A Step Back In Time
76Nestled in the Shevaroy Hills in Tamil Nadu, India, is a place where time seems to have stood still. The Lake Forest Hotel takes its name from the place – Yercaud, which in Tamil means ‘lake forest’. The main structure dates back to the 1800s and as you step in, you find yourself transported to a time long past. Sixty cottages are tucked away under a luxurious green canopy nearly five thousand feet above sea level and around every bend there’s a bit of history, remnants of an era long gone. Each room is done up differently, in an old world style with a few antique pieces and the rest of the furniture made to look like period pieces.
Along the slopes of the mountains, coffee grows in abundance, punctuated by silver oak trees. Temples have existed here for hundreds of years but the cool climate brought the English up here and it is said that Robert Clive came here to spend his summers. Most of India’s hills stations were developed by the British so they could escape the heat of the plains in summer and on many of them, tea, coffee and spices are grown.
The Lake Forest Hotel we went to has a story unlike the rest of this British summer resort. The estate was won in a bid by a lady of Portuguese descent – Henrietta Charlotte Rosario and the old bungalow still has the old four poster beds and furniture from the late nineteenth century. The coffee estate was named Rosar after her and the old coffee pulping and powdering machines are still around.
The reception area in this charming hotel is like a treasure trove – old clocks, an old bronze table fan and even ancient film shooting equipment. Now why on earth would there be lights, mike stands and blowers straight out of a thirties or forties film set, we wondered.
Huge black and white blow ups of photographs brought back the past and above our heads, an old fan moved gently with the breeze – the manager told us that all they did was to change the cloth when necessary.
The great thing about this place was how well it blended in with its surroundings. The landscaping was wild and wonderful not structured and manicured. And the sign said it all. This was a place where we had to live in harmony with nature, where the old and the new existed together without any sense of discomfort, where the air was fresh and pure and green stretched out before you and above. Good friends, good food, beauty all around us – we couldn’t have asked for more. It was the perfect recipe to get us back to work refreshed.
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This sounds like an incredible place to visit.
What a beautiful country India is.
Simply amazing! Lake Forest Hotel looks historic, quaint,and simply cozy. India is so beautiful :)
Thank you Aya, Dim and kerlynb. Urban India is so overcrowded that we treasure getaways to places like these!
Hope you had an idyllic time! :)
Wow! A really beautiful place and wonderful pictures to boot. Thanks for sharing ;p
This place seems like a beautifully peaceful place to write...thanks for sharing Shalini.;)
FP - we did, we did!
JC - beautiful place - you really should have come along :)
Thanks MA - you're so right - it's just the kind of place that could inspire creativity!
Shalini, reading this I realize what great relief it is to go somewhere peaceful, far far away from American angst. With all the photos and your poetic descriptors, I feel as if my blood pressure dropped and I breathed out a deep deep sigh. Thank you so much for sharing!
I wondered if you checked out the temples, Shalini. Do they talk of shambala or shangri la? Do they show evidence of the subterranean existance of the underground peaceful people? Thank you for a good article that came in just the right moment!
This was a treat my eyes! I love anything that has old world charm as it reminds me of the continuity of life somehow.
Rated up and beautiful! :)
My daughter visited here...I think it was a little too quiet for her young blood, though she did say it was a very beautiful place. Sure you had a good time. I enjoyed your pics on FB too.
Hi Story - thank you! It was such a green and peaceful place.
shazwellyn - we did. Unlike most other Indian temples, there were no crowds and everything around was so peaceful The one that made a great impression on me was called Maha Meru and it was dedicated to the 'sacred feminine'. Another was at the beginning of an underground tunnel that went through the hills for hundreds of miles up to another hill resort. An old, underground river dried up? It was fun to speculate :) Strangely, there's no fresh water supply though now there is a lot of rain harvesting.
Marie - thanks. Yes, I loved being surrounded b y all those antiques :) One almost heard whispers of times past!
Diana - probably. We oldies loved it but I'm sure my daughter would much prefer the beaches of Goa :)
Thanks all for reading!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful place through words and pictures. I think if I should go there, I'd have a terrible time leaving. Up and beautiful!
Hi Shal, I too like to go back in time. Those pictures are indeed great and that table fan is probably powered by paraffin. Saw one like that in a museum somewhere. Cheers!
True Sally - five days were just not enough! Thanks for coming by!
Quicksand - I didn't think to look. Paraffin? Makes sense! There's something so solid about these old appliances and furniture!
Hi Shalini, what a fabulous hotel and surrounding area, I loved my visit and all the photos, thank you for sharing this amazing place and voting up and beautiful.
Thank you Movie Master - yes, it was an amazing place!
Thank you for that Shalini, next time in India, I shall have to visit this yester-wonderland.
Yes! Let's do a trip there together :)
A wonderful place, well preserved, and you gave it full justice. I am so glad you wrote this hub about it and hope you will do some more.
Thank you Hello, hello - yes, it was a wonderful place!
Good to read another of your delightful Hubs Shalini and this one is really special. One day I hope to visit India and travel to those wonderful, historical places such as The Lake Forest Hotel. Beautiful!
Hi GL - you'll love it. I do hope you can come :)
I truly enjoyed this hub, beautiful images, it's short and straight to the point. Your writing style is also elegant here, I like your choice of words which gives me idea's on how to better my own hubs. Thanks for such a wonderful display overall.
Voted up, & I wish to visit such places as this, actually my spouse is from Malaysia so we will make a vacation trip soon, hopefully with the help of hub revenue someday as well. Awesome stuff!
Thank you CloudExplorer - appreciate you coming by and reading - and I do hope you make enough hub money to travel wherever you want to.
There are so many beautiful places in the world, and this seems like one of them. I find that people add another dimension to places by adding their experiences or connection to a certain place that makes it all the more special.
Wow , i never knew about it even though i am an indian. Well it seems so serene. Well written hub , infact excellent work .
klanguedoc - yes, so many beutiful places, so little time! Thanks for reading!
Aceblogs - thank you - yes, it is green and serene.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful hub!
Thank you for reading, Highvoltagewriter!
Yes, it is very beautiful, attorneyblog - thanks for reading!
This looks so beautiful and peaceful! Your description makes me want to visit the place. I really wish I could!
Thanks for sharing this my friend!
Thanks so much for dropping by and reading, Jill! And I do wish you will be able to visit someday!
I very much enjoy your writing style! Your details really bring this piece to life, and I voted it up.
Thank you habee - I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Love the sign for insects, birds, and animals having the right of way. If we lived like that then our environment would not be so totally devastated.
I'd love to be there at this place where nature abounds. I know this is what is missing in my life. Sure we have lots of trees planted in my community - most not native but invasive - and it can in no way compensate for the thousands of cars that pass by and all the concrete. No, nothing is better than nature.
Thanks for this hub. Even though I cannot be there, just enjoying the photos gives me a much needed break - whew!
Rated up of course.
Thank you BkCreative. Where we live, the concrete invasion is fast taking place so it feels good to be able to escape to places like these!
Wow, what a lovely place! I'm from Thailand and some of the pictures remind me of home. Beautiful.
Hi savanahl - thank you for coming by and reading!
Aya Katz Level 4 Commenter 7 months ago
It looks to be a beautiful and peaceful place. Thank you for sharing this, Shalini.