Vellore Fort

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Vellore Fort is one of the largest forts in South India. In South India, it's very common to find magnificent temples, but it's very rare to find palaces and forts. Vellore fort of Vellore city near Chennai, the gateway to South India, is one of those few forts of South India.

Vellore Fort was built by Chinna Bommi Nayak and Thimma Reddy Nayak, subordinate Chieftains under Sadasiva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire in the year of 1566 CE. Vellore Fort got prominence under the Vijayanagara reign. Vellore city even became their capital. The empire used Vellore Fort as the base to fight a lot of battles. The fort was captured by Bijapur Sultan in 1656 CE. Later, it was captured by the Marathas and the Mughals. Ultimately, the British took the control of the fort. It was under Hyder Ali for a brief period in-between.

Interestingly, the first rebellion against the British rule broke in Vellore Fort in the year of 1806 CE. Indian soldiers stationed in the fort attacked the British army. Around 100+ English men were killed. However, the British was successful in controlling the rebellion by killing 800+ Indian soldiers by noon.

Vellore Fort, which was built using granite, houses the architecturally beautiful and magnificent temple of Jalagandeswarar and a Government museum. There are a lot of government buildings, a small church, and a small mosque located within the fort today. The fort is spread for over 133 acres and is located at an altitude of 220 m. The fort is surrounded by a moat. It is said that there is an escape tunnel from the fort which leads to the nearby village Virinjipuram.

Vellore fort is definitely one of the best surviving South Indian military architecture, and is known for its grand ramparts and wide moat.

Happy travelling.


Fast Facts:
Site Name: Vellore Fort 
Site Type: Fort
Location: Vellore ,near Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India 
Highlights: One of the important forts of South India
Nearest Railway Station: Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India
Nearest Airport: Chennai has both national and international airports
How to reach: Easily reachable by road from Chennai or Bangalore
Hotel: Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai; Many decent and budget hotels are available in Vellore
Restaurants: Saravana Bhavan in Vellore is one of the good vegetarian restaurants in Vellore; apart from that, there are only few good options available in Vellore



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