Vandalur

Vandalur
—  suburb  —
Vandalur
Coordinates: 12.89°N 80.08°E / 12.89; 80.08
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Kancheepuram
Metro	Chennai
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	13,311
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Vandalur is a census town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, which houses some rare species of wild flora and fauna. The neighbourhood is served by Vandalur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway network.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Vandalur had a population of 13,311. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Vandalur has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 72%. In Vandalur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Vandalur Hills

Lakshmi Kuberer Temple

B.S. Abdur Rahman University

Connectivity

Vandalur is a residential area approximately 5 km to the south of Tambaram. It is adjacent to the suburbs of Urapakkam, Perungalathur, Mudichur, Padappai.

Road

Vandalur forms the junction of the Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road, Connecting the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST) with Old Mamallapuram Road (OMR). The Outer Ring Road (Vandalur - Minjur) is a major transport corridor being developed along the periphery of Chennai Metropolitan Area by the CMDA. The Vandalur Flyover to be inaugurated in January 2012 will connect the east and west side of the Vandalur railway station. It will have a bowstring design similar to that of Rangarajapuram flyover. A satellite commercial corridor is likely to be developed along the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR)

65-acre terminus for south-bound buses at Vandalur: The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu, when opened in 2002, was touted as the largest in Asia. Now, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has identified land for a new terminus in Vandalur, that will be more than twice the size of the CMBT, to handle south-bound long-distance buses and ease the pressure on the Koyambedu facility.[1]

Distance Chart

Destination (From Vandalur)	Distance(km)	Time(Minutes)
Tambaram	6	8
Chengalpattu	24	30
Maraimalai Nagar	15	18
Oragadam	16	22
Velachery	23	30

Rail

The nearest train station is Vandalur Railway Station on the Chennai Suburban Railway line. The proposed Chennai monorail project envisages two lines from Vadalur - Vandalur to Puzhal and Vandalur to Velachery.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park

Arignar Anna Zoological Park located here also known as Vandalur Zoo. The Park was the first public zoo in India. Vandalur Zoo is originally created in 1855 near Park Town, Chennai City. Later in 1875, this zoo had expanded and moved out of the city. In 1979, the Tamilnadu Forest department moved this zoo to Vandalur reserve forest covering an area of 1300 acres. This zoo was inaugurated in year 1985 and it's one of the largest in South Asia. There are totally 81 enclosures. More than 170 species of mammals, aviaries and reptiles are exhibited in the zoo.

Vandalur Hill

Vandalur hill is part of Arignar Anna Zoological Park and public entry to the hill is restricted. The hilltop provides a beautiful view of Bay of Bengal. Tamilnadu Forest department has a sapling center under the foothill of Vandalur hill.

Amenities

Some of the housing projects are KNR Abirami Webster Village, Bouleyard, Serene Adinath

Educational Institutions in Vandalur

• Crescent School
• TS Baliah Matriculation School
• Shri Natesan Vidyasala Matriculation Hr Sec School
• Sri Viswa Vidyalaya Matriculation Hr Sec School
• Annai Velankanni Matriculation School
• Shalom Matriculation Higher Secondary School
• Government High School
• SSM Montessori School
• B. S. Abdur Rahman University (formerly Crescent Engineering College)
• Sri Ramanujar Engineering College
• Tagore Engineering College
• Sri Krishna Engineering College
• VIT Chennai Campus
• Sri Balaji Polytechnic College
• GKM College of Engineering and Technology
• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM)
• Chennai School of Ship Management
• TMG College of Arts & Science
• Delhi Public School

Places of worship

• Lakshmi Kuberar Temple,Rathinamangalam Village,Vandalur [2]
• Sri Agatheeswarar Temple, Kollapakkam, Vandalur - Navagraha Sthalam
• Arulmigu Sri Navanithi Selva Ganapathy Temple, [Vishnu Durgai, Murugan (Valli, Devasena), Rama Baktha Anjaneyar, Navagraham, Neem and Arasa Maram growing together by nature], Kollappakkam,
• Arai Kaasu Amman Temple [3]
• Sri Mutharamman Temple, Kuttikulasai, Vandalur
• Iraniamman Kovil,vandalur
• Padappai Church
• Mookambigai Amman Koil, Vandalur Singarathottam
• Kaligambal temple, Singarathottam, Vandalur
• Sri Chelli Amman Temple, Kolapakkam
• CSI Church, Vandalur
• Manneswarar Temple- Mannivakkam

Vandalur-Walajabad flyover

This flyover will replace the level crossing near Vandalur railway station. The Rs. 27-crore flyover on the Vandalur-Walajabad Road was inaugurated recently. The 1.48-km-long flyover will replace a level crossing near the Vandalur railway station.

Gallery

• 

  Sri Agatheeswarar Temple

• 

  Elephants having food at Vandalur Zoo

• 

  Electric Vehicle Vandalur Zoo

• 

  Tagore Engineering College

• 

  Accenture, Shriram IT Gateway on GST Road

• 

  Vandalur Railway Station

See also

• Arignar Anna Zoological Park
• B. S. Abdur Rahman University
• Gold Souk Grande Mall Chennai
• Urapakkam
• Perungalathur

External links

1. GST Road Traffic Issues The Hindu
2. Indian Gaur safari at Vandalur zoo The Hindu
3. Roads to the future - 3 key stretches on the city's outskirts Hindu Property Plus
4. The orbital beltway - Vandalur to Minjur Outer Ring Road The Hindu
5. Monorail Phase I - Vandalur to Velachery/Puzhal The Hindu
6. News about Gold Souk Grande Mall, Vandalur India Retailing
7. Vandalur Flyover Work Is Nearing Completion
8. TN clears second phase of Outer Ring Road project