Sightseeing and Temples at Vellore

                    Vellore is popularly known as the Fort City of Tamil Nadu. Now a very calm and understated place, it was once a battleground and has seen many wars. The name Vellore also means a City of Spears. Vellore has an enriching legacy reflecting the early Dravidian culture. It has been ruled by the Pallavas, Cholas, Vijayanagara Empire, Rashtrakutas, Carnatic kingdom and the British. 

                    Vellore has many historic and religious attractions. Also, it has very good connectivity with major towns in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The best time to visit Vellore is between the months of October to March. 

SRIPURAM GOLDEN TEMPLE:

                    Sripuram Golden Temple is dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi and is one of the famous temples in Tamilnadu. The temple was built using 1500 kilograms of gold. Constructed in the year of 2007, Sripuram is the biggest structure made out of gold. The Vimana and Ardha Mandapa have been coated with gold both in the interior and exterior. The temple is built in 100 acres area of land and constructed by Vellore-based Sri Narayani Peedam, headed by spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma. One and half tonnes of gold has been used for the construction of the temple with a cost of 600 crore.

                    The temple is built in Dravidian style with wonderful artistic work. Sripuram design represents a star-shaped path (Sri Chakra) running a length of over 1.8 km. The temple is positioned in the middle of wonderfully maintained lush green landscape. One has to walk along the star path to reach the temple in the middle.

Temple Timings (Opening and Closing):

4:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Temple Pooja Details:

 Temple Contact Details:

Ph. No: 0416 220 6500

VELLORE FORT: 

                    Vellore Fort was built during the 16th century AD by Bommi and Thimma Reddy in the 16th century during the reign of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadeva Raya. Later the fort’s ownership passed through the various dynasties like the Marathas, Bijapur Sultans, the Carnatic Nawabs and the British. The massive ramparts and moats have made the fort a strategic location, it was also known to have Tipu Sultan’s family and the last king of Sri Lanka as prisoners during the time of the British. The fort complex contains a church, a temple and a mosque. The Jalagandeeswarar Temple situated inside the fort is noted for its sculptures. The Mosque inside the fort was constructed during the last Arcot Nawab’s period. The Church inside the fort was constructed during the early British period. 

Fort Timings (Opening and Closing):

On all days of the week

9:00 AM – 12.30 PM

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Contact Details:

Ph.No: 0416 2252345

 JALAGANDEESWARAR TEMPLE:

                    Jalakandeswarar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is located inside the Vellore Fort. The temple is named Jalakandeswarar, as it is located at a lower height than the temple moat. The temple has two courtyards and has a main shrine with a closed path around it and a number of sub-shrines. Inside the Garbha griha, main deity Jalakandeswarar is seen in the form of Shiva Linga. Goddess Sri Akilandeswari Amman is seen in separate sanctum in the inner enclosure of the temple.

                    According to Hindu Legend, Athri munivar installed a Siva Linga in this place and worshiped. After he left, due to improper maintenance, the Shiva Linga in the temple was covered by an ant-hill. Rain waters in the lower levels of the ant-hill made a tank there. Lord Shiva appeared in the dream of a chieftain Bommi Reddy who was ruling the region and asked him to build a temple there. The king went to the tank, demolished the ant-hill and took out the Shivalinga and installed the Lord in the water itself. 

                    The Jalakandeswarar Temple is one another fine example of Vijayanagar architecture. There are highly sculptured and adorned pillars at the main entrance. The engravings on the ceilings of the temple and the pillars are extremely exquisite. 

Temple Timings (Opening and Closing):

Morning :  6.30 AM – 1:00 PM

Evening :   5:00 PM – 8.30 PM

Temple Pooja Details:

Poojas are performed as in other Shiva Temples.

Temple Contact Details:

Ph.No : 0416 2223412, 0416 2234537     

RATHNAGIRI MURUGAN TEMPLE:

                    Rathnagiri Balamurugan Temple is an ancient temple located on top of a hillock in Ratnagiri on Vellore – Chennai National Highway. It is one of the important temples around Vellore.

                    The Ratnagiri Temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan. There are two forms of the deity in this temple, one is Lord Thiru Kolam, seen with his wives Valli and Devasena and the other is Lord Guru Kolam. The idol of the main deity Bala Murugan was installed in a chariot which is made of granite. The garbhagriha is made of granite and is modeled according to the Chola architecture. This temple was built in the 14th century by Arunagiri Nathar. It was renovated in the year 1980 by Bala Muruganadimai Swamy. The temple boasts a huge tower at the entrance. One of the special features of this temple is that the poojas are conducted in Tamil instead of common Sanskrit. 

Temple Timings (Opening and Closing):

Morning :  6.30 AM – 1:00 PM

Evening :   4:00 PM – 8.00 PM

 Temple Pooja Details:

 Temple Contact Details:

Ph.No :  04172 – 266330

            04172 – 266350