Jalakandeswarar temple

Jalakandeswarar temple Vellore, History, Timings, Route info

Jalakandeswarar temple History

As per the folklore, Lord Siva appeared in the dreams of Chieftain Bomma Reddy and revealed his whereabouts. The recovered the Idol from the anthill. The bottom of anthill was filled with water, hence the name Jalakandeswarar ( Lord Siva in water).  This temple is located inside Vellore fort. Vellore fort was built by the chieftains Bomma Reddy and Thimma Reddy, in the Vijayanagara dynasty.

From the inscriptions, it is known that The temple construction began in 1274 AD which later renovated in the 14th century during the reign of Sambuvarayars. Few more structures added in the 16th century. The inner Prakaram of the temple and the inner fort were built by the Sambuvarayars during the 13th century, This present form of the was built during the reign of Vijayanagara King Sadasivadeva Maharaya during 1540 – 1572 AD.

The Kalyana Mantap to the left of the entrance to the Jalakandeswarar temple bears testimony to the engineering marvel and the advanced state of sculptures. The temple gopuram is 7 tiered with intricate carvings.  This temple was built in Dravidian architecture and houses one of the most intricately carved stone pillars. Raja Gopuram was built in 1566 AD.

This temple is under the maintainence of Archaelogical Survey of India.

Dress Code: Any decent outfit.

How to reach Jalakandeswarar temple?

By Air

1. The nearest airport is at Tirupati which is 128 km away. Chennai international airport is 140 km away.

By Train

1. The direct train is available Chennai to Vellore. Temple is 2 km from the station.

By Road

1. The direct bus is available from Tirupati to Vellore, Chittoor to Vellore and Chennai to Vellore. It takes 2 hours 30 mins to reach this temple from Tirupati and Chennai.

Jalakandeswarar temple Images

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Reference Link: History