The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has started building the first bitumen road to the ancient Lord Vishnu temple atop Dharmakondaraja Hills near Guruvarajapalayam village on the Vellore-Tirupattur border. The new 2.6 km road stretch will connect Poolankakuttai Road to Dharmakondaraja Koil Road through thick forest. Devotees presently walk a mud path made in 1916 by the British. DRDA Assistant Engineer G. Kalidas said the new stretch will allow small vehicles, ensuring safer travel for devotees and tribal hamlets' residents. More than 1,600 families live in the Poolankakuttai and Dharmakondaraja tribal hamlets nearby, where corn, groundnut, banana, sugarcane, and millets are grown. Resident B. Parvathi said, "The new road will be a lifeline for devotees especially women and senior citizens during festivals." The Rs 1.68 crore project was launched by Collector V. R. Subbulaxmi with DRDA officials. The 3.75-meter-wide road will also have water pipelines and a culvert to manage monsoon rainwater and protect the road. Vehicles including two-wheelers, cars, ambulances, tractors, and buses can use the stretch after completion. The Forest Department played a key role, donating about three hectares of land and granting clearance through District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar. The work is funded under Tamil Nadu Savings Fund 2025-26 and will finish in six months.