Vellore Fort

Vellore Fort

This post is overdue. It has been lying in draft for more than a month now. This trip happened on May 10th. We finished the draft today and posting as it is.

Last Sunday we were supposed to attend a wedding in Chennai. Mother came down to visit us as it is her summer holidays. Our original plan was to take her to Kanchipuram en-route, but she had been there on a school trip. We changed the plan at the nth moment to Vellore. Usually we do a thorough research on the place before we could get there. This time it didn't happen that way. Lets say we just went with the flow. We zeroed down on Vellore fort and golden temple.

Bangalore-Chennai Highway

We started early in the morning at 5. The route was Electronic city-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Ambur-Vellore on Chennai Highway. Fifteen kilometers to Vellore and we were on GPS. We reached the fort at 7:30.

Map

It is a beautiful fort indeed. According to Wikipedia "it sprawled over an area of 133 acres and is located at an altitude of 220 m within a broken mountain range. The fort is surrounded by a moat which was once used as an additional line of defense. The fort is considered to be among the best of military architecture in Southern India and is known for its grand bastion, wide moat, and tough masnory." It is mentioned that "there is no such fort on the face of earth like the one in Vellore. It had deep wet ditch where once 10,000 crocodiles swarmed, waiting to grab every intruder into this impregnable fort."  

The fort was built by Vijayanagara Empire in 1566 AD. It was under the control of many rulers; part of Vijayanagara Empire (Aravidu Dynasty), Bijapur Sultanate, Marathas, Mughal army, British India, now maintained by ASI.

Sentry Figurine

Jalagandeshwara temple inside the fort is the highlight. The outer door is one of its kind. Big, strong. It would have taken an army of men to open and close this.

Jalagandeshwara Temple

As soon as you enter, there is a Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall) on the left side with sculpture on pillars. We were just marveled at the carvings and sheer beauty. It speaks volumes about the artists of that period.

Kalyana Mantapa

Door & Pillar

It is easy to decipher if you have a little bit knowledge about mythology. Nonetheless we spent almost two hours appreciating the intricate details of the sculptures. Unfortunately, there is not much explanation available and we came to our own conclusion. There is a strange pull in this place which you don't find in popular temples. There is pushakarini (water tank) on the right side filled with filth. The temple was unused for a very long time, though sanctified with an idol of Lord Shiva, hence the name Jalagandeeshwara.

Yali-Mythical Creature

There is mosque in the fort, which is closed for the visitors.

Mosque

There is a church, which was built in British period, which is also closed on the day of our visit.

St. John's Church

There is a museum, which was closed to our disappointment because it is the second Saturday, so it is better to plan accordingly. I totally recommend this fort to those who like history and architecture.

India's top medical institute Christian Medical College and Hospital is present in this city.

How to Reach: Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Ambur-Vellore

Travel Tip: Reach early in the morning to beat the soaring heat.