This was our first overnight trip with Vedaant. We were not sure how he would respond to this, especially considering that he had disturbed sleep at night in the past 10 days and had become increasingly cranky at nights. His food was another concern (We don’t give him the tin food and earlier when we tried, he preferred home food to the tin food). We carried an electric cooker so that we can cook some rice for him and it worked well.
The drive from Bengaluru to Vellore is awesome. The 4 lane highway does tempt you to cruze at 120+. The greenery of the coconut plantations near Krishnagiri, the eastern ghats that travel alone with us beyond Krishnagiri are a soothing sight. At one particular point it feels like the you are going to hit the huge hill in front and suddenly the highway turns left and u continue unharmed J
The scenery on the entire stretch is very beautiful and it reminded us of our journey back from Penang(in Malaysia) to Singapore (Yes we came by a Volvo bus from Penang to Malaysia, about 10 Hrs journey).
The temple is very well planned and the crowd management is commendable. As we enter the temple complex, the landscaping all around welcomes us. The artificial waterfall with the two natural hills in the background, the writings, the statues, the pond, the beautifully maintained lawn along the star shaped walkway and the sight of the awe inspiring golden temple in the middle and adding to it the light showers and the beautiful winter weather made us feel that heaven is nowhere but here.
During our second round of darshan at night we went around very leisurely enjoying the sight of the glittering gold temple. The architecture of the temple is wonderful with four differently shaped gopuras at different heights. The lighting and the shandilears inside the temple are so well placed that the reflection of the temple in the pond surrounding it took our imagination to the richness of the Vijayanagar empire and the Hampi of those days.
Vedaant also equally enjoyed the trip. He slept during most of the journey and walked almost the entire stretch of the temple (about 1.5 to 2Kms) by himself, I am not exaggerating, he did. The pram we carried and the money we paid to take the pram inside went waste. Considering that he is not even 14 months old, I was surprised by his energy and enthusiasim.
The drive from Bengaluru to Vellore is awesome. The 4 lane highway does tempt you to cruze at 120+. The greenery of the coconut plantations near Krishnagiri, the eastern ghats that travel alone with us beyond Krishnagiri are a soothing sight. At one particular point it feels like the you are going to hit the huge hill in front and suddenly the highway turns left and u continue unharmed J
The scenery on the entire stretch is very beautiful and it reminded us of our journey back from Penang(in Malaysia) to Singapore (Yes we came by a Volvo bus from Penang to Malaysia, about 10 Hrs journey).
The temple is very well planned and the crowd management is commendable. As we enter the temple complex, the landscaping all around welcomes us. The artificial waterfall with the two natural hills in the background, the writings, the statues, the pond, the beautifully maintained lawn along the star shaped walkway and the sight of the awe inspiring golden temple in the middle and adding to it the light showers and the beautiful winter weather made us feel that heaven is nowhere but here.
During our second round of darshan at night we went around very leisurely enjoying the sight of the glittering gold temple. The architecture of the temple is wonderful with four differently shaped gopuras at different heights. The lighting and the shandilears inside the temple are so well placed that the reflection of the temple in the pond surrounding it took our imagination to the richness of the Vijayanagar empire and the Hampi of those days.
Vedaant also equally enjoyed the trip. He slept during most of the journey and walked almost the entire stretch of the temple (about 1.5 to 2Kms) by himself, I am not exaggerating, he did. The pram we carried and the money we paid to take the pram inside went waste. Considering that he is not even 14 months old, I was surprised by his energy and enthusiasim.
How to reach:
Bengaluru-Hosuru-Krishnagiri (Take left towards Chennai)-NH46-Ambur-Vellore. About 210 Kms, can easily do in 2Hrs 30mins, without break.
You don’t have to reach Vellore. After about 5 Kms from the toll booth, before Vellore, take the Vellore airport road to goto Sripuram.
On the airport road, after about 2 -3 Kms, there is a deviation, take the road that is on your left (The road is deceiving to make you believe that you need to go straight, but don’t.).
Food:
Before Krishnagiri there is Anand Bhavan and one more restaurant on the highway. Preferably finish your food here. Next good place is about 10 Kms before Vellore towards your right (first U turn after the third toll booth from Bengaluru).
While in Sripuram, the Annalakshmi canteen in the temple complex serves good food. You can also go to the canteen inside Sri Narayani research center next to the temple complex.
Points to note:
· There are many private parking places who invite you, but preferably use the official parking.
· The free darshana will probably take about 1 to 2 extra hours based on the crowd. The special darshana on weekends costs Rs 100/- per person, and on weekdays it is Rs 250/-.
· The difference between Free darshana and paid darshana are
o The initial waiting period is about 1-2 hours for free darshana. This is a big difference in terms of time and comfort.
o Once you enter the main temple complex, everyone (free and paid devotees) are in the same path.
o As you approach the main temple, the Que is again different for the free and paid devotees.
· Free darshana devotees get to see the goddess from about 50 meters and the paid darshana devotees can see it from about 25 meters distance. (This is not a big difference)
· The guest house rooms are clean and spacious, can easily accommodate 4-5 people. Double bed Ac rooms at 500/- (extra bed – 150/-) and non-AC 300/- (extra bed – 100/-)
· Visiting the temple at night is highly recommended due to the lighting. The glittering temple is a feast for eyes.
· Enjoy the landscape and the sight of the temple, instead of rushing for Darshana.
· The entry gates close at 8PM. The darshana is open until the last person in the Que is done.
· Do visit the old temple right across the road.
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