Destination: Yelagiri Hills
Location: Off Bangalore-Chennai
Highway, Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur Road, Tamilnadu
Yelagiri Hills promises:
Altitude of 1,410 meters, 14 hair-pin bends, breathtaking view, trekking trail,
peace (not crowded) and nice weather (18-22 C temperature)
Total distance covered (one
day round trip): 361 km
It all begun with our
eagerness to run away from daily routine life, wish to spend some quality time
with nature and my Bull. While searching for destinations fit for one day trip,
we came across many options like Hogenakkal, Shivsamudram, Banargatta National
Park, Wayanad and Yelagiri Hills. However, located at the altitude of 1410
meter above sea level and 14 hair-pin bends, Yelagiri Hills sounded like a
promising destination and so Yelagiri Hills it was. Yelagiri is a
hill station in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, India,
situated off the Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur road. A very less known fact about Yelagiri is that the whole of Yelagiri was once the private property of the Elagiri zamindar family. It was taken over by Govt. of India during early 1950. The House of Elagiri zamindar's still exists in Reddiyur.
We planned to leave home by
5.30 am but due to bad weather, couldn't make it. After two hours long wait, we
finally decided to put our rain coats on and leave home while it was still
raining. In total, we had three bikes which include Suraj's RE Standard,
Prakash's Pulsar and my RE TBTS. We started from my home in Austin town at 7.45
am. In another 15 min we were on Hosur Rd but it was still raining heavily. We
took the Electronic city elevated way from Silk board. I must mention, this 9 km long elevated way is biker's delight.
After 45 mins' ride in
heavy rain and getting fully drenched, we reached Bommasandra (22 km from my
place) and stopped for refill (Breakfast) in Fine Dine. Contrary to the look,
place turned out to be a disaster. We started thinking of going back due to
heavy rain but then we saw rain slowing down and so we decided to stick to our
original plan. After losing 50 min to rain and pathetic breakfast, we were back
on road, riding towards our destination.
Now we were heading towards Krishnagiri which was approx 95 km from Bangalore. This place is located in Tamilnadu and very famous for Krishnagiri Dam. I must tell you about this very important historical town from south India. Krishnagiri region is a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu and Chera country. Historically it was ruled by Kongu and Chera rulers. Later the region came under Cholas, Pallavas, Gangas, Nulambas, Hoysalas, Vijaya Nagar and Bijapur emperors, Wodeyars of Mysore and Nayaks of Madurai. This region of Krishnagiri served as "Gateway of Tamil Nadu" and the protective barrier for Southern region defending onslaughts from barriers with motives of imperialism and exploitation. Krishnagiri Fort become the first and forth most defensive place. The majestic fortress built on Krishnagiri hill by the Vijaya Nagar Emperors, stands as testimony still now.
On the way, we crossed
towns like Attibele and Hosur. Once you reach Krishnagiri, for Yelagiri, one
has to cross the Krishnagiri flyover (On highway) and then have to take left
from under the next bridge. However, we missed it and went straight for couple
of kilometers before realizing the mistake. After taking help from local
people, we took a u-turn and there we were back heading into right direction. I
must mention here that the road conditions are amazing and this adds to your
wholesome experience.
From the above mentioned
flyover we had to travel for another 5 km before we took right turn (Stay on
State highway 48) for Burgur village. We had a small stop in Burgur to withdraw
cash from ATM. In Burgur, after crossing Govt. Bus Station, we had to take
State Highway 131 which takes you to Tirupattur. Tirupattur is one of the
oldest towns in Tamil Nadu. It is located approximately 40 km
from Krishnagiri, 85 km from Hosur and 125 km
from Bangalore. It is the second biggest and densely populated town in Vellore
district. Post Tirupattur, comes Jolarpet Jn, from where we took right and
now we were riding on Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur road. After another 5
kms and we reached Ponneri Jn.
Right turn and we knew that best is yet to come. We were at the foothill of Yelagiri Hills. From here, upward journey of 15 kms that include steep climbing and 14 hair-pin bends begun. It was fully surrounded by lush green nature. We stopped at one of the hair-pin bends to enjoy the view. I don't know if I am hyperbolizing but when you look down from here you get God's view. You see far off villages scattered in the backyard of mother earth. The mercury started dropping and by the time we reach Yelagiri town it there was a significant drop in temperature compare to foothill. It was 1 pm and all of us were really hungry.
Fortunately, we were able
to locate a nice hotel for dining... Food was nice and we were fully charged
again. It was already 3.00 pm. We had only one and half hour for sightseeing.
Yelagiri Hills has tourist attractions like Yelagiri Lake, Boat House
and Swamimalai Hills (It is a highest and popular destination for
trekkers). Standing tall at 4338 ft, the view from the summit is spectacular. The hill provides a
good number of trekking trails through thick reserved forests. Mangalam, a
small village, is at the base of this hill. There are other trekking options
that include smaller peaks like Javadi Hills and Palamathi Hills. Yelagiri also comprises 14 small villages. The Tribal people who live here are engaged in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, etc.
However, we could not visit all the places due to time constraint. By 4.00 pm, we were on our way back home. One point I would like to mention here. If you feel like having tea, have it while you are still in Yelagiri. Once you come down, it is hard to find good tea. Our return journey was more or less without any major event. Only when we were just 50 kms away from Bangalore, one quick rain shower drenched us again though we really enjoyed it. It was really refreshing. We reached Electronic city elevated bridge at 8.30 pm, sooner than what we expected. After 10 mins break, we reached Sony Signal, Koramangala. We bid fair well to each other till we meet next.
