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City in Tamil Nadu, India
Photo: Sayowais, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vellore is a city of 505,000 people (2011) in Tamil Nadu, India. Visitors are drawn by its large 16th-century fort, which is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. Apart from Fort tourism, Christian Medical College due to its esteemed position in the country, both as a medical college and a hospital, invites many students, medical practitioners, and patients from around the country. Vellore Institute of Technology located at Katpadi in Vellore district also attracts visitors from around the country.
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A large forested area near Javathu mountain. Amirthi Falls and Amirthi Zoo can be found here. Animals at 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.
Dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narayani or Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, in 2007. The temple has covered in intricate work done by artisans specialising in temple art using gold. Every detail was manually created and has significance from the Vedas. Sripuram's design features a star-shaped path (Sri chakra), positioned in the middle of the lush green landscape, with a length of over 1.8 km. You walk along a 'starpath' to reach the temple in the middle, past spiritual messages.
This temple to Lord Shiva is a fine example of Vijayanagaram Architecture. The temple has exquisite carvings on its gopuram (tower), richly carved stone pillars, large wooden gates and stunning monoliths and sculptures.
Muthu Mandapam
Temple dedicated to Lord Murugan with a huge statue of him also nearby
These are abandoned cliff top remains of forts built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This is recommended only for those with strength as it's accessible only via foot. You also need to be aware of when and how you plan to climb them.
Murugan Temple on Palamathi Hill
Good place for South Indian chicken and mutton dishes. They also have seafood and other cuisines.
Good Middle Eastern style restaurant.
Ambient environment for browsing and selecting books. It has good collection of fiction, non-fiction, children books, Tamil books, university books, engineering books, medical books, music CDs, stationery, gift items and multimedia items.
By train
Vellore has two railway stations: Katpadi Junction and Vellore Cantonment. There are frequent trains from Tirupati, Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore.
By bus
Vellore's main Bus Stand is near the Palar Bridge (5 km from Katpadi Jn). State-run and privately-run buses come from all major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
Getting around Vellore is relatively inexpensive and easy. At peak office hours it is advisable to rent private transport to avoid over crowded public transport.
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Tirupati · International · TIR
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