Vellore - Past and Present | VITEEE EXAM

Vellore - Past and present

Image credits: @neeraj_msg

The city of Vellore, a district capital in Tamil Nadu, has long been known for its stately fort and temple, CMC (Christian Medical College) renowned hospital and medical college, Parry's factories and the vast government industrial estate in nearby Ranipet. Vellore's history records several dynasties and powers.

The Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Hoysalas, Sambhurvarayars, Chalukyas, Vijayanagar, Bijapur Sultans, Mughals, Marathas, French and the British have all ruled over the area at one point of time or another. The twenty or more palaces and forts in the district reflect ancient styles and traditions.

The most striking of these is the famous Vellore Fort, built in the 16th century by Chinna Bommi Nayak of Vijayanagar. It was at this fort, more than two hundred years ago, on 10th July 1806, Indian sepoys rose in a bloody revolt against East India Company's garrison which was stationed inside the Fort. This event, known as the "Vellore Sepoy Revolt", was the first major rebellion against the emerging British Empire in Colonial India. According to some scholars, this was the spark that led to the "First War of Indian Independence" in 1857, otherwise known as the "The Uprising". The fort was declared a National Monument in 1992.

The Jalakandeswara Temple inside the fort is an imposing example of Vijayanagara architecture. The temple, now renovated, is known for its exquisite sculptures. These are scores of other temples and shrines in the area. Among these, the ancient rock-cut Jain cave temples attract heritage enthusiasts from all over the world for their rich art and beautiful sculpture. Not far away, the remainder of the Arcot Fort and the magnificent entrance that Robert Clive named the Delhi Gate are remainders of Clive's successful defence of Arcot in 1751 and his uncannily correct prediction that with this victory would begin the march from this gate of Delhi.

Image credit: @pixels_inchoate

Other places of interest in Vellore are:

• The graveyard of the Tipu Sultan family, with over 40 graves and nine Bijapur style mausoleums.
• The tombs of Sri Vikrama Raja Singha, the last king to rule over Kandy in Sri Lanka, and his three queens.
• Several relics of the British Imperial Age.
• The Sri Lakshmi Narayana Temple, a resplendent "Golden Temple" in Sripuram near Vellore, constructed recently by the Vellore-based Sri Narayani Peetam that has intricate carvings and sculptures in gold.

Image credits: @narasimhaphotos

The important industrial towns of Ranipet, Ambur and Vaniyambadi are each within an hour's drive from Vellore. One of the earliest towns to be industrialised (100 years ago), Ranipet boasts of large, medium and small companies such as EID Parry and BHEL. Ambur and Vaniyambadi are major centres of the leather industry.

Apart from famous places, Vellore is also famous for Ambur Briyani and Leather goods like Shoes, Wallet and Bags etc. Yelagiri Hills is the Hill station for the people of Vellore, It is also known as "Yelaigalin Ooty" means "Poor people Ooty" (Ooty is a famous Hill station in Tamil Nadu). Vellore is also famous for its Cultures and Diversities because Vellore is not only a place for Tamil peoples. So many other peoples are also live in Vellore like Telugu People because Vellore is few kilometres distance from Andhra Pradesh and so many North Indian comes here for CMC and VIT.

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