Vellore

Vellore is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore District in Tamil Nadu. Distance from Vellore to Surutapalli Anicut is 230 Km. Vellore, Tamil Nadu to Kallanai is 276.1 km and travel time is around 4 h 29 min.

Located on the banks of Palar River in the north-eastern part of Tamil Nadu and has been ruled, at different times, by the Pallavas, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Vijayanagar Empire, Rashtrakutas, Carnatic kingdom, and the British. Vellore has four zones (totally 60 wards) which covers an area of 87.915 Sqkm and has a population of 4,23,425 based on 2001 census. It is located about 145 kilometres (90 mi) west of the state capital Chennai and about 211 kilometres (131 mi) east of Karnataka capital Bengaluru. Vellore is administered by a Vellore Municipal Corporation under the mayor P.Karthiyayini. Vellore is part of Vellore (State Assembly Constituency) and Vellore (Lok Sabha constituency).

Vellore has become one of the top educational destination due to the presence of India's top medical institute Christian Medical College & Hospital and best private technological institute VIT University. Vellore is the only city other than Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to have two of the top ten premier educational institutions (CMC & VIT) in the country. Vellore is also the top destination for medical tourism in India as it houses a century old Christian Medical College & Hospital.

Vellore region is the top exporter of finished leather goods in the country. Vellore leather accounts for more than 37% of the country's export of leather and leather-related products. Vellore is also home to several manufacturing & automobile companies such as Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, MRF Limited, TVS-Brakes India, Tamil Nadu Industrial Explosives Limited, Greaves Cotton, ArcelorMittal Dhamm Processing, SAME Deutz-Fahr (Italy), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) and KRAMSKI (Germany).

Vellore Fort, Government Museum, Science Park, Vainu Bappu Observatory, Amirthi Zoological Park, Religious Places like Jalakandeswarar Temple, Srilakshmi Golden Temple, Big Mosque & St.Johns church and Yelagiri Hill station are the among top tourist attractions in and around Vellore.

History of Vellore
The recorded history of Vellore dates back to the ninth century, as seen from a Chola inscriptions in the Annamalaiyar Temple in Tiruvannamalai. Further inscriptions made before ninth century indicate the rule of Pallava kings, whose capital was Kanchipuram.

The Chola Kings ruled over the region from 850 to 1280.[citation needed] After the rule of Cholas, it came under the Rashtrakutas, the later Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. The Vellore Fort was built during the time of Chinna Bomma Nayak, a subordinate of Vijayanagar kings Sadasivaraja and Srirangaraja during the third quarter of the 16th century.

During the 17th century, Vellore came under the dominion of the Nawab of the Carnatic. As the Mughal empire came to an end, the Nawab lost control of the town, with confusion and chaos ensuing after 1753.[citation needed] Subsequently, there were periods of Hindu and Muslim stewardship of the region. The poligars were opposing British rule but were subdued. During the first half of the 19th century, the town came under British rule.

Vellore Fort

Vellore Fort is the most prominent landmark in the city. During British rule, Tipu Sultan's family and the last king of Sri Lanka, Vikrama Rajasinha, were held as royal prisoners in the fort. The fort houses a church, a mosque and a Hindu temple, the latter known for its carvings. The first rebellion against British rule erupted at this fort in 1806, and it witnessed the massacre of the Vijayanagara royal family of Emperor Sriranga Raya. The fortifications consist of a main rampart, broken at irregular intervals by round towers and rectangular projections. The main walls are built of massive granite stones, surrounded by a broad moat fed with water by subterranean pipes from the Suryagunta reservoir.

Within the fort is the similarly aged Jalakanteswara Temple. It is a noteworthy example of military architecture in South India. The fort houses the Tipu Mahal where Tipu Sultan is believed to have stayed with his family during the war with the British; the graves of Tipu's sons are found at Vellore. It is administered by the Archeological Survey of India. Vellore Fort has been declared a Monument of National Importance and is a noted tourist attraction.

The State Government Museum is inside the fort. It was opened to the public in 1985. It consists of objects of art, archaeology, prehistory, weapons, sculptures, bronzes, wood carvings, handicrafts, numismatics, philately, botany, geology and zoology. Historical monuments of the erstwhile composite North Arcot District are contained in the gallery.[94] Special exhibits include a bronze double sword from Vellore Taluk dating to 400 BC, stone sculptures from the late Pallava to Vijayanagar periods, ivory chess boards and coins used by the last Kandian King of Sri Lanka, Vikrama Raja Singha. Educational activities at the museum include an art camp for school students and the study of inscriptions and iconography for college students.

Jalakandeswarar Temple

Jalakandeswarar Temple, Srilakshmi Golden Temple, and the Wallajapet Dhanvantri Temple and Ponnai Navagraha Kottai Temple are among the temples in Vellore. Sri Lakshmi Temple, popularly known as Golden Temple, is a newly built temple and spiritual park in Thirumalaikodi, Vellore. It is approximately 8 km from the Vellore bus terminus. The temple covers an area of 100 acres and has been constructed by Vellore-based Sri Narayani Peedam headed by Sakthi Amma. It has intricate carvings, hand-made by hundreds of gold artisans specializing in temple architecture. The exterior is laid with gold sheets and plates, with construction reported to have cost Rs.300 crores (US$65 million). About 1,500 kg of gold was used, the largest amount in the world.

Ratnagiri Murugan Temple

Ratnagiri Murugan Temple is another prominent Hindu temple in the city. Assumption Cathedral and the 150-year-old St. John's Church inside the fort are among the churches in Vellore. The Big Mosque, in the heart of the city, contains the largest Arabic college in India. The city is also houses over 50 mosques some of which are over 100 years old.

Bengaluru to Vellore Bus Route Timings

RouteBus TypeDepartureArrival
0632 BNG CHN
Bangalore to Chennai via Hosur
Airavat Club Class06:3211:00
1531 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore via Hosur
Ambari (Corona Ac) 15:31 20:46
0630 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore via Hosur
Karnataka Sarige 06:30 11:30
0730 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore via Hosur
Karnataka Sarige 07:30 13:30
1100 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore via Hosur
Karnataka Sarige 11:00 16:00
1330 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore
Karnataka Sarige 13:31 18:30
1430 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore
Karnataka Sarige 14:30 19:45
1532 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore
Bengaluru to Vellore
Karnataka Sarige 15:32 20:47
2130 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore
Karnataka Sarige 21:15 02:45
2227 BNG KCPKarnataka Sarige 22:27 03:55
1205 BNG KCPRajahamsa Executive 12:05 17:28
2246 BNG VLR
Bengaluru to Vellore
Rajahamsa Executive 22:46 03:16