Golden Temple Vellore or Sri Lakshmi Narayani Golden Temple is known as one of the biggest golden temples in India. It is situated inside the Thirupuram spiritual park in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. To be specific, the overall complex is built at the foot of a small range of green hills at Thirumalaikodi, also known as Malaikodi. When coming from Chennai, it is 145 km, whereas, from Tirupati, it is 120 km, 160 km from Pondicherry, and 200 km from Bengaluru.
The modern temple was built in a time span of 7 years, and it was inaugurated on August 24, 2007. The presiding and prime deity is Sri Lakshmi Narayani or Maha Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. The temple welcomes people from all religions to get the sanctification of the goddess of wealth and seek growth and prosperity in life.
The temple on every major happening invites thousands of devotees. On occasions, every aspect of the temple is specially adorned that devotees always feel mesmerized by its beauty and glory. On special occasions, the number of devotees here crosses even the count of one lac. Due to the temple's popularity, the positive influence in terms of infrastructure and cleaning can be seen in Vellore as well as the Thiruamalaikodi village, where the temple is located mainly.
Since the temple welcomes all castes and religions, it is also known as 'The Spiritual Oasis," where every soul savors on peace and joy.
Architectural Definition
The prime Lakshmi Narayani temple attracts the major attention of devotees. Here the Vimanam and Ardha Mandapam can be seen covered in pure gold where the prime deity Goddess Laxmi resides. The overall area of the temple is 100 acres of land that was constructed by the Vellore-based charitable trust, Sri NarayaniPeedam. The temple was then given various other details by the spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma.
The temple has a gold covering, which facilitates the view of unique work done by the artists. Every single detail in goldwork is worth noticeable that devotees always pay attention to and love the artistry. The work done depicts how the gold bars were created into gold foils and then used as a covering on copper to provide the mesmerizing temple look.
The temple in total uses 1500 kg of pure gold foil in fifteen layers, which is double the time of gold used in the construction of the dome of the Amritsar Golden Temple in Punjab.
When we view Sripuram's design, it shows a star-like design that looks like the Sri chakra. It is located in the middle of the lush green landscape that needs the devotees to cover a length of over 1.8 km. While walking by, the path facilitates various spiritual messages that devotees can read all their way and understand the infinite a bit more closely.
The prime deity, the idol of Mahalakshmi, is made in pure gold and weighs about 70-kg. Here the deity is worshiped as Sri Swarna Lakshmi, on which devotees come and perform Abhishekam. This way, from the entrance to the floor, ceiling, and every aspect, the temple is so beautifully adorned that it makes it all a wonder to witness.
The Amenities and Way to Reach
The complex offers a hospital facility named "Sri Narayani Hospital & Research Centre."
There are various facilities in the temple complex which eases the residence of devotees. There is a dining hall, for example, where thousands of devotees can savor the food.
Parking space is there, toilet facilities, A/c and non A/c rooms, waiting areas, and even helipads are there. The dormitory with toilet facilities is available for free; the area is spacious enough to home thousands of devotees at once.
There are various projects running, too, such as blood donation camps where people can donate blood to the needy ones. They also organize a zero-waste management program, free coaching classes for those who can't pay, social welfare programs, and other art, music, and dance programs to enhance the temple's significance even more.
Chennai and Bengaluru are the two nearest spots to reach the temple via the airport. The road is also connected well, and the railway network so you can come to Vellore, which is just 6 km away from the temple. From here you can hire a private taxi or get a bus to reach the site.
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