Vellore, also spelled Velur, is a city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Vellore district. Located on the banks of the Palar River, it is surrounded by the Javadi Hills, an extension of the Eastern Ghats. The city covers an area of 76.09 km2 (29.38 sq mi), and is further sub-divided into 60 wards across four zones. It is administered by the