Yercaud

Yercaud, also spelt Erkad, is a town and hill station in Salem District in Tamil Nadu, India. Located in Servarayan Hills in the Eastern Ghats, it is situated at an altitude of 1515 m.

History
Stone-age implements have been found near an ancient shrine located in the Servarayan Hills, about 5 km from the Yercaud lake. In the 1820s, M. D. Cockburn, the collector of Salem district facilitated the establishment of coffee plantations and citrus fruit saplings imported from South Africa. It was later discovered by Thomas Munro, the Governor of Madras Presidency in 1842 and popularized as a recreation retreat.

Geography
It is located in the Shevaroy hills in the Eastern Ghats. The total extent of Yercaud taluk is 382.67 km2 including reserve forests. It is situated at an altitude of 1515 m above sea level, and the highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, at 5342 ft.

Demographics
As per the 2011 census, Yercaud has population of 11,582. The sex ratio was 974 against the state average of 996. Literacy rate was 83.17%, higher than state average of 80.09%. Scheduled caste constituted 33.33% while Scheduled tribes were 15.50% of the total population. The town had 2,652 houses.

Administration and politics
The taluk is administered as a township with a panchayat union headquartered at Yercaud. Yercaud is part of the Yercaud Assembly constituency which forms part of the Kallakurichi (Lok Sabha constituency).

Economy
The economy of Yercaud is majorly dependent on tourism and agriculture. Coffee, orange, jackfruit, guava, black pepper and cardamom are grown around the region. Yercaud lake is a natural lake in the center of the town where there are boating facilities. Other places of interest include the deer park, bears cave, Kiliyur falls, rose garden, various view points and temples including Servarayan temple, Raja Rajeswari temple and Rama temple at Pagoda point.

Transport
The nearest airport is Salem airport at a distance of 38 km, which has limited domestic flights. The nearest major airport is Coimbatore International Airport located 170 km away. The nearest railway station is Salem junction at 34.5 km. Government owned TNSTC operates public buses from Yercaud to Salem, which is connected to other major towns.

Education
There are many residential schools in Yercaud including the Monfort school, established in 1917. Shevaroys college is the only institute of higher education in the region.