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South
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Currency
|Weather |Distance |Railway
Time |Airlines
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Vellore |
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ABOUT VELLORE
Vellore, 145 km from Chennai, is a
dusty, semi rural bazaar town. For tourists, it is noteworthy only for the
Vijaynagar fort and its temple, which are in an excellent state of preservation
and worth visiting.
Area - 4,314.29 sq. km
PLACES TO SEE
Vellore Fort
The fort is constructed of granite blocks and surrounded by a moat which is
supplied by a subterranean drain fed from a tank. It was built in the 16th
century by Sinna Bommi Nayak, a vassal chieftain under the Vijayanagar
Kings,Sada Sivaraja and Sriranga Maharaja. Later, it became the fortress of
Mortaza Ali, the brother in law of Chanda Sahib who claimed the Arcot throne,
and was taken by the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur. In 1676, it passed briefly
into the hands of the Marathas until they, in turn, were displaced by the nawab
Daud Khan of Delhi, in 1708. The British occupied the fort in 1760, following
the fall of Srirangapatnam and the death of Tipu Sultan. It now houses various
public departments and private offices, and is open daily.
Jalakanteshwara Temple
This temple was built about the same time as the fort and, although it doesn't
compare with the ruins at Hampi, it is still a gem of late Vijayanagar
architecture and has some stunnig carvings in the Adil Shahis of Bijapur, the
temple was occupied as a garrison and desecrated. Following this, it ceased to
be used. It is open daily from 6 am to 1 pm and 3 to 8 pm.
EXCURSION
 Vellamalai
(18 km)
The temple of Vellamalai is dedicated to Siva's son, Kartikkaya ( Murga in
Tamil). There's a temple at the bottom of the hill but is at the top. Shoes must
be removed at the base of the hill. There's a good view of the bleak countryside
around Vellamali- the ground is stony and strewn with boulders. The cloth knots
you will see tied to trees are requests that wishes be granted.
TRAVEL INFO
Road Vellore is well connected with Chennai, Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.
All the buses originate in Vellore. There are also some buses which passes
enroute to Bangalore, Tirupathi, Thanjavur and Ooty.
Rail Vellore's main railway station is five km north at Karpadi.
This is the junction of the broad-gauge line from Bangalore to Chennai and the
metre-gauge Tirupathi to Madurai line ( which runs via Tiruvannamalai,
Villupuram, Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli ).
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