Name: Yercaud
Rating: 4.2

Lady's Seat, Yercaud Overview

Lady's Seat is a viewpoint that overlooks the winding ghat road and offers a spectacular view of Mettur Dam and Salem town. Besides, the place also houses a viewing tower, which is equipped with a telescope to enjoy the beautiful view. This viewing tower is open for visitors only during the daytime. Lady's Seat, Gent's Seat and Children's Seat, located to the south-west of Shevaroy Hill, are the names given to a group of rocks located on the Yercaud Hills.

It is believed that an English lady used to spend her evenings at this place watching the beautiful view of this rock. For those interested in a closer view, there's a mounted telescope. Swing it to your extreme right to see the Mettur Dam on the Cauvery River. Great shots of the river can be had from this spot in the late afternoon when the sun's rays are reflected in its waters.

Tips For Visiting Lady's Seat

1. Visit the Lady's Seta on a sunny day.
2. One should be careful of monkeys. This is one nice spot to visit when you go to Yercaud.
3. The statues of some of the characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata that are placed there and the wooden point must not be missed.
4. There are small shops selling green chillies, bread omelette, tea and coffee.
5. The Telescope view is available for INR 5. However, it is open only on clear sky days.
6. The paid parking ticket of INR 30 includes Gent's Seat, Rose Garden, Lady's Seat and Deer Park.

History of Lady's Seat, Yercaud

Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills ( also known as Shevarayan Hills ), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud lake. Sir Thomas Munroe, erstwhile governor of Madras Presidency in 1842 found this place. David Cockburn, the Scottish collector of Salem district, between 1820 and 1829, was called the 'Father of Yercaud' because he helped in the development of the resources of the Shevaroy and for introducing the cultivation of coffee, pears and apple. The first survey of the Shevaroy hills was undertaken in 1827. Though the first European house was built in 1840. The attention of planters on the Shevaroys has been confined solely to coffee plantations.

Tea plantation has been introduced in the 1840s by Dr.Wallich on the property of G.F.Fischer. Trees of cinnamon has been introduced in Yercaud by Mr.Richardson during the same period. The cool climate attracted Christian missionaries, who established the Sacred Heart Convent for girls, the Nazareth Girls' Hr. Sec. School for Girls, and the Montfort School for boys. Schools such as the Holy Cross Novitiate House, started by the Brothers of Don Bosco, followed these.

Mr. G.F. Fischer, a European of German origin, purchased the Salem Zamindar in 1836. He was the only European Zamindar in the Presidency. The area of his zamin was 125,000 acres (510 km2). The first Indian coffee planter to settle in these hills was Mr. MSP Rajes whose father started off by trading with the European planters. He eventually bought them out and settled in Cauvery Peak. His descendants continue to manage the plantations under the names MSP Plantations and MSP Coffee.

How To Reach Lady's Seat

It is close to Pagoda Point and is well-connected via all means of local transportation. Yercaud is situated in Salem district, Tamil Nadu. The nearest city or town is Salem, 32 km away. The nearest airports are Salem Airport at a distance of 38 km. The nearest railway station is Salem at 38 km.