As the people could not stand his weight, they yelled ‘yelo’ in fear (‘kili’ in Tamil), which later became Yelagiri.

[1][2] As per Hindu beliefs, Vishnu came to the hills later to marry goddess Lakshmi, who is known by the name "Yelagiri Thayar" and the region came to be known as Yeloshwaram.

[13] After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was taken over by the Government of India and became part of the Madras State, which later became Tamil Nadu.

[14] Though the region has been occupied during prehistoric times, recent settlement occurred in the 19th century, when about 200 Malayali tribes populated the area and practiced agriculture.

[16] The panchayat is responsible for the basic infrastructure such as road, lighting, water supply and sanitation.

The hills can be accessed by a mountain road with 14 hair pin bends, branching out from National Highway 48.

[1] The major access roads are maintained by the Department of Highways and Minor Ports of Government of Tamil Nadu.

[1][3][25] Trekking activities are carried out at Swamimalai hills and adventure sports such as paragliding and rock climbing are being promoted by the Government.

[27][1] The yeary "Yelagiri Summer Festival" is celebrated in May and is organised by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation.