Visitor Information
- Famous for: Murugan Temple at the highest hilltop of Yelagiri, Photography, Sightseeing, Karthigai Thirunal Festival, Architectural Significance and Beauty.
- Entrance Fee: There is no entrance fee to visit this pious place for everyone irrespective of age, gender, religion.
- Visiting Time: The temple is open for Darshanam from 6AM in the morning to 8PM in the night. The Darshanam closes at noon for a couple of hours. During festivals and pious days, it may extend upto 10PM.
- Visiting Duration: Normally this is a 30 minute to a one hour stoppage but it wouldn’t be surprising if the sight of the plains from up top, bewitch you for more than a couple of hours.
Yelagiri is a hill station of utmost beauty and irreparable quietude burrowed in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Nuzzled at the highest peaks of Yelagiri, at 1110 metres above mean sea level, the enamoring Velevan Temple exuding immense architectural wonderment is an extremely sought after temple by the Murugan devotees. The Velevan temple is a rare trove of the standing statue of Ghatothghajan, a character in the Mahabharatha.
Traveler Tips
- To truly soak the divinity and beauty of this place, make sure to visit the temple in the early morning or at the onset of dusk.
- The scenic extravaganza that the hilltop temple provides is amazing right after a trek along the hills
- Pets are not allowed here inside the temple premises.
- The temple building is reached upon by the crossing of 30 steps leading upto it. This might not be such a great idea for senile people or asthma patients as during summers it can get a tad bit difficult to reach the top.
- A lot of festivals like the Shivratri, Nomb, the annual festival of Karthigai Thirunal are celebrated with utmost zeal and devotion here. So it’ll be a really great time to visit the temple.
- The temple bells are placed enchantingly on the top of the mountains. And the experience one feels when it is rung midst the expanse of the mountains surrounding it, is surreal.
Things to Do
- Visit the Murugan temple and pay your respects at the various shrines of Shiva, Ganapathi, Murugan to soak in the divinity of the peaks.
- Celebrate the really significant annual festival of the temple, Karthigai Thirunal conducted during the Tamil month of Adi. Thousands of devotee’s flocks to here at this time.
- If you are young and sprightly, you cannot miss to trek along the slope of these hills.
- Come here at the crack of dawn and spend some surreal time with yourself or with your family meditating or chanting or singing amidst the clouds and the beautiful sight of the valleys.
- Meanwhile if you are of the atheist kind, fret not, this temple situated at the highest peaks of Yelagiri, will also serve as one of the most amazing sightseeing point you have ever come across.
Availability of Guides
There are no guides available to show you around the temple but there are pandits inside the temple who do archanas and pujas for you when asked to.
Best Time to Visit
The months between September and March capture the most pleasant weather conditions of Yelagiri, hence a visit at this time is much appreciated by tourists. However, if you are an ardent Murugan follower then you can’t miss the Annual Festival of the temple in the months of July and August.
How to Reach
Most common method of transport would be to arrive at the Jolarpettai Railway Station, situated 21 kilometres away from Yelagiri. From here you can either book a cab or take a bus to reach the Swamimalay hills. Cars can easily be parked upto very near the temple premises. You can also trek down this path to reach the Velevan temple. Tourists also take a road trip from the Punganoor Lake to uptil here.
Interesting Facts and Trivia About the Velevan Temple
- The temple primarily built to appease Lord Murugan, has a rare but gigantic statue of the Son of Bheem, Ghathothgaja in standing posture at the entrance. This is a rare occurrence as the mythological character doesn’t have many temples for itself.
- At the height of the hills, this temple was constructed fairly recently, only in 1964.
- Highlight of this temple is the statue of Lord Murugan and Valli in the form of Kuravan and Kurathi.
- Lord Ganesha has a separate shrine inside.
Nearby Attractions
- Ropes and Knots Adventure Valley
- Nilavoor Lake
- Swamimalay Hills
- Yelagiri Adventure Camp
- Jalagamparai Waterfalls
- Vainu Bappu Observatory
- Wild Zone
- Yelagiri Nature Park
- Punganoor Lake
- Government Herbal Farm
Nearby Restaurants
Although not to the immediate vicinity of the temple peak or its neighboring peaks, there are eateries situated a few kilometres down the paths.
- Hotel Nilgress
- Hotel Aruvi
- Touchstone Resort
- Hotel Hill Breeze
- Hotel Emerald Dove
- Kumarraja Palace
- The Yelagiri Residency
- The Lakeview Restaurant
- Peter Park Restaurant
- Landmark Restaurant
Definitely one of your favourite spots along the path of exploring the hills of Yelagiri and enjoying a nice meltdown of peace and tranquility whilst viewing the breathtakingly scenic valleys from up top.
