Vellore is a city  in Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It is a historical city in southernmost India and now the headquarters of Vellore district. The town lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort between  12° 15’  to  13° 15’   North  latitudes  and  78° 20’ to 79° 50’  East  longitudes  in  Tamilnadu  State. The name Vellore is derived from the Tamil words : Vel (spear) + oore (city), means a city of spears. Ancient history shows that Vellore was basically a battle field, where the warriors used to fight.Vellore has the blend of rich heritage and culture representing the ancient Dravidian civilization. Vellore had the privilege of being the seat of the Pallavas, Cholas, Nayak, Marathas, Arcot Nawabs and Bijapur Sultan Kingdoms. Vellore was once capital city of Vijayanagar empire during 1606-1672.

Places Of Interest

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.

Temple of Vellamalai
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.

Getting There

Bus: 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.

Train: 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 ).