| Yelagiri Hills | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 1,048 metres (3,438 ft) |
Yelagiri (Tamil: ஏலகிரி) is a hill station / village in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, India, situated off the Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur road.[1] Located at an altitude of 1,410 metres above Mean Sea Level and spread across 30 km2, the Yelagiri village (also spelt Elagiri at times) is surrounded by orchards, rose-gardens, and green valleys.[2][3]
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State: Tamil Nadu
Exact Location: Yelagiri is located around 19 km from Jolarpettai(near), a small town in the district of Vellore.
Nearest City: Vellore (வேலூர்)
Nearest Town: Athnavur town
Distance from Vellore: 91+ km
Distance from Chennai: 240+ km
Distance from Bangalore: 156+ km
The Yelagiri hill station is not as developed as the other hill stations in Tamil Nadu like Ooty or Kodaikanal. However, the district administration has now taken up the task of developing Yelagiri Hills into a tourist destination by promoting the adventure sports such as paragliding and rock climbing.[4]
The roadway to Yelagiri is finely constructed and well punctuated with the milestones and signboards all way through. Petrol pumps are sufficient enough which makes traveling convenient and easy.
Yelagiri is one of the famous places for trekkers in India. The hill station is located at a height of 1048 meters above sea level. Yelagiri comprises 14 hamlets and a number of temples spread over a couple of hills.
The highest point in Yelgiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 ft; Swamimalai is a popular destination for trekkers. 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, Palamathi Hills.
The nearest airport to Yelagiri is the Salem Airport which handles both domestic and international flights. Reaching here, one can hire a taxi to reach Yelagiri. If you are coming by train from Bangalore, Chennai or Coimbatore you will have to get down at Jolarpettai Junction which is the nearest railhead to Yelagiri.
From Bangalore, get on to Hosur Road, national highway 7 and head towards Krishnagiri. The 4-lane National Highway is excellent and you should make it in less than 2 hours. At Krishnagiri, there's a toll-gate manned by the National Highways Authority. Pay your toll and at the second flyover (don't go over the flyover), take the service road towards the left. This road goes to Chennai. Take the left and for the next hour or so, drive on NH46. You'll come to another toll-station. Pay and drive for a few minutes till you see Vanni Matriculation Higher Secondary School. Further up you'll see a sign 'Elagiri' (36 km) indicated by a 'U' turn arrow and that you need to keep left, take the 'U' turn, go under the bridge and on to the road towards Thirupathur. That's the road you need to get on to. Drive for about 7 kilometers. On the left, you'll see a big sign board 'Tamil Nadu Tourism Department Welcomes You'. Turn left at this junction, there's a sign board pointing towards yelagiri
From Coimbatore, get on to NH 47 till Salem, from there take a left Krishnagiri. From there follow the same route from Bangalore as mentioned above.
Jalagamparai Waterfalls: A short distance away, on the other side of the hill, is Jalagambarai falls,Situated at a distance of 14 km from Tirupattur. The murmuring Attaru Rives flows through the Yelagiri Hills, and plummets down to form a highly captivating waterfall. It’s an hour, 5 km, walk from Yelagiri downhill. Though there is a direct route from Yelagiri to the falls, it is often closed. One has to go all the way down the hill, take the plains, and then climb the hill on the other side. It's an hour's journey.
Swami Malai Hills: Swami malai hills are the hills in the form of cake with a strong base at the bottom and high peak of the hills just tend to touch the sky. Trekking is an attarction at Swami Malai (3 km to and 3 km fro). This trek leads one to a small peak from where the entire valley is visible
Telescope observatory: A telescope observatory near Yelagiri hill is also of attraction of visitors.
YMCA Camp Centre [1]: A non-profit organisation that offers accommodation, dormitory accommodation, trekking and other camp activities.