23 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Vellore

At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, the Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the famous heritage sites near Chennai, and among the must include places in Vellore holiday packages.

Vellore Fort was built in the 16th century CE by Channa Bommi Nayaka and Thimma Reddy Nayaka, the Chieftains under the Vijayanagara ruler Sadashiva Raya. This granite fort happens to be one of the best examples of military architecture in South India and among the unique forts in India. The fort was captured in the 17th century by the Adil Shahis, the Muslim rulers from Bijapur. It was then taken by the Marathas, and later by Daud Khan of Delhi in the early 18th century. The British took control of this fort in 1768 and controlled it .....

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, 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 Shivalinga. Goddess Sri Akilandeswari Amman is seen in separate sanctum in the inner enclosure of the temple. To the outer walls of Amman sanctum one can get the darshan of Vinayaka, Madeswari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. There is also a Nandi statue in front, facing Sri Jalakandeswarar sanctum.

According to puranas, Athri muni installed a Siva Lingam in this place and worshiped. After he left, without proper maintenance the Siva Lingam in the temple was covered by an ant-hill. Rain waters in the .....

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At a distance of 17 km from Vellore, Ratnagiri 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 places of pilgrimage in Tamilnadu, and among the must-visit places as part of Vellore tour.

The Ratnagiri Temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan. 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. The 14th Century poet Arunagirinathar has sung about this temple as Murugan, the God of Devas resides in Ratnagiri.

According to the locals, the divine power in the temple manifests its blessings in three forms. First is in the form of the Lord Murugan idol .....

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At a distance of 650 m from Virinjipuram Bus Stop and 13 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Sri Margabandeswarar Temple is a 13th century temple situated on Bangalore - Chennai National Highway. The temple has rich sculptures and artistic pillars. The temple was built by Cholas Kings in 13th Century while Bomma Nayakars, who built Vellore Jalagandeswarar temple, made several extensions to the temple including beautiful kalyana mandapa.

The main deity of this temple is Swayambu Lingam known as Margabandeeswarar. The Siva Lingam is slightly leaning to North East direction. The Goddess of the temple is Maragadambal. Other deities seen in the temple are Ganapathy, Subramanya, Chandra Mouleeswara, Pancha Mukha Lingam, Saptha Matrukas, Lakshmi, Saraswathy & Durga. In this temple Lord Brahma is worshiped as Virinjan. He worshipped Lord Shiva .....

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At a distance of 10 km from Vellore, 70 km from Kanchipuram, 120 km from Tirupati, 146 km from Chennai, and 212 km from Bangalore, Sripuram Golden Temple is a sacred Hindu temple situated in Tirumalaikodi at Southern Vellore, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the popular pilgrimage sites near Bangalore, and among the must visit places during Vellore trip.

Sripuram Golden Temple is dedicated to the goddess Mahalakshmi. Constructed in the year 2007, The temple is built in 100 acres area of land and constructed by Vellore-based Sri Narayani Peetham, headed by spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma. The Vimana and Ardha Mandapa have been coated with gold both in the interior and exterior. Sripuram is the biggest structure made out of gold as one and a half tonnes of gold has been used for the construction of the temple with a cost of 600 crores. This is one of the prominent Vellore places to visit.

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At a distance of 2.5 km from Kaigal Village, 28 km from Palamaner, 55 km from Kolar, 92 km from Horsley Hills, 142 km from Tirupati, 123 km from Bangalore, 68 from Chittoor, 78 km from Kanipakam, 96 km from Vellore & 225 km from Chennai, Kaigal Water Falls, also known as Dumukurallu Waterfalls is a nice waterfall located on the Palamaner - Kuppam Highway.

The waterfall is natural, perennial and water comes from a big rock at a height of 40 feet, irrespective of seasons. But its force and beauty is increased during the Monsoon season. The name Dumukurallu waterfalls came into prominence because of its sound resembling the fall of stones from above.

The falls is formed by the Kaigal stream which is one of the two streams flowing through Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. There is a big pond below the waterfalls and this is a nice place to visit for nature lovers. It is situated in a .....

Distance (From Vellore): 96 Kms
Trip Duration (From Vellore - Including Travel): 6 Hours
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At a distance of 2 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Sri Selva Vinayagar Temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha situated in Shenbakkam. The place was once called Swayambakkam since Vinayagar appeared hear as Swayambu.

