A forest road connecting tribal villages, temple mounds with plains along the Vellore-Tirupattur border

DRDA officials said the new stretch was laid between Poolankakuttai Road and Dharmakondaraja Koil Road, a distance of 2.6 km, on the hills. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Tribal families in the Dharmakondaraja hills of Guruvarajapalayam village along the Vellore-Tirupattur border now have safe access to an ancient Lord Vishnu temple and farming villages as the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) on Wednesday opened a new section for public use.

DRDA officials said the new stretch was laid between Poolankakuttai Road and Dharmakondaraja Koil Road, a distance of 2.6 km, on the hills. The section will help to navigate in dense forest areas in the hills. The entire work was completed at a cost of ₹ 1.68 million. “The new stretch will not only provide access to tribal families to reach the plains but will also help devotees in Vellore and nearby villages to visit the temple in the hills,” G. Kalidas, Assistant Engineer (AE), DRDA (Vellore), told The Hindu.

DRDA officials said that at present devotees use the mud trail, which was created in 1916 by the British to monitor the dense forest areas. Poolankakuttai and Dharmakondaja tribal villages form part of Guruvarajapalayam Village Panchayat. About 1,600 families live in these settlements.

Maize, groundnut, banana, sugar cane and millet are grown. “During the festival season, the temple witnesses huge crowds. With the creation of the new stretch, bus services should be provided on the route,” said R. Sadiyan, tribal.

Funded under the Tamil Nadu Savings Fund 2025-26, the work includes laying a 3.75-metre wide stretch that connects the hillock to the foothills. Water pipes up to a distance of around 1000 meters and culverts have been established to carry away excess rainwater from the hills during monsoon. It will also help prevent damage to the new road surface.

DRDA officials said the role of the forest department was crucial in getting the first tarmac road to the hills as the forest department donated three hectares of forest land for the new road.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 05:30 IST