May 13, 2008

Vellore - The Fort City

Vellore city is considered to be one of the oldest surviving cities in South India. The city virtually lies between the two IT (Information Technology) giants of India - Chennai(130Km) and Bangalore (180Km). Hence it is well connected to other cities by road, rail and air.



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Today, with its cosmopolitan look, Vellore stands as one of the fastest growing cities in India. Mr. K. Anbazhagan, Tamilnadu Finance Minister,on March 20, 2008, announced that Vellore will be upgraded to a Corporation officially from the month of April 2008.


Vellore has the blend of rich heritage and culture representing the ancient Dravidan civilisation. This blog site is a attempt to explore things about Vellore bringing variety of information viz. the history, people, tourist places, research centres etc.


History
Vellore had the privilege of being the seat of the Pallavas, Cholas, Nayak, Marathas, Arcot Nawabs and Bijapur Sultan Kingdoms. Vellore was once the capital city of the mighty Vijayanagar empire during 1606-1672. The fort in Vellore was described as the best and the strongest fortress in the Carnatic War in the 17th Century.

In the region, for about the past 200 years, there were countless changes in the way of formation of kingdoms and their capitals. The 'North' and the 'South' regions of Arcot came into the political map in 1810 at the time of the last Mughal Emperor. Later in 1908, the two districts namely North and South Arcot came into existence. Chittoor (now in Andhra Pradesh) was the first capital of the North Arcot district. From then on, it was the principal military base of the British. In 1911, Vellore became the head quarters of North Arcot Dt. comprising Vellore and Thiruvannamalai.


Vellore, the Head- Quarters of Vellore District situated in 12' 35' N and 79' 9' E , has a very interesting History of its own. A strategically located town, it is well connected by Rail and bus routes to major towns of the neighboring states like A.P. Karnataka and Kerala.
The History of the district assumes a great significance and relevance, as we unfold the glorious past. It was under the sway of various dynasties and rulers, the prominent among them being the Pallavas , Cholas of Uraiyur, the Rashtrakutaa dynasty of Malkhed, Sambuvarayar, the rulers of Vijayanagarm, Mamathas, the Nawabs of the carnatic and the British.
The Monuments found in the district give a vivid picture of the town through the ages. In the 18 th Century Vellore District was the scene of some of the decisive bettles fought in Ambur (1749) A.D Arcot (1751) A.D and Vandivasi (1760A.D) as a result of the long -drawn struggle between the English and the French for Supremacy.
THE ROLE OF VELLORE DISTRICT IN THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE
Vellore Sepoy Revolt
Vellore District had always been on the fore - front in the struggle for freedom. In fact the Sepoy Mutiny of 1806 A.D. that broke out inside the Vellore fort against the British authority is considered to be a prelude to the Great Revolt of 1857, which is often described by some historians as the first war of Independence.

The outstanding performance of this district in contributing to the Military service is Commendable, as more and more men have enlisted themselves to the Military service, to serve the nation with indomitable sprit and courage. The clock tower in the long Bazaar Vellore was built in 1920 A.D. a stone inscription in the building reads "Vellore - From this Village 277 men want to the Great war 1914-18,of them 14 gave up their lives ". This is a recorded testimony the Velour and Military prowess of this area.

For More Informations about vellore visit the below websites