The Selva Vinayagar Temple is dedicated to Sri Selva Vinayagar and Somasundareswarar. Sri Selva Vinayagar is surrounded by 10 other Swayambhu Vinayagars. The 11 Vinayagars are present in the following order: Bala Vinayagar, Nandana Vinayagar, Omkara Vinayagar, Karpaga Vinayagar, Chinthamani Vinayagar, Selva Vinayagar, Mayura Vinayagar, Mooshiga Vinayagar, Vallaba Vinayagar, Siddhi-Buddhi Vinayagar and Panchamuga Vinayagar.

Bala Vinayagar is still under the ground and only the top portion is visible. One can see an Elephant installed in front of Selva Vinayakar instead of Mooshika, which is a unique feature of the temple.

According to legend, A Maratha minister by name Thukoji was passing through this place when the axle of his chariot .....

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At a distance of 2 km from Kathalampet and 21 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Singiri Koil is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is situated on Vellore - Polur road.

This temple is situated on a small hillock which is about 80 feet high and can be reached by a flight of about 100 steps. As per the inscriptions around the sanctum sanctorum, this is an 8th century temple built by the local chieftain, Rajavarman at the behest of Lord Narasimha who appeared in his dream.

The main idol in the sanctum sanctorum is seen in a sitting posture with four hands - two hands hold the conch and the discus, his third hand is on his lap and fourth hand is around the waist of Goddess Lakshmi. The image of the Lord is nearly six feet in height with Goddess Lakshmi is seated on the lap of the Lord.

There is a separate shrine for Lord Anjaneya, who is known here as Sri Bala Anjaneya. The idol is one feet .....

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At a distance of 27 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Amirthi Zoological Park is situated under the Javadu hills of Tellai across Amirthi River. Established in 1967, the zoo park occupies an area of 25 hectares. It is named after the Amirthi River which flows next to the park.

This park is popular for its waterfalls, swing and animal habitats. Half of this jungle is cleared to serve as a tourist spot while the other half is developed as a wildlife sanctuary. One km trek in the park leads to a full view of Amirthi falls, a small cascading seasonal falls. Visitors can play and swim in the pool formed by the falls here in monsoons.

Animals in the park include spotted deer, mongoose, hedgehog, foxes, reason monkeys, red headed parrots, love birds, tortoises, peacock, crocodiles, wild cats, eagles, ducks, pigeons, wild parrots, rabbits and pythons. Many herbal and medicinal plants can be seen growing in the Park. A meditation .....

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At a distance of 77 km from Vellore and 54 km from Yelagiri, The Vainu Bappu Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is located at Kavalur in the Javadi hills near Vaniyambadi in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu.

The Kavalur Observatory is located in a 100 acre forest land. The observatory houses a number of optical telescopes, including currently India's largest optical telescope the 2.3m Vainu Bappu telescope, 1.3 meter J.C Bhattacharya telescope, 1m Carl Zeiss Telescope and many other smaller ones. Apart from the Telescopes, there is also a Fabry-Perot Interferometer which is being used to study airglow emissions from the Earth's thermosphere. The observatory is situated at an altitude of 725m. Several varieties of plants, some wildlife and different birds are spotted in the campus.

The observatory traces its origin back to the year 1786 when William Petrie set up .....

Distance (From Vellore): 77 Kms
Trip Duration (From Vellore - Including Travel): 4 Hours/Half Day
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At a distance of 3.5 km from Sholingur Bus Station and 506 km from Vellore, Sholingur Sri Yoga Narasimha temple is a famous temple and one of the 108 divya desams of Sri Vaishnavas.

The Yoga Narasimha temple is situated on a hill called Periya Malai. The presiding deity Lord Narasimha is seen here in yogic posture. It is located at an altitude of about 1000 feet and one has to climb about 1300 steps to reach the shrine.

The Goddess of this temple is known as Amirtha Valli Thayar. The unique feature of this temple is that Lord Yoga Narasimha is seated in a yoga asana with Salagrama Hara (necklace) and Chaturbuja (four arms). He holds Sanka and Chakra in two arms; the other two arms signify a meditative posture.

According to legend, Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, after slaying the demon Hiranyakashipu, reached this hill. It is believed that worshipping the lord at this temple would relieve the devotees .....

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, The Tipu Mahal and Hyder Mahal are the palaces located inside the Vellore Fort. The Tipu Mahal has 180 rooms with a central pillar hall and the Hyder Mahal on the same campus housed over 200 rooms.

It is believed that Tipu resided here with his family during the war against the British. The palaces are closed to public nowadays as they serve as a high security prison. During the British rule, Tipu Sultan's family was detained here and the last king of Sri Lanka in captivity.

