| Yercaud | |
| Native Name: | ēṟkāḍŭ |
| Native Name Lang: | ta |
| Settlement Type: | Hill Station |
| Pushpin Map: | India Tamil Nadu |
| Coordinates: | 11.7794°N 78.2034°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tamil Nadu |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kongu Nadu |
| Subdivision Name3: | Salem |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation M: | 1515 |
| Population Total: | 11582 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | 636601 |
| Registration Plate: | TN 30, TN 54 |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Tamil English |
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 .
Stone-age implements have been found near an ancient shrine located in the Servarayan Hills, about 5 km from the Yercaud lake.[1] 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.[2]
It is located in the Shevaroy hills in the Eastern Ghats.[3] The total extent of Yercaud taluk is including reserve forests.[4] It is situated at an altitude of 1515m (4,970feet) above sea level, and the highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, at .[5]
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.[6]
The taluk is administered as a township with a panchayat union headquartered at Yercaud.[4] Yercaud is part of the Yercaud Assembly constituency which forms part of the Kallakurichi (Lok Sabha constituency).[7]
The economy of Yercaud is majorly dependent on tourism and agriculture. Coffee, orange, jackfruit, guava, black pepper and cardamom are grown around the region.[3] Yercaud lake is a natural lake in the center of the town where there are boating facilities.[8] 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.[4]
The nearest airport is Salem airport at a distance of, which has limited domestic flights. The nearest major airport is Coimbatore International Airport located away.[3] The nearest railway station is Salem junction at 34.5 km.[3] Government owned TNSTC operates public buses from Yercaud to Salem, which is connected to other major towns.[3]
There are many residential schools in Yercaud including the Monfort school, established in 1917.[9] Shevaroys college is the only institute of higher education in the region.[10]