Jalagandeeswarar Temple, Yelagiri Hills, Tamil Nadu India

Jalagandeeswarar Temple stays in the womb of Vellore Fort, which by itself is a fine place to visit. It has the mythological back ground of history underneath and a great working story cultivating the trust of people even today. The place has great sculptures encarved from stone and which depict the live spirit of the god within. It is a great piece of craftsmanship and has several sculptures which are indeed a masterpiece. The temple has a giant open ground where the people can have their prayers and holy rituals. And at times even marriages can be well organized in front of the temple gathering the benedictions of the god one believes in. 

In a land of temples like that of ours, it is imperative that we pay rich tributes to the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara rulers for gifting our nation with great architectural beauty. No other country in the world has had such rulers to patronize art and culture. The Vijayanagara rulers, when on the verge of facing defeat in their territory, migrated from their place, and along with them, a soldier too migrated from Bhadrachalam in search of fortune. He was Bommi Reddy, and he established a fort at Vellore. He also dug a channel from Suryakundam to fill up the moat with water. A Vijayanagara king by name Venkatapathi Raja ruled over Vellore, and his court resounded with the intellectual discussions of Appaya Dikshitar, Kumara Thathachariar and others. There is a record of an alien traveler who wrote in 1639 AD that Venkatapathi Raja was also known as the Vellore king.

Within the fort, in the north-eastern direction is a tower and a wall which encloses a shrine. More than a shrine, it is a gallery of art. The deity is called Jalakandeswara, formerly called Jvarakandeswara. There are two massive 'dwarapalakas' at the entrance, about eight feet tall. 'Dwarapalakas' means guards, and these statues are believed to guard the treasures inside.

The Vijayanagara style of architecture is quite different from that of the Cholas. They have a distinct style, in the sense that their art is more revealed through kalyana mandapams and gopurams. There is an idol of Mahishasuramardhini inside. It is barely one foot tall, but very delicately carved. The rage in Her eyes is what strikes the devotee. Also attractive is the Asura with bulging eyes, being trampled under Her feet. His pain and writhe is also delicately carved. It so happened that an Englishman visited this temple once. He attempted to uproot the Kalyana mandapam in this temple and decided to install it in a museum in England. But the ship in which he travelled was caught in a storm and it drowned.

At the entrance of the temple, one can spot Bommi Reddy with his wife. A peculiar aspect of this temple is that all the four corners of the outer corridor have kalyana mandapams. In the north western part of the temple is a well. Though it appears as a well now, it was earlier used as a secret passage to store treasures.

 Jalagandeeswarar Temple stands inside the fort and is dedicated to Jalagandeeswar. The temple is noted for its sculptures, and speaks volumes of the exquisite craftsmanship of the highly skilled artisans of that period. The sculpture in the porch and on the left of the entrance is a masterpiece appreciated by the connoisseurs of art and architecture. It has a big wedding hall adorned with elegant reliefs and monolithic sculptures. This temple was used for long as an arsenal and remained without deity. A few years back, it has been sanctified with an idol of Lord Shiva.