Vellore, 145 km away from Chennai is the oldest surviving city of South India, and famous for fort and temples.

Vellore – The City of Spears is a semi-urban town that boasts of well-preserved monuments, temples and the famous Christian Medical College. The city lies on the banks of river Palar, and rivers Ponnar and Palar flows through it. Points of interest include Vellore Fort, Vellore Prison, Kavalur Observatory, Amirthi Zoological Park and Yelagiri Hills.

History of Vellore

Vellore represents the ancient Dravidian civilization with dominion of Pallavas, Cholas, Nayak, Arcot Nawabs, Marathas and Bijapur Sultan Kingdoms. It was the capital of the powerful Vijayanagar Empire during 1606-1672. Vellore laid the foundation for freedom struggle in India through the Sepoy Revolt of 1806 AD that broke out in the Vellore Fort.

Today, the city is gradually progressing, commercial hubs are mushrooming, infrastructure and accommodation is a true value for money.

Tourism in Vellore

Points of interest are few, yet they are unique and spectacular. Allow us to take you on a tour to Vellore.

Vellore Fort, built out of granite blocks, erected in the 16th century by the Nayakar chieftains is a perfect specimen of military architecture in Southern India. One can witness the amalgamation of three different cultures; inside the fort exist a Temple, Church and Mosque. The Fort accommodates the renowned Tipu Mahal, home to the legendary King and freedom fighter Tipu Sultan who stayed with his family during the war against British. Today, it is under the jurisdiction of the Archeological Survey of India, and declared as a “Monument of National Importance”.

Government Museum situated inside the fort was opened for the public in 1985. It contains weapons, sculptures, handicrafts, woodcarvings, bronzes, objects of archaeology, pre-history, art, botany, geology, zoology, numismatics and philately. Special exhibits include Bronze double antenna sword, dating back to 400 BC from Vellore Taluk, Ivory chessboard and coins from the era of last standing Kandian King of Sri Lanka, Vikrama Raja Singha.

Enjoy a tranquil holiday in the Yelagiri hills, pristine and fresh, picture post-card scenery greets you here. Referred as “Mini Ooty”, this hill station with sparse modernization has preserved its remoteness.         

Kavalur observatory located in the Javadu Hills, at an altitude of 725 m, closer to the Equator, studies both northern and southern hemispheres with equal ease. With its unique longitudinal position (78° 49.6' E), it is the only astronomical facility between Australia and South Africa to observe the southern objects. Asia’s largest Telescope with a diameter of 2.3M installed here.

Amirthi zoological park situated under the Javadu Hills is 25 km away from Vellore. Inaugurated in October 1967, this zoological park spread across 25 hectares of land, encompasses magnificent waterfalls, in addition to birds and animals. Sandalwood trees and various herbal plants and trees are abundant here.

Vellore is famous for Churches, Temples and Mosques. The Assumption Cathedral and St. Johns Church worth 150-year-old are located inside the Fort. The largest Arabic College in India is located inside the Big Mosque. Witness the majestic Gopuram of Jalakandeswarar Temple.