Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1805 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries

Late medieval · Hindu · India

Jalakandeswarar Temple, Vellore

Vellore, Tamil Nadu · 12.9207°, 79.1279°

Shiva (Jalakandeswarar)VijayanagaraVijayanagara

Sacred since

1550 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

1550 (Vijayanagara)

Vijayanagara

History & significance

A Shiva temple inside Vellore Fort at the centre of the city, raised in 1550 by the Vijayanagara chieftain Chinna Bommi Reddi during the reign of Sadasiva Raya. It is noted for a nine-tier gopuram, richly carved stone pillars, monolithic sculpture and heavy wooden gates.

Sthala katha — the legend

The lingam is said to have stood self-manifested within a great anthill ringed by standing water, which gave the god his name from jalam, water.

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Related sites

Ekambareswarar Temple

Kanchipuram · India

Chola core; Vijayanagara gopuram 1509

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Mylapore, Chennai · India

16th c. (original 7th-c. shore shrine lost)

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi

7th-c. origins; major Vijayanagara expansion

Vittala Temple, Hampi

Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

Tirumala, Tirupati · India

attested from early centuries CE; enlarged under Pallava, Chola & Vijayanagara patronage

Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Srisailam

Srisailam · India

core medieval; walls 15th c. (Reddi/Vijayanagara)

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Vijayanagara