Vellore

Vellore is a city of 505,000 people (2011) in Tamil Nadu, India. Visitors are drawn by its large 16th-century fort, which is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. Apart from Fort tourism, Christian Medical College due to its esteemed position in the country, both as a medical college and a hospital, invites many students, medical practitioners, and patients from around the country. Vellore Institute of Technology located at Katpadi in Vellore district also attracts visitors from around the country.

Understand

Vellore is known as the leather hub of India. Hundreds of leather and tannery facilities are around Vellore and nearby towns, such as Ranipet, Ambur and Vaniyambadi. Most employment is provided by the leather industry, agricultural trading, and industries in and around the city.

Climate

The temperature ranges from 13 °C (55 °F) to 39.4 °C (102.9 °F). Like the rest of the state, April to June are the hottest months and December to January are the coldest. The southwestern monsoon from June to September brings 517.1 mm of rainfall, with September being the rainiest month. The northeastern monsoon which lasts from October to December brings 388.4 mm of rainfall. The humidity ranges from 40%–63% during summer and 67%–86% during winter.

Get in

Vellore is well connected by train and bus from Bangalore (210 km) and Chennai (140 km).

By train

Vellore has two railway stations: Katpadi Junction and Vellore Cantonment. There are frequent trains from Tirupati, Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. Other trains passing through this route also halt at Katpadi Jn.

By bus

Vellore's main Bus Stand is near the Palar Bridge (5 km from Katpadi Jn). State-run and privately-run buses come from all major towns and cities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Get around

Getting around Vellore is relatively inexpensive and easy. At peak office hours it is advisable to rent private transport to avoid over crowded public transport.

By bus

There are frequent buses (almost every 5 min) from Katpadi to Bagayam, two junctions that are considered terminals for city buses. These buses are both private and state-run. Katpadi to Bagayam is about 13 km and most of the city is covered in this route. The maximum tariff is ₹4.50 on this route.

To reach other destinations in Vellore district, first travel to the Old Bus Stand or the New Bus Stand (both on the Katpadi-Bagayam route) depending on the destination and take a bus to the required destination.

By autorickshaw

Auto rickshaws are easily accessible and the second most common form of transportation around the city. Most auto rickshaws do not work with the fare meter and therefore it is necessary to fix the tariff before taking a ride. If you want to travel by the auto, stick to these rules:

• Forget the meter; no one will go by it, and if they do, it's probably rigged to show a higher fare.
• Negotiate a rate with the driver beforehand; if he doesn't agree, just go to the next auto on the road; there will always be others unless it's very late or very early or you are in a remote area: then be prepared to pay up. Stick to the agreed price, though on very rare occasions the driver may attempt to ask for more.
• Consult local friends beforehand to find out reasonable market prices for the distance you intend to go.
• Try to hail individual auto rickshaws in traffic which are heading in the general direction of your destination.

As a general rule, expect to pay about ₹10 to ₹15 for every kilometer you travel.

Be careful about the following when you plan to undertake an auto-rickshaw trip:

• You don't have to pay for any empty return trips that the auto-rickshaw driver has to make once you have agreed upon a fare.
• You tell them to go to a landmark near where you want to go, and upon reaching the landmark, ask them to go a little further along a particular road to your destination. They might cite the extra distance traveled and ask for more money. So it is better to negotiate the fare upfront.
• You don't have to pay for petrol during the ride.
• If you pay them for petrol, make sure you pay them the remaining fare amount after subtracting petrol charges.

Share autos are an alternative mode of transport in Vellore. They are over-sized three wheelers running on diesel and charge slightly more than the bus.

By taxi

Taxis are not very common for transportation within the city. However they are available at Katpadi Jn to ride to destinations within the city.

To travel to areas outside the city, tourist cabs can be arranged by most hotels or travel agents.

By bicycle

It is easy to rent bicycles in local shops all over the city and is a cheap alternative to reach from one point to another. Rental charges will have to be paid by the hour or per day depending on the rental shop.

By car

Indian nationals with access to a car can travel conveniently within the city. However it is not advisable for foreign nationals to rent cars and drive as it will be difficult to drive, typical of the unruly Indian traffic and pedestrians.

See

• Amirthi Forest (25 km from Vellore). A large forested area near Javathu mountain. Amirthi Falls and Amirthi Zoo can be found here. Animals at the park include spotted deer, mongoose, hedgehog, foxes, reason monkeys, red headed parrots, love birds, tortoises, peacock, crocodiles, wild cats, eagles, ducks, pigeons, wild parrots, rabbits, and pythons. 

• 1 Golden Temple, Sripuram (Thirupuram spiritual park). Dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narayani or Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, in 2007. The temple has covered in intricate work done by artisans specialising in temple art using gold. Every detail was manually created and has significance from the Vedas. Sripuram's design features a star-shaped path (Sri chakra), positioned in the middle of the lush green landscape, with a length of over 1.8 km. You walk along a 'starpath' to reach the temple in the middle, past spiritual messages.  

• 2 Jalagandeswarar Temple. This temple to Lord Shiva is a fine example of Vijayanagaram Architecture. The temple has exquisite carvings on its gopuram (tower), richly carved stone pillars, large wooden gates and stunning monoliths and sculptures.  
• Karupulleswarar Temple. 
• Kavaloor Observatory. 
• Moorthana Dam. 
• 3 Muthumandapam (Muthu Mandapam), Vellore. 
• Palar Anaicut Dam. 

Buy

Major shopping regions in the city are Anna Salai, Main Bazaar, Long Bazaar, Filter Bed Road, Ida Scudder Road, Katpadi Road and Gandhi road. Several large textiles showroom such as Chennai Silks, Pachaiyappas Silks, Max Fashion, Pantaloons, Reliance Retail, Planet Fashion and also several branded showrooms such as Blackberrys, Puma, UCB, Adidas, Levis, Derby, Peter England, Raymonds, Fabindia, Johnplayers, Crocodile and many others available along the Anna Salai.

The Vellore region is the largest exporter of finished leather goods in the country, so you may be able to find some good deals on leather.

• 1 Book Station, Plot No 62, 7th East Main Road, Gandhinagar, Katpadi (from Vellore Town or Katpadi Railway Station by Bus No 1, 2, ask for Book Station or EB Bus Stop), ☏ +91 9629411967, nakkiran03@gmail.com. 9:30AM to 9:30PM. Ambient environment for browsing and selecting books. It has good collection of fiction, non-fiction, children books, Tamil books, university books, engineering books, medical books, music CDs, stationery, gift items and multimedia items. (updated Aug 2017)

Eat

Vellore is famous for Biryani made from Jeera Sambha Rice.

Sleep

• Bans The Hotel (3 Star), Chittoor (38 km to Vellore), ☏ +91 9704771333. Accommodation, dining & water park. 

Connect

By BSNL (Cellone) mobile network.

Go next

• Ranipet - industrial city known for its leather industry
• Chittoor
• Tirupati
• Kanchipuram
• Chennai
• Yelagiri
• Mamallapuram
• Pondicherry
• Auroville
• Velankanni
• Bangalore
• Karnataka