Kavalur is a village in the Jawadhu Hills in Vaniyambadi taluk of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India. The village hosts the Vainu Bappu Observatory (VBO), which was established in the 1970s, and contains the 1m Carl Zeiss Telescope, and the 2.3m Vainu Bappu telescope.

This observatory is spread over an area of 100 acres of forest land. The forest area occupied by the observatory is rich in medicinal plants. Occasional sighting of wildlife such as deer, snakes and scorpions is a possibility in the Kavalur observatory area.

The Vainu Bappu Observatory is open to the public every Saturday throughout the year in general. The public outreach program begins at 2:00 PM and continues until 10:00 PM, depending on the weather conditions.

The entry ticket costs Rs. 50/- per person and will be issued at the security gate. Children under the age of 12 do not need a ticket. You will be able to purchase entry tickets at the security gate between 2:00 pm and 04:30 pm; if you are interested in only participating in the sky-observation programme, the ticket counter operates between 6:30 PM and 7:15 PM.