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Once known for its Vellore Christian Medical College, the city of Vellore in the Indian state of Tamilnadu is now mostly known as a pilgrimage destination owing to the Sri Lakshmi Narayani Temple that is located there.
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Since it was first opened to the public on August 24, 2007, when it was given the name Sripuram Golden Temple Vellore, the temple has been bringing in a significant number of visitors each year. Every day, there are around 25,000 people that visit the temple.
It is widely regarded as the biggest golden temple devoted to the goddess Mahalakshmi anywhere in the world. Mahalakshmi is regarded as the goddess of wealth.
People who come to this temple for the first time experience a spiritual awakening that connects them to the rich cultural history of India.
It is also noteworthy due to its tidiness and cleanliness, as well as the architectural grandeur, which represents a novel approach to the design of Hindu temple architecture.
The area near around the temple is home to a large park that is covered in beautiful nature and is home to over 20,000 different types of plants. This area is the most popular destination for tourists. In addition to that, there is an eco-pond known as Sarvatheertham that was created by combining the waters of the country’s significant rivers. The Sashasra Deepam, also known as the ceremonial of one thousand and eight light lamps, is carried out twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, at the temple. Visitors to the temple are drawn in by the sight of this particular style of Aarti being performed there.
The Temple Trust is in charge of managing a variety of services for the convenience of devotees and tourists. These services include housing, restaurants, parking, waiting areas, and more. Aside from this, the trust is responsible for managing a social welfare and zero-waste management programme, as well as the free public distribution of drinking water, blood donation camps, free coaching classes to the poor students, a scholarship programme, tribal community education, Sri Narayani Vidyalaya, and Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Center. In addition, Sri Narayani Kala Peedam serves as a venue for the presentation of a variety of artistic, musical, and theatrical performances that are intended to foster spiritual and cultural development.
Shivratri, which occurs between the months of February and March, and Vinayaka Chaturthi, which occurs between the months of August and September, are the two most important festivals that are held in the Golden Temple. During the months of December and January, the temple hosts an enormous celebration for Vaikunta Ekadasi.
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The Golden Temple Vellore complex, which is part of the Thirupuram spiritual park, can be found in the city of Thirumalaikodi (or simply Malaikodi) Vellore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This complex is located at the base of a short range of green hills. Distances from Tirupati are 120 kilometres, Chennai is 145 kilometres, Pondicherry is 160 kilometres, and Bengaluru is 200 kilometres.
The Sri Lakshmi Narayani goddess, also known as the wife of Vishnu Narayana, resides at the Lakshmi Narayani temple, which is the most notable aspect of the city of Thirupuram. The temple’s Vimanam and Ardha Mandapam are both covered in pure gold. Sri Narayani Peedam, a charity trust established in Vellore, under the guidance of its spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma, popularly known as “Narayani Amma,” is responsible for the construction of the temple, which can be found on a plot of land that is one hundred acres in size.
The temple, which is covered in gold, has complex work that was created by experts who specialise in the use of gold in temple art. Every single element, down to the smallest detail, was crafted by hand, including the processing of gold bars into gold foils and the subsequent mounting of the foils on copper. On the copper plates that had been engraved, gold foil with nine to ten layers placed on them was employed. The ancient Vedas provide meaning to each and every element of the temple’s artistic design.
The layout of Sripuram includes a path in the form of a star (called a Sri chakra) that extends for more than 1.8 kilometres and is situated in the heart of a natural terrain. Walking down this “starpath” to reach the temple in the centre, one may also read other spiritual messages along the route, such as the significance of spirituality and the gift of being born as a human being oneself. These messages can be found around the path.
The Annapoorani Mandapam, also known as the dining hall, has a capacity of around 10,000 people, and it is in this building that devotees get delectable vegetarian meals served on fresh banana leaves.
Temple darshan Hours: Every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a Rs.250 special entry fee & 100 for normal darshan.
In addition to the two entrances and exits, there are a total of eighteen entrances located behind the temple. Each of these doors represents eighteen characters of human mind. When seen from the top position, the temple has the appearance of a Sri Chakra. In the area opposite the shrine of the main god is a traditional lamp that is 27 feet tall and has 10 tiers. It is constructed out of Panchaloka, which is an alloy of five different metals, and it has room for lighting one thousand lights.
Vellore is one of the most important towns and districts in Tamil Nadu. It is also a prominent pilgrimage destination in South India and is home to the Golden Temple Temple as well as other holy sites. Through its extensive road, air, and rail networks, it is extremely well linked to all of the main cities in the state of Tamil Nadu and the rest of India.
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Vellore is connected to all of India’s other major cities by air and train thanks to its airport and significant railway station. Vellore is only 135 kilometres away from Chennai, 210 kilometres from Bangalore, 125 kilometres away from Tirupati, 156 kilometres away from Pondicherry, 75 kilometres away from Kanchipuram, 84 kilometres away from Tiruvannamlai, 145 kilometres away from Srikalahasti, and 120 kilometres away from Krishnagiri.
Note: A helipad is available for use by visitors.
When pilgrims go to the temple, they take pleasure in walking through the scenic beauty park. Since the governing council has made the decision to keep the temple open throughout the year, the ideal time to go is any day.
Saturday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Sunday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Monday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Tuesday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Wednesday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Thursday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
Friday
8am–12:30pm, 3–7:30pm
The temple is accessible without charge at any time of the year and is always open. Rs. 100 for normal darshan and Rs. 250 for abhisheka.