On July 10, 1806, before sunrise, the Indian sepoys stationed in the fort attacked the European barracks there, and had killed about 15 Officers and 100 English soldiers and ransacked their houses. Some of the rebelling soldiers also urged the sons of Tipu Sultan to lead the campaign. After this Sepoy Mutiny, the British transferred Tipu's sons and daughters to Calcutta. The Tombs of Bakshi Begum, widow of Hyder Ali and Padshah Begum, Tipu's wife, .....

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At a distance 26 km from Vellore, Arcot is a town and suburb of Vellore city, located on the southern banks of Palar River. Arcot is a historical town which was the headquarters of Nawab of Carnatic, who ruled the region in 18th century AD. It was earlier known as Thiruvazhundur during the Chola period. Delhi Gate and Arcot Fort are important attractions in the town.

Arcot was ruled by 12 Nawabs. Carnatic Nawabdom was established by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who in 1692 appointed Zulfikar Ali as Nawab of the Carnatic, with his seat at Arcot as an honor for his triumph over the Marathas at this place. In 1740, the Maratha forces invaded Arcot. They attacked the Nawab, Dost Ali in the pass of Damalcherry. In the war that followed, Dost Ali, one of his sons Hasan Ali, and a number of prominent persons lost their lives. In 1751, The English captured the town during Carnatic Wars. In 1801, the town was annexed by the British East India Company and merged into Madras Presidency

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At a distance of 2 km from Gingee Bus Stand, 71 km from Puducherry, 85 km from Kanchipuram, and 93 km from Vellore, Gingee Fort or Senji Fort is an ancient hill-fort sitated in the Villupuram district of Tamilnadu. It is one of the largest surviving forts in Tamilnadu, and among the popular historical places to visit near Chennai.

The fort was historically considered most impregnable and it was called the 'Troy of the East' by the British. Originally the site had a small fort built by the Chola dynasty during the 9th century. Gingee Fort, also known as Shinji or Jinji, was modified by Kurumbar while fighting the Cholas and again by the Vijayanagara Empire during the 13th century. As per one account, the fort was built during the 15-16th century by the Gingee Nayaks, the lieutenants of the Vijayanagara Empire and who later became independent kings. The fort passed to the .....

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At a distance of 2.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, The Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese, also known as Assumption Church is situated next to the Bishop's House in Vellore. The major attraction of this Church is a bell tower, which is said to be the highest bell tower in India.

The Society of Jesus spread Christianity in Vellore from 1604. In 1854 Vellore was made a parish and Assumption church was built in the same year. It was under the Madras Archdiocese until it was announced as the cathedral of the new born Diocese of Vellore in 1952.

Our Lady of Assumption church is situated in middle of Vellore town. The old cathedral was demolished and basement for the new cathedral was consecrated on 15 September 2002. Blessed Sacrament chapel, prayer meeting hall, Glass paintings of 18 important events of salvation history and 15 mysteries of Rosary, and 165 feet height Belfry are special features of the new cathedral. .....

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Vellore Fort Mosque is situated inside the Vellore Fort. This mosque is also known as Nawab Chanda Sahib Mosque.

This Mosque was built in 1750 by Nawab Chanda Sahib. It is one of the important attractions in Vellore Fort. The entrance of the Masjid is on the northern side of the Vellore Fort. This mosque has been constructed using Brick and lime and still stands in good shape. This Indo-Saracenic style mosque has a prayer hall and the dimensions of the hall are 40 feet in length and 15 feet in breadth. At the centre of the mosque there is a big dome with minars on the sides. The mosque is decorated with floral designs.

Presently prayers are not conducted inside the mosque.

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, St John's Church is an ancient church located inside the Vellore Fort. This church is one of the oldest churches in Vellore.

St. Johns Church is a part of the Churches of South India and is one of the biggest churches in South India. The church was started in 1846 by the Reform Church of America (RCA). The church was shifted from the Filterbed Road to its present location in the fort. The British soldiers who lost their life during the Sepoy Mutiny have been buried in the church premises. There are many inscriptions preserved in the church that provide history of the shrine. Regular prayers are still held in this church.

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At a distance of 3.5 km from Vilapakkam Bus Stop and 30 km from Vellore, Pancha Pandava Malai or Pancha Pandava hill is situated in a small town of Vilapakkam beside the State Highway 129 between Arcot and Kannamangalam. The hilly area was a flourishing Jain center between 9th & 11th centuries as it is evident from the rock cut cave temple, natural caves with Jain figures and inscriptions.

The name Pancha Pandava Malai is associated with Pandavas from Mahabharata. The hill is locally called as Tiruppanmalai, meaning Scared Milk Hill. As per an inscription from Chola period found in a structural temple in this village, it is suggested that this town was under the strong influence of the Jainism during 10th century.

The rock cut cave temple is one of the largest cave excavations built in Pallava style. This east facing cave is excavated at the foot of a large hillock. The cave has a large mukhamandapa supported by twelve pillars .....

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At a distance of 6.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, The Subramanya Swamy Temple is located in Kangeyanallur and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. The presiding deity is also known as Kangeyan.

The presiding deity Subramanya is found in a standing posture along with his consorts Valli and Devasena in wedding form in the sanctum sanctorum. Saint Arunagiriar had sung praising of the Lord of the temple in his Tirupugazh. Devotees offer their first worship to saint Arunagiriar before going to Lord.

According to legend, Devas prayed to Lord Shiva to protect them from the atrocities of the demons. Lord Shiva created six sparks from His forehead eye. Vayu and Agni took them and left in Holy River Ganga. Six children came from the sparks then and were taken care of by Karthika maidens. Mother Parvathi then came there and embraced the children together which became a single child with six faces and named Kangeyan. Lord Muruga graces in this temple with this name.

The temple .....

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At a distance of 1 km from Thiruparkadal Bus Stand, 4 km from Kaveripakkam and 43 km from Vellore, The twin temples of Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal and Athi Ranganatha at Thiruparkadal are situated on Chennai - Bangalore Highway on the banks of Vegavathi River. The two temples are situated very close to each other with a Pushkarini in front of them. The Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple has both Shiva and Vishnu and the Ranganatha Swamy Temple has Vishnu and Brahma - therefore it is a Trimurthi Kshetram.

The Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. The deity is standing on an Aavudaiyar, which forms part of the Sivalinga. It is rare to have darshan of both Vishnu and Siva in the same sanctum. The Sprawling temple was renovated by Vijayanagara kings. It also has shrines for Alamelu Mangai, Anjaneya, Garuda, Rukmini, Sathyabhama. This temple was patronized by Krishna Daveraya, and an idol of him is placed inside the sanctum.

According to history, once .....

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At a distance of 58 km from Vellore, 36 km from Arcot and 25 km from Arakkonam, Mahendravadi is a small village situated near to Sholingur. This village is famous for the Mahendravadi rock temple that was constructed by Pallava King Mahendra Varman I. Inscriptions mentioned here note that the temple was excavated by Gunabhara.

The temple is a monolithic rock-cut cave temple, which is under the maintenance of Archeological Survey of India. This cave temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The sanctum sanctorum of this temple holds an image of Lord Narasimha, depicting Yoga Narasimha posture. The inscription found in this temple calls this place Mahendra Vishnu Graha.

The cave temple is east facing with front facade supported by two by two pillars nicely carved with lotus designs. The sanctum carved towards the back wall of the cave. The entrance of the shrine has two well carved Dwarapalakas. The idol of Yoga Narasimha is placed inside the sanctum.

There is another temple .....

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At a distance of 68 km from Vellore, 65 km from Mahabalipuram, 75 km from Chennai, 108 km from Tirupati & 127 km from Pondicherry, Kanchipuram or Kanchi is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district. It is one of the most popular weekend getaways from Chennai and among the major places to visit in Tamilnadu.

Kanchipuram is one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in Tamilnadu. Kanchipuram has a rich history and it's one of the oldest cities in India. The temples of Kanchipuram are known for their grandeur and great architecture. The architecture of Kanchi monuments was trendsetting with great sculpture work and unique style and became a benchmark for South Indian architecture. This is another popular attraction to visit as part of Chennai tour packages.

The .....

Distance (From Vellore): 70 Kms
Trip Duration (From Vellore - Including Travel): Full Day
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At a distance of 83 km from Vellore, 120 km from Kanchipuram, 195 km from Chennai, and 204 km from Bangalore, the Arunachaleswara Temple is a sacred Hindu shrine situated at Thiruvannamalai near Kanchi in Tamilnadu. It is one of the greatest Shaiva places of pilgrimage in South India and among the most popular temples to visit near Bangalore & Chennai.

Also known as Annamalaiyar Temple, Arunachala Temple is a breathtaking temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple was constructed by Vijayanagara kings between 16th and the 17th centuries. It is significant to the Hindu sect of Saivism as it is one of the pancha bhoota sthalams, which are dedicated to the manifestation of five natural elements. Legend has it that the Lord has manifested himself as an element of fire or Agni in this temple. The temple is believed to be the eighth-largest Hindu temple in the world, .....

Distance (From Vellore): 93 Kms
Trip Duration (From Vellore - Including Travel): 4-6 Hours
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