Temples in Vellore for a Sacred Pilgrimage

The Sripuram Golden Temple is a sight to behold, and it is situated in Tirumalaikodi at Southern Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The golden temple sits inside a spiritual park or ‘Spiritual Oasis’, and a star path leads the visitors towards it. The main feature of the temple has to be that it is covered in real gold foil and it is regarded as the biggest and the only temple to do that. The inauguration took place on 24th August 2007, and it was inaugurated by Narayani Amma.

Virinjipuram Temple, which is popularly known as Sri Margabandeeswarar Temple, is located about 14 kilometres away from Vellore City, in Virinjipuram Village. Situated in the state of Tamil Nadu on the southern bank of Palar River, the temple owes the beautiful artistic stonework on its walls and its palatial Dravidian architecture to the rulers of Chola Dynasty.

Jalakandeswarar Temple is located in the city of Vellore, precisely within Vellore Fort. It is a Hindu place of worship in honour of Lord Shiva, who also goes by the name of Lord Jalakandeswarar. The temple is a magnificent representation of grand Vijayanagaram Architecture. Besides, one may also observe detailed sculptures dedicated to other Hindu deities such as Lord Vishnu, Goddess Mahalakshmi, Goddess Parvati, Lord Brahma, and Goddess Saraswathi.

Thirupardakal is a small district near Vellore which boasts of being home to the most unique and rare temples of Hinduism. The presiding deity is Lord Thirumal- a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, who stands on top of Lord Shiva to assert that Vaishnavism and Saivism are one and the same.

Also called Rantagiri Balamurugan temple, this ancient Hindu temple is located atop the Thirumanikundram hill, in Ratnaghiri, 12 km from Vellore. Built around the 14th century AD, part of one of the 5 Murugan shrines are collectively called Kundrothoradal. The devotees must climb a total of 130 steps to reach the temple. The temple was once just a sand structure but now has been converted into a stone shrine and hosts devotees from various parts of the country. The main festivals celebrated in the temple are the Tamil New Year, Ādi Krittika celebrations (Lord Murugan’s birthday) and Kanda Shashti celebrations, a 6-day festival.

Arulmigu Sri Sesha Sai Gnana Arogya Peedam is a popular Hindu Temple dedicated to Sri Sai Baba. Built by an ardent devotee, Dr. Sakthy Subramaniam and his wife, the temple was established in the year 2014. The temple is located at the foothills of the Nilgiri Mountains, in Abdullapuram, Vellore. The architecture of the temple is modern while interiors like those in ancient Sai Baba temples. The area also houses an Agasthiyar temple, dedicated to Saint Agathiyar. It carries a lot of religious significance. The temple is modern in its practices, conducting yoga classes for its pilgrims and maintaining the upkeep of the temple. While it is very new compared to other temples in Vellore, it attracts various devotees of Sri Sai Baba.