pleasant discovery considering we grew up reading the legendary author. Makes you ponder over the steep influence the British had over India and the footprints that they left behind on these hills.

Our next adventure was the Off Roading Safari that night which began at 8pm. This experience is definitely something to write home about. After an amazing view of a sea of glittering lights of Salem, and after being told of how only 25 tribal villages out of 65 have road access and that 300 school children walk miles and miles to reach school every day, our driver & guide suddenly swung his torch in different directions as if searching for something. I was intrigued and upon asking him, my eyes widened to know that he was watching out for Bison (Indian Gaur). Weighing over a ton, these roaming animals are a common sight on these plantations but of course dangerous if disturbed within their environments and can charge and injure humans.

We were now standing in the open jeep driving through the 34 kms as our eyes began getting accustomed to the dark and the temperature got even chillier. Bison were nowhere in sight as we clambered the Tree House for another amazing view and enjoyed taking deep breaths of the clean air that night. Not for long though when the Jeep stalled and broke down. We were just 300 metres away from the estate and we decided to walk and trek uphill hoping we wouldn’t encounter any animals.

We breathed a sigh of relief once we saw the gates and though the invitation for Coffee was tempting, I insisted on walking up to the house for some drinking water and another sight of the brilliant Valley View. We had taken a few steps from the gate and to our horror the most gigantic, humungous and beady eyed Bison with a face as large as an elephant was sitting five feet away from us ready to charge. “Run Ma’am Run,” shouted our driver as I ran for my life to a tribal house as fast as my legs could carry me away. Stunned and amazed, we had a hearty laugh once the beast made its way into the grasslands, probably more terrified of us than we were of him.

The next day we decided to relax at the Spa, work on our Boat pedaling on the Yercaud Lake and watch the deer & peacock at the park since the rain dampened our Trekking trip. As we lingered on our long walks again, we couldn’t resist the juicy Jackfruit and picking up some aromatic coffee, spices and Avocado. It was also time to say good bye to the quintessential, breathtaking and mesmerizing Yercaud that had so much to offer during our short time there.

Back in the hustle bustle of Mumbai and I often find my mind wandering back to those hills and valleys, yearning to hear the crickets at night or the chirping birds wish me a very good morning! No wonder my heart feels alive at the sight of those hills and the sweet whisper of their rustling trees.

I promised I will come back again!

Sarina Menezes is a freelance writer based in Mumbai.