SRIPURAM - VELLORE (FROM CHENNAI)

At a distance of 10 km from Vellore, 70 km from Kanchipuram, 120 km from Tirupati, 146 km from Chennai, and 212 km from Bangalore, Sripuram Golden Temple is a sacred Hindu temple situated in Tirumalaikodi at Southern Vellore, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the popular pilgrimage sites near Bangalore, and among the must visit places during Vellore trip.

Sripuram Golden Temple is dedicated to the goddess Mahalakshmi. Constructed in the year 2007, The temple is built in 100 acres area of land and constructed by Vellore-based Sri Narayani Peetham, headed by spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma. The Vimana and Ardha Mandapa have been coated with gold both in the interior and exterior. Sripuram is the biggest structure made out of gold as one and a half tonnes of gold has been used for the construction of the temple with a cost of 600 crores. This is one of the prominent Vellore places to visit.

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, the Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the famous heritage sites near Chennai, and among the must include places in Vellore holiday packages.

Vellore Fort was built in the 16th century CE by Channa Bommi Nayaka and Thimma Reddy Nayaka, the Chieftains under the Vijayanagara ruler Sadashiva Raya. This granite fort happens to be one of the best examples of military architecture in South India and among the unique forts in India. The fort was captured in the 17th century by the Adil Shahis, the Muslim rulers from Bijapur. It was then taken by the Marathas, and later by Daud Khan of Delhi in the early 18th century. The British took control of this fort in 1768 and controlled it .....

At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, The Tipu Mahal and Hyder Mahal are the palaces located inside the Vellore Fort. The Tipu Mahal has 180 rooms with a central pillar hall and the Hyder Mahal on the same campus housed over 200 rooms.

It is believed that Tipu resided here with his family during the war against the British. The palaces are closed to public nowadays as they serve as a high security prison. During the British rule, Tipu Sultan's family was detained here and the last king of Sri Lanka in captivity.

On July 10, 1806, before sunrise, the Indian sepoys stationed in the fort attacked the European barracks there, and had killed about 15 Officers and 100 English soldiers and ransacked their houses. Some of the rebelling soldiers also urged the sons of Tipu Sultan to lead the campaign. After this Sepoy Mutiny, the British transferred Tipu's sons and daughters to Calcutta. The Tombs of Bakshi Begum, widow of Hyder Ali and Padshah Begum, Tipu's wife, .....

At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, St John's Church is an ancient church located inside the Vellore Fort. This church is one of the oldest churches in Vellore.

St. Johns Church is a part of the Churches of South India and is one of the biggest churches in South India. The church was started in 1846 by the Reform Church of America (RCA). The church was shifted from the Filterbed Road to its present location in the fort. The British soldiers who lost their life during the Sepoy Mutiny have been buried in the church premises. There are many inscriptions preserved in the church that provide history of the shrine. Regular prayers are still held in this church.

At a distance of 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway Station, Vellore Fort Mosque is situated inside the Vellore Fort. This mosque is also known as Nawab Chanda Sahib Mosque.

This Mosque was built in 1750 by Nawab Chanda Sahib. It is one of the important attractions in Vellore Fort. The entrance of the Masjid is on the northern side of the Vellore Fort. This mosque has been constructed using Brick and lime and still stands in good shape. This Indo-Saracenic style mosque has a prayer hall and the dimensions of the hall are 40 feet in length and 15 feet in breadth. At the centre of the mosque there is a big dome with minars on the sides. The mosque is decorated with floral designs.

Presently prayers are not conducted inside the mosque.

At a distance of 17 km from Vellore, Ratnagiri Balamurugan Temple is an ancient temple located on top of a hillock in Ratnagiri on Vellore - Chennai National Highway. It is one of the important places of pilgrimage in Tamilnadu, and among the must-visit places as part of Vellore tour.

The Ratnagiri Temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan. This temple was built in the 14th century by Arunagiri Nathar. It was renovated in the year 1980 by Bala Muruganadimai Swamy. The temple boasts a huge tower at the entrance. One of the special features of this temple is that the poojas are conducted in Tamil instead of common Sanskrit. The 14th Century poet Arunagirinathar has sung about this temple as Murugan, the God of Devas resides in Ratnagiri.

According to the locals, the divine power in the temple manifests its blessings in three forms. First is in the form of the Lord Murugan idol .....