हिंदीOn this day
Rebuilt

Jalakandeswarar Temple, Vellore Fort

A Vijayanagara temple inside the moated Vellore Fort, famous for the carving of its kalyana mandapa. It stood without worship for long years while the fort passed from hand to hand, and puja was restored in 1981.

Built: Mid-16th century, Vijayanagara period, by the Nayaka chiefs of VelloreWhere: Tamil Nadu (Vellore)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Jalakandeswarar12.92° N, 79.13° E
  1. 16th century
  2. 1806
  3. 1981
Photo: Ssriram mt · CC BY-SA 4.0

01Temple in a fort

Vellore Fort was built in the 16th century by the Nayaka chiefs who governed the region for Vijayanagara, and the temple of Jalakandeswarar, Shiva who dwells in water, was raised inside it in the same years. Its kalyana mandapa is one of the finest of the period: pillars carved as rearing yalis and horses with riders, and ceilings of lotus and parrot. After Vijayanagara fell the fort was held in turn by Bijapur, the Marathas, the Nawabs of Arcot and the British, and the sanctum was left without worship. In 1806 the fort saw the Vellore sepoy revolt.

02Worship restored

For generations the temple was an empty monument under the Archaeological Survey. In 1981 a linga was installed in the sanctum and daily worship began again, and since then the temple has been one of the busiest in Vellore. The moat around the fort, fed by a channel, still holds water, and the temple’s name, the lord in the water, fits it well.

The life of this place

  1. 16th centuryThe fort and temple are built by the Vellore Nayakas.
  2. 1806The Vellore sepoy revolt breaks out in the fort.
  3. 1981A linga is installed and daily worship resumes.
Visiting

Inside Vellore Fort in the town centre; Katpadi Junction is about 7 km away.

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