Vellore
Pop:
400,000
Phone Code: 0416
Vellore is 145km west of Chennai. The Jalakanteswara Temple and the Vijayanagar
Fort are interesting. Vellore is not a major place to visit and the town
itself is not very interesting, but it is worth stopping here if you are
passing through the area.
The
Christian Medical College Hospital is one of the best
tropical disease hospitals in India.
Practical Information
The State Bank of India (21291), Officer Line Rd, changes money. The Head Post Office, Officer Line Rd. Postal Code: 632004.
Christian
Medical College Hospital (22102) is on Officers Line Rd. It is
said to treat over 2,000 people a day.
Vellore Fort
Bommi and Thimma Reddy built this large fort in the 16th century during
the reign of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadeva Raja. The fort was captured
in the 17th century by the Adi Shahis, the Muslim rulers from Bijapur.
It was then taken by the Marathas, and later taken by Daud Khan of Delhi
in the early 18th century. The British took control of this fort in 1768
and controlled it until Independence. After the British killed Tipu Sultan
they imprisoned Tipu’s son and daughter in this fort.
There
is a big moat around the fort that is still filled with water. At one
time it was full of crocodiles. The fort, which is well preserved, now
contains the Jalakanteswara Temple, a church, a mosque,
courts and a police training center.
There is a Museum here that contains old sculptures, paintings and handicrafts.
Open daily except Fri 8 am to 8 pm.
The modern CSI Church, opposite the fort, has an old British cemetery, which contains graves of British officers killed in the final campaign against Tipu Sultan.
Jalakanteswara
Temple
This large, impressive Siva temple was built around 1566 in the Vijayanagar
style. This ancient temple is named after Jalakanteswara, or “Lord
Siva residing in the water.” The temple has a Nataraja Siva deity
on the northern altar, and on the western altar is a Siva-linga. This
temple has just recently been reestablished as a place of worship.
The
temple is famous for its magnificent sculptures. There is a 30m (100ft)
high, seven-storey gopuram made of blue granite, which is flanked by two
carved dwarpalas (door guards). The carvings in the kalyan mandapa (pillared
hall) are some of the most impressive in India. The outer pillars have
sculptures of rearing horses and dragons. The inner pillars have sculptures
of yalis, which are lion-like creatures.
This temple is located in the Vellore Fort, near the north wall of the
fort. Open daily 6 am to 1 pm and 3 to 8 pm.
Where to Stay
Most hotels in Vellore have 24-hour checkout. The cheap hotels are on
Babu Rao St and Ida Scudder St, near the hospital and bus stand.
Mayura Lodge (25488), Babu Rao St, is a recommended budget
place. It has clean rooms for Rs 65/95.
Hotel Solei (22996) has rooms for Rs 80/120. It is decent,
but some rooms do not have windows.
VDM Lodge (222-4008), 13 Beri Bakkali St, has rooms for
Rs 125/175 and Rs 300/350 for a better room with a TV. It is a friendly
place.
Srinivasa Lodge (222-6389), 14 Beri Bakkali St, has clean
rooms with bath for Rs 150/240.
Nagha International Lodge (222-6731), 13 KVS Chetty St,
has modern rooms that are a good value for Rs 175/260. An A/C room is
Rs 650.
Hotel Park Avenue (20799), 3 First Main Rd, Anna
Nagar, is a good place with rooms for Rs 150/250 and A/C rooms
for Rs 400.
Hotel Ganga (23033) has rooms for Rs 400 and Rs 450 with
A/C.
Hotel River View (222-6751), Katpadi
Rd, 1km north of downtown, is a recommended, well-managed place with clean,
modern rooms with cable TV for Rs 500/650 and Rs 800/900 with A/C. It
has a garden and three restaurants.
Hotel Prince Manor (222-7106), Katpadi Rd, is a clean,
well-managed, modern place with rooms with cable TV for Rs 600/800 and
with A/C for Rs 800. It is conveniently located near the railway station.
Where to Eat
Raj Cafe, in the India Lodge, across from the bazaar,
is a good veg restaurant.
Lalit Vihar, KVS Chetty St, has Gujarati thalis for Rs
25.
Simla Ice Cream Bar, 88 Ida Scudder St, has good vegetarian
North Indian food and naans.
Palace Cafe, Officers Line Rd, serves cheap unlimited
thalis.
Shanti Sagar, Beri Bakkali St, near the VDM Lodge, is
a popular vegetarian place that has a nice courtyard.
Hotel Karthik has a good vegetarian restaurant.
Chinatown, Gandhi Rd, has good Chinese food, serving noodles and rice.
Kings, in the Hotel Prince Manor serves a non-veg Indian
and Chinese cuisine. Princes, also in the Hotel Prince Manor,
is a good vegetarian place, which serves North and South Indian food and
ice cream.
Ganga Restaurant, in the Hotel River, serves North and
South Indian veg food.
Hotel Anand, Ida Scudder Rd, is a higher-class vegetarian
place with an A/C room.
Travel
Train Vellore has two railway stations. The main
railway station for Vellore is at Katpadi (4km north of Vellore). This
is a junction on the broad-gauge Chennai-Bangalore line and the metre-gauge
line that goes between Tirupati and Madurai. The line between Tirupati
and Madurai goes via Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli.
From Katpadi it takes 4½ hours to get to Bangalore and 2 hours to get to Chennai. A daily train to Madurai (15 hr) departs at 7 pm. There is a passenger train to Tirupati (3 hr, 105km) at 9.15 am.
A bus from Vellore to Katpadi takes about 20 minutes. An auto rickshaw from the Katpadi station to Vellore is about Rs 35.
The Cantonment railway station is 2km south of town, and it is only on the metre-gauge line.
Bus
The bus stand is a little east of the fort. Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation
buses that go to Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, and Tiruvannamalai—which
begin in Vellore— can be booked in advance. There are also buses
to Bangalore (3 hr), Tirupati, Thanjavur, and Chennai. PATC operates buses
to Chennai (every 30 min, 3 hr), Bangalore (10 daily, 6 hr), and Kanchipuram
(every 30 min, 2½ hr). The bus station is not user friendly.
Around Vellore
Vellamalai
(20km)
The Vellamalai Temple is dedicated to Subrahmanya (Murugan
in Tamil), the son of Lord Siva. The main temple is at the top of a hill
and is carved from a giant stone. There is also a temple at the bottom
of the hill. People tie cloth onto trees here to have their wishes fulfilled.
From Vellore, Bus #20 comes here each hour.
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