Yelagiri
YELAGIRI
When you look at the mountain range standing on the platform of Jalarpet Railway station, you cannot imagine that there exists so many villages and life on Yelagiri. I was travelling once from Chennai to Bangalore by Bangalore express reaching Jalarpet around 5 p.m. The setting sun glowed on the range , when my co-traveller from Yelagiri told me that there are 14 villages with lake, schools, hotels etc on top.
The 3500 foot high mountain range seems faraway at Vaniyambadi and suddenly comes close to you at Jalarpet.. The headlights of cars and buses go on and off as they chugg over the hairpin bends.
I was fascinated to explore the area. When I had a few days free, I took the morning Lalbagh Express from Bangalore and landed at 9.a.m. at Jalarpet. The hot dosas on the roadside café next to railway station was great. The bus to Yelagiri came at 9.30 at road junction and in one hour reached the first village in Yelagiri, called Athanavur. The Punganoor lake is here and the best hotel to stay is Hotel Hills. There is no crowd at all if you go on a weekday. On weekends, Vellore/Vaniyambadi/Ambur/Tirupattur crowd consisting of mainly school boys and families land up to choke the place. I walked to the otherside of the lake to climb on to a lovely Banyan tree platform to see the lake in its splendour.
The walks and trekking is great. The cool, unpolluted mountain air is very refreshing. It is a great place to unwind . Few people know that the famous hunter Mr.Kenneth Anderson used have a hut here and hunted the man –eating panther of Yelagiri hills. The view of setting sun with the last train to Madras leaving Jalarpet platform, as he waits to kill the panther is explained in his own inimitable way in Omnibus Vol.2.
Long walks on the winding road from Athanavur to the last village 6 kms away is relaxing. If you are a tough trekker, you can go down the hills from the last village to Jalagambarai and catch a bus to Tirupattur. I did it and my daughters did it too later.The villagers were scandalised by two teenage girls trekking on their own and warned them that there are Karadis ( my daughters did not know it meant bears in tamil).
The trip can de done in day from Bangalore, if can catch Lalbagh from Chennai , at 7 p.m. at Jalarpet. You can be back in Bangalore by 9.30 p.m.
Getting there
By road 170 kms from Bangalore via Hosur, Krishnagiri, Burgur,and take a u-turn a few kms beforeVaniyambadi ( avoid the generally recommended bad quality Tirupattur route from Krishnagiri).
From Chennai 240 kms via Vellore, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Ponneri
By train alight at Jalarpet and take bus .
Where to stay
Hotel Hills , Athanavur,Yelagiri Manager : H.Peter, phone 04179-45301,302,303,304. Tariff ; Standard bouble Rs 500 + 20% tax
Not to miss
Punganoor Lake, banyan tree, Treks, Herbal garden, Nursery, Custard apples, Jalagambarai falls, Swami malai ( 4338 ft above MSL)trek , Telescope House
K.Jayaraman
When you look at the mountain range standing on the platform of Jalarpet Railway station, you cannot imagine that there exists so many villages and life on Yelagiri. I was travelling once from Chennai to Bangalore by Bangalore express reaching Jalarpet around 5 p.m. The setting sun glowed on the range , when my co-traveller from Yelagiri told me that there are 14 villages with lake, schools, hotels etc on top.
The 3500 foot high mountain range seems faraway at Vaniyambadi and suddenly comes close to you at Jalarpet.. The headlights of cars and buses go on and off as they chugg over the hairpin bends.
I was fascinated to explore the area. When I had a few days free, I took the morning Lalbagh Express from Bangalore and landed at 9.a.m. at Jalarpet. The hot dosas on the roadside café next to railway station was great. The bus to Yelagiri came at 9.30 at road junction and in one hour reached the first village in Yelagiri, called Athanavur. The Punganoor lake is here and the best hotel to stay is Hotel Hills. There is no crowd at all if you go on a weekday. On weekends, Vellore/Vaniyambadi/Ambur/Tirupattur crowd consisting of mainly school boys and families land up to choke the place. I walked to the otherside of the lake to climb on to a lovely Banyan tree platform to see the lake in its splendour.
The walks and trekking is great. The cool, unpolluted mountain air is very refreshing. It is a great place to unwind . Few people know that the famous hunter Mr.Kenneth Anderson used have a hut here and hunted the man –eating panther of Yelagiri hills. The view of setting sun with the last train to Madras leaving Jalarpet platform, as he waits to kill the panther is explained in his own inimitable way in Omnibus Vol.2.
Long walks on the winding road from Athanavur to the last village 6 kms away is relaxing. If you are a tough trekker, you can go down the hills from the last village to Jalagambarai and catch a bus to Tirupattur. I did it and my daughters did it too later.The villagers were scandalised by two teenage girls trekking on their own and warned them that there are Karadis ( my daughters did not know it meant bears in tamil).
The trip can de done in day from Bangalore, if can catch Lalbagh from Chennai , at 7 p.m. at Jalarpet. You can be back in Bangalore by 9.30 p.m.
Getting there
By road 170 kms from Bangalore via Hosur, Krishnagiri, Burgur,and take a u-turn a few kms beforeVaniyambadi ( avoid the generally recommended bad quality Tirupattur route from Krishnagiri).
From Chennai 240 kms via Vellore, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Ponneri
By train alight at Jalarpet and take bus .
Where to stay
Hotel Hills , Athanavur,Yelagiri Manager : H.Peter, phone 04179-45301,302,303,304. Tariff ; Standard bouble Rs 500 + 20% tax
Not to miss
Punganoor Lake, banyan tree, Treks, Herbal garden, Nursery, Custard apples, Jalagambarai falls, Swami malai ( 4338 ft above MSL)trek , Telescope House
K.Jayaraman
posted by Jayaraman @ 10:19 PM
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