One of the landmarks of Vellore is the majestic fort, inside which is located the beautiful temple for Shiva dedicated to Jalakanteshwarar. The temple was built in the reign of Chinna Bomma Nayaka (also known as Veluri Bommi Nripati), a chieftain of Vellore who ruled in the 16th century AD. This was at a time when a very large part of south India was being ruled by Emperor Sadasiva Raya of the Vijayanagara dynasty.
The entrance to this temple, which is constructed in the late Vijayanagara style of architecture, is via two gopurams. The outer gopuram is a stately one, about 15 m high and having seven storeys. Inside it are sculptures of Chinna Bomma Nayaka and Sadasiva Raya with palms pressed together as though praying to the deity in the temple.
The Kalyana-mandapa, or the hundred-pillar hall, is the most eye-catching feature of this temple. Just like similar hundred-pillar halls in the Ranganatha Swami temple in Srirangam, in the Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram and other temples in Tamil Nadu, this mandapa in Vellore too, is an exquisite piece of architecture, studded with numerous very well-wrought sculptures on the monolithic pillars. The outer pillars have the typical Vijayanagara rearing-horse and yali motifs, while the pillars on the inside have many carvings of various deities. The ceiling of this mandapa is particularly beautiful, with lotus designs and also the Ashta-dik-palas (guardians of the eight directions), each on the respective mount (vahana). That these were originally painted can be seen from traces of paint found on these sculptures.
The main sanctum for Jalakanteshwara faces east, with two huge door-guardians (dvarapalakas) at the entrance. This sanctum has a prakaram (enclosure) around it, while there is also a large outer prakaram. Goddess Parvati is worshipped in this temple as Akhilandeshwari. Inscriptions mention that seven villages near this area were once granted to the deity of this temple.
