When I was touring Tamil Nadu, I stopped to explore different places in Hosur. Booking a convenient taxi service in Hosur, I visited the Chandira Choodeshwar Temple, Shri Maha Pratyangira Kalika Devi Alayam, Kelevarapalli Dam and so on. I also had an extraordinary experience riding horses at the Stallions Valley Horse Riding Academy. It was during this time, when I heard about Yelagiri Hills from the locals. I have travelled and trekked almost all the peaks of the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats, all these years, but I have never gone to Yelagiri hills.
Day 1
It was a Friday evening when I was in Bangalore and was wondering what to do. After a quick online research, I decided to set out for Yelagiri. Saturday morning around 8.30 AM I booked a cab from Bangalore to Yelagiri that could be reached via the route Krishnagiri -Bargur – Tirupattur – Jolarpet – Yelagiri hills.
- Yelagiri Lake— When I made it to Yelagiri Lake, the climate was pleasant. It has got twelve hairpin bends and the hill station drive is pretty smooth and easy. As a result, the road trip turned out to be spectacular. Once I reached the hill-top, I was dumbstruck by the magnificence of the hill. Yelagiri hill mainly has two tourist spots— one lake with a park, and another nature park. First I visited the lake park, the entrance of which was so vibrant owing to a plethora of fruits sold along the sideways. There were lots of shops and fun activities on the way. Since the park was maintained very well, they applied some entrance fee for the park and lake. Yelagiri Lake Park is full of fun activities, and when I walked along, there was a lake where they had boating as well. One of the best things to do is walking along the shore of the lake along the path they have made around it. I also tried the star fruit; it was lip-smacking with salt and chilly.
- Yelagiri Nature Park— Right opposite to the lake, there was the nature park. It was one of the finest parks I had visited in recent times. It had a fountain, various species of roses in the greenhouse, an aquarium, musical fountains, artificial waterfalls and lots of colourful flowers amid all the greenery. One could easily spend 2 to 3 hours relaxing in the park. It took me around 4 hrs to visit both parks. There were lots of adventure activities around the hill station that included bungee jumping for those who were interested, as well as a trekking place in which one could pay 350 INR to forest officials in order to climb the highest peak of Yelagiri hills. There were lots of temples as well for the tourists, most of which remain open only on Saturdays.
Day 2
- Jalagamparai Waterfalls – The next day, after having lunch at a nearby eatery, I set out for the waterfalls on the other side of the Yelagiri hill. They are named Jalagamparai Falls. In order to make it to these falls, I had to come down the way back from hill station where there was a left cut near Jolarpettai Railway Station. A certain road took me around the hill through some of the villages. It was a wonderful drive since the lush green of monsoon was everywhere and I spotted lots of water bodies on the way. Falls also had good water flow as it had rained recently. Monsoon was probably the best time to visit this place since the Jalagamparai Falls had a proper water flow. Owing to this, the waterfalls were pretty crowded, and it was also a Sunday. I went and took a bath in the falls, spent some time exploring and started my way back home with a picturesque sunset on the way.
Visiting Yelagiri had been one of my best road trips in recent times. The weather was wonderful, there was greenery everywhere, and the waterfalls and nature parks were a treat to the eyes and tranquillity to the soul. I could not have utilized my weekends in a better way than this. For those of you who like road trips and a quick weekend getaway, personally I would say that the best time to visit any hill station is post-monsoon when each station is filled with its own beauty. Often, when I look back to my Tamil Nadu trip, I keep reminiscing about the Yelagiri Hills which will always have a special place in my heart.
