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The other Ooty

Pagoda Point at Yercaud offers some picturesque orchards and a bit of history

AWAY FROM IT ALL A quiet communion at Yercaud Photo: P. Gautham

Pagoda Point in Yercaud has a bit of history — unique in its own way. This hill retreat, which is 1,500 metres above sea level, is about 45 minutes drive from Salem. As you wind your way up 20 hairpin bends on the ghat road, a dramatic view of the hills unfolds.

As you enter this "Ooty of the Poor," a refreshing aroma hits you. For, most of the Shevaroy Hills comprises coffee plantations. Besides, what you see in abundance here are orchards and groves of jackfruit, berries, orange, apple, guava, pepper, cardamom, sandalwood, teak and silver oak.

Taking in the beauty of the mountainside, I drive straight to my destination. The uphill drive ends in a plateau dotted with abandoned Tamil Nadu Housing Board units. The road is, in fact, a dead end leading to a temple perched on a cliff. The temple enshrines two anionic stones held sacred by the local hill tribes.

Natural formation

It is around the ridges of the crest that you find the ancient pyramidal cairns, which give the place its name. They look like small pagodas. It is said that these formations were the result of stones falling one on top of the other. It is also believed that these pagodas have been in existence since the time of the Buddha.

Pagoda Point, which offers a stunning view of the green valley below and the cliffs around, was peaceful when I reached. The only interruption came from a seller of American corn who insisted I buy from him.

I sat on one of the cement benches near the pagodas, taking in the spectacular view. A blue haze obscured the distant hills. I didn't realise the passage of time. The sunlight began to fade and thick swirls of mist enveloped the surroundings. The silence around was interrupted only by the whispers of the breeze.

Soon it was time to leave.

Pagoda Point is a sight to behold by night. From here, the illuminated town below looks like a star-studded carpet. Lots of people drop by to capture this view. I retreated having taken in my fill.

But not without halting at another interesting place nearby called The Grange, a castle-like structure built in the early 19th Century by the then Collector of Salem, M.D. Cockburn. Nestling in the lofty hills and endowed with a salubrious climate, the Grange is privately owned now. Though it has been converted into a resort, the place retains an old world charm with the nearly 200-year-old building and the plantations around it. It is said Cockburn was a keen gardener and it was he who first introduced coffee from Arabia and apples and other fruits from South Africa between 1820 and 1829 C.E. After a quick but expensive cup of hot filter coffee at The Grange, I returned to the din and noise of the industrial town of Salem.

SOMA BASU

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