• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SRILAKSHMI GOLDEN TEMPLE

August 10, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Vellore, Tamil Nadu

The Srilakshmi Golden Temple is one of the newest major temples in India, and the most important modern temple in the south of the country. Constructed less than ten year ago, much of the temple is covered in copper plate which is in turn covered in layer upon layer of magnificent gold leif artwork. Dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi, it is popular with the many students that call this college town home. In future years it will likely be a major point of pilgrimage in southeast India.

History

The city of Vellore is one of the oldest cities in southeastern India. It is believed that some of the very oldest temples in Tamil Nadu once stood in Vellore. According to tradition, there was once a temple here that feel victim to the ravages of time which resulted in a curse on the town. The Vellore Fort was later built on the site in an effort to lift the curse.

The attempt was apparently not successful. After its completion in the later Middle Ages, the the fort made Vellore the focus of years of bloody warfare. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Vellore was ground zero for many battles between the Hindus of the south and the Muslim sultinates of the north, and later between the Hindus and the Mughal Empire.

The city and fort change hands several times until it was finally annexed by the British Empire in 1760. A major British garrison point, the fort was the sight of a short but bloody rebellion in 1806. Other sporadic actions took place here over the next century. Despite this Vellore remained an important British outpost until independence in the 1940s.

For the last few decades, Vellore seems to have put to rest the ancient curse of its lost temple. At the turn of the millennium, a new temple was planned for the city (whether or not this was related to the ancient temple is unknown), a temple of gold to symbolize Vellore’s new role as a center of tolerance, learning and medicine.

Visiting

When it comes to gold-covered temples, the Srilakshmi Temple is second perhaps only to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The temple compound is enormous and is enclosed in a great wall in the shape of a six-pointed star (similar to a Jewish Star of David). Most of the compound is filled with expansive lawns and contemplative gardens. The main shrine sits at the center of the compound space surrounded by a still, clear pool. A series of long paths following the star pattern must be traversed before one reaches the center.

The temple itself is an architectural and artistic masterpiece. Not as large as its counterpart in Amritsar, it is arguably just as impressive in terms of its detail. Intricately crafted, it is every inch a centuries-old structure in appearance despite its recent construction. What really draws the crowds though is the gold. Every inch of the main temple is covered in gold leif, as many as ten layers in some places.

The Srilakshmi Temple is located on the southwestern outskirts of Vellore four miles from the city center, about 1000 miles south of New Delhi. As of this writing no visitor information was available. Web: www.sripuram.org (official website).

Other Sites

Despite its long and blood history, Vellore did not actually go without a temple. The great Sri Jalagandeeswarar Temple, located inside the fort, has been around for centuries.

Filed Under: Hindu Tagged With: India (South)/Sri Lanka

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.