AROUND VELLORE

Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by Vijayanagara Kings. The Fort was at one point of time the headquarters of the Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. The Fort's ownership passed from Vijayanagara Kings, to the Bijapur Sultans, to Marathas, to the Carnatic Nawabs and finally to the British, who held the fort until India gained independence. The Indian government maintains the Fort with the Archaeological Department. During British rule, the Tipu Sultan's family and the last king of Sri Lanka, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha were held in as prisoners in the fort. The fort houses a Christian church, a Muslim mosque and a Hindu temple. The first rebellion against British rule erupted at this fort in 1806, and it is also a witness to the massacre of the Vijayanagara royal family of Sriranga Raya.

The Temple inside the fort, is dedicated to Lord Siva named as Jalagandeeswarar and is noted for its sculptures, which speak volumes of the exquisite craftsmanship of the highly skilled artisans of that period. The sculptures in the Porch on the left of the entrance are connoisseurs. It has a big marriage hall adorned with elegant engravings and monolithic sculptures. The Temple was used for long as an arsenal and remained without deity. A few years back it has been sanctified with a deity Lord Siva which is worshipped by pilgrims and tourists.

The Vellore Fort is about 7 kilometers from the conference venue and 1 kilometer from CMC Hospital.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vellore_Fort for more historical details of the fort.

Yelagiri is a hill station in Vellore district, situated off the Vaniyambadi-Tirupattur road. Located at an altitude of 1,410 metres above Mean Sea Level and spread across 30 km, the Yelagiri village (also spelled Elagiri at times) is surrounded by orchards, rose-gardens, and green valleys and is knows for it's pleasant Mediterranean climate.

Yelagiri is one of the famous places for trekkers in India. Yelagiri comprises 14 hamlets and a number of temples spread over several hills. The highest point in Yelgiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 feet; Swamimalai is a popular destination for trekkers. The view from the summit is spectacular. The hill provides a good number of trekking trails through thick reserved forests. Mangalam, a small village, is at the base of this hill. There are other trekking options that include smaller peaks like Javadi Hills and Palamathi Hills.

Yelagiri hills is about 99 kilometers from the conference venue.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yelagiri for more details.

This is a memorial built around the tombstone of Vikramraja Singh, the last candy Tamil ruler. Situated on the bed of Palar river , it is about a kilometer north of Vellore town. With recent renovations, an aquarium, a children's Park, a lawn and decorative arches have been added to this monument.

Vikrama Raja Singhan, the last Tamil ruler to rule Kandy (Sri Lanka) was originally named Kannuswamy. He belonged to the Nayak dynasty of Madurai. The Britishers fought with him for 16 years from 1815 and Vikrama was arrested and imprisoned in the Vellore fort jail. He died in 1832.

However, only in 1983 was his cemetery found. In his memory the Muthu Mandapam was established here in Vellore, erected by his son.

See http://www.yelagiritrips.com/muthumandapam.html for more details.

Gingee was under the sway of chieftains, Anandha Koan, Krishna Koan and Pullia Koan even though there was no epigraphical evidences from Koan rule but it is specified in some books.

By foreign sources we come to know that Anandha Koan built "Anandha Giri" and afterwards it became "Raja Giri" His son Krishna Koan built "Krishna Giri" The actual name of Gingee is 'Sengiri' meaning perhaps the "Red Hill" in Tamil that has got corrupted into Gingee.

Some say that the name Sengiri originated from 'Sanjeevi' the hill mentioned in Ramayana from where Hanuman got the life saving herb, the Sanjeevini Booti for Lakshmana when he was lying unconscious during the war between Rama and Ravana.

See http://www.liveindia.com/gingee_fort/history.html for more details.

Ekambareswarar temple is located at the northern part of city (Shiva kanchi) Kanchipuram. The gopuram of the temple is tallest one (59 m long) and sculpture is very finest. Main deity of the temple is Lord shiva. Shiva worshiped as linga in this temple.

This temple is one of the PanchaBoothaSthalams which represents five elements Earth, air, water, sky and fire that's why the Shiva linga also called as PRITHIVI linga representing Earth.

The temple was built by ParanthakaChola around 600 AD in 23 acers of land. Ekambareswarar temple is very ancient and powerful temple in India. The temple is very big one and also famous for sculpture.

See http://www.kanchipuramtemple.com/ekambareswarar-temple.php for more details.

Arunachaleswarar Temple, one of the largest Hindu temples of South India, is located at the bottom of the Annamalai hill in Tiruvannamalai town of Tamilnadu.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple has the presiding deities, Arunachaleswarar (Lord Shiva worshipped as a Shiva Lingam) and Unnamalaiyaal (Apitakuchambaal - Goddess Parvati).

Tiruvannamalai Temple is one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (one of the five temples related to five basic elements) – associated with the element Fire; the other four temples are Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Chidambaram Natarajar (sky), Kanchi Ekambareswara (earth) and Srikalahasti Temple dedicated to Kalahasti Nathar (wind).

See http://arunachaleswarar-temple-tiruvannamalai.html for more details.

Mahabalipuram (or Mamallapuram) is a very popular tourist destination in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is situated around 40 KM from Chennai, on the East Coast Road (ECR).

You can also reach it via OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road) as well, but the ECR is preferred as it is the entertainment highway of Chennai and the road runs parallel/close to the sea. If you leave your windows open, you might even get some sea breeze, as you travel!

Mahabalipuram is famous for its rock-sculptures and other historical monuments. Most of the monuments here were constructed during the 7th/8th Century CE during the Pallava period. Considering its historical importance, the monuments here have (collectively) been designated as UNESCO world heritage site.

See http://www.mahabalipurammamallapuram-list-of-tourist-places for more details.

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is located at the North east of the state. Apart from being a major district, this metropolis also serves as the gateway of South India.

General information about Chennai reveals that of late, the city of Chennai has developed as one of the cosmopolitan cities in India that plays an important part in the cultural, intellectual and historical growth of India.

Representing the Dravidian Civilization, the interesting city of Chennai upholds the music, drama, dance, architecture, arts and crafts and sculpture etc of India. Chennai was mainly the result of the historical accident and the strategic necessity.

See http://www.mapsofchennai.com/general-information for more details.