My Home Town..
Vellore.. 
Jalagandeswarar Temple..
Vellore Fort..
A charming town(defn. for me), it is not my native place,but my family came to Vellore on 1989 and we are now settled at Vellore. I was studying 3rd std when we came to Vellore, i have little memory of my previous towns we stayed(Vandavasi,Arrakkonam), I can say i grew up in Vellore and i like Vellore like no other..
When I started to write this blog post about Vellore, i decided to do some little search on Google and some intresting articles about Vellore came up..
I think these articles describe Vellore as i wanted, so i will first reproduce a article on Vellore by Lalitha Sridhar named "Revisiting Vellore's hoary past"
on"The Hindu Business Line"
"Vellore is famous all right. If you can call it that. For years, it used to be called the place that had a raja illada kottai (fort with no king), daivam illada kovil (temple with no deity), thanni illada aaru (river with no water), maram illada malai (hills with no trees) and azhagu illada penngal (women with no beauty).
The distinguished lady who told me this was smiling a broad, and definitely, beautiful smile. That affectionate confidence also sums up the spirit of the city.
For those who have the time to look beyond the non-agrarian economy, the dried bed of the Palar river, the hustle and bustle so typical of India itself, there is a gem here waiting to be rediscovered.
A gem so prominent, that the city seems to have grown around it, reflecting its muted glow.
Granite burnished with age towers behind a moat shimmering with water. Immaculate lawns, flaming flowers and shady trees frame the picture. And a temple tower looms welcomingly beyond.
The ancient Vellore Fort and its Jalakanteswarar Temple seem to transcend time. The visitor has to remind himself that something so alive and so new is actually so old. The view from Vellore is past perfect.
Built during the Vijayanagara Empire around the 16th century, the Vellore Fort is now maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. That something over 400 years old is kept in such excellent condition, notwithstanding our abysmal track record with our many heritage monuments, is something to wonder at. The Fort is known for its grand ramparts, its wide moat and its robust masonry.
Begin by visiting the Jalakanteswarar Temple. The lingam of Lord Shiva gets its name from the natural underground spring upon which it resides — possibly also the reason why the moat has never dried, no matter how severe a drought.
Legend has it that, fearing the Mughal invasion, the reigning ruler hid the deity to prevent destruction. Through the battles with the Adil Shahis of Bijapur worship ceased. But so well was the lingam protected that it was never found. And therefore the dubious sobriquet — the temple with no deity.
Eventually, post-independence, the locals consecrated the statues again and rituals resumed after a kumbhabishekam. The temple itself is now cared for by a trust.
The big, resplendent Ganeshas — straight ahead and to the right, as you enter — give you an idea of what to expect.
You are now in a shrine that really does place cleanliness next to Godliness.
At every sannidhi (multiple places of worship within a temple), the alankaram (decorative flowers and attire for the Gods) for the deities is aesthetically appealing. The area is swept clean and shining, polished brass is everywhere.
The Nandi (Shiva's favoured vaahana) and the dwarapalakas are obviously the original, ancient ones — the smoothened edges, worn with age, have not lessened their inspiring sculptures in any way.
Grimy oil patches, dried flowers, omnipresent cobwebs, wet floors and the odd cockroach — all of these are conspicuously absent.
Although the temple is small in relative terms, its upkeep is comparable to that of the enormous Brihadeeshwara Temple in Thanjavur.
To the left is an intricately carved granite mandapam (auditorium) with every pillar reflecting exquisite carvings. While tradition requires that you sit awhile at all Shiva temples, here one lingers also because it is difficult to leave.
Make an evening of it — that's the best time to take a walk along the ramparts of the fort. It will take an hour-and-a-half but it is well worth the time — rarely is a fort so accessible and remarkably intact.
A picnic on the lawns would make a nice end to a memorable day.
Vellore is genuinely famous for other things too — leading that list is the acclaimed Christian Medical College, known for its medical research and services.
The hilltop, stone-carved Vellamalai temple (about 18 km from Vellore) is also worth a visit.
The Yelagiri Hills (sometimes called the poor man's Ooty) are a couple of hours drive from the town.
However, it is the fort and its temple, which are bound to rest on the top of any tourist's suitcase of memories."
Now my turn..
The article mainly focus on the fort,but the most important thing about Vellore District is its Glorious Past and its important link to Struggle for Independence.
This is a small note on Vellore taken from Vellore District Webpage
"Vellore District had always been on the fore - front in the struggle for freedom. In fact the Sepoy Mutiny of 1806 A.D. that broke out inside the Vellore fort against the British authority is considered to be a prelude to the Great Revolt of 1857, which is often described by some historians as the first war of Independence."
Present day Vellore is known for its Educational Institutions,world famous Hospitals and well known industrial hubs..
Christian Medical College..
In past Vellore was known all over India because of this College/Hospital. It has its own history,CMC was started by Mrs. Scudder as a hospital for maternity care with 4 beds to admit patients , and now it has evolved into a multi-speciality hospital with more than 4000 beds for patients and is well know all over Asia.
Vellore Institute of Technology..
I can say that VIT has put Vellore on the World map, with its fantastic campus and students from all over the world, it has transformed Vellore into a mini-metropolitan. Started in 1984,it has come a long way and now it is grown such that it has overshadowed CMC and it is growing in a fast pace..
Voorhees College.. More than 150 years old and evergreen. Our former president Dr. RadhaKrishnan studied here.But today if u say u studied in Voorhees college,u will get a look u will never forget..(ah i forgot to tell u that it is a all-boys college)
Other noted industries around Vellore is BHEL-Ranipet,Thirumalai Chemical Ltd.,Ranipet,Other Leather industries situated around Walajapet,Ranipet,Ambur,Vanniyambadi..,Apollo Hospital(branch) ,Visharam.
And famous temples like Vallimalai,Sholingur,Kirupaananda Variyaar memorial and more..
If u want to know more about Vellore, contact me(ha ha)..
