Jalakandeswarar Temple

Jalakandeswarar Temple is an important Shiva temple located inside the Vellore Fort. The temple houses lord Jalakandeswarar in the form of Shivalinga. There is a separate shrine for goddess Sri Akilandeswari Amman. Other deities of the temple are Vinayaka, Madeswari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Lakshmi and Saraswathi.  The Nandi faces the sanctum of Sri Jalakandeswarar. The construction of the temple is believed to be around 1274 CE which continued for about 50 years. Sambuvaraya built the inner enclosure of the temple and the inner fort in the 14th century. Vijayanagara king, Sadasivadeva Maharaja constructed the outer enclosure, the exquisite Kalyana mandapa and the Vasantha mandapa sometime from 1540 to 1572 CE. The temple is an excellent example of the Vijayanagar style of architecture. The entrance of the temple has large wooden gates and is sculptured beautifully with iron like lotus flowers. The temple houses Kalyana mandapa which shows the fine craftsmanship of Vijayanagara temple architecture. The main entrance has attractive carvings and sculptures. The temple is adorable in terms of its fine artworks. Festivals- The temple commences annual celebrations on Chaitra Poornima (April / May), Mahashivaratri (around Feb), Aadipooram (July/August), Vinayaka Chaturthi (August/September), and Navarathri (September/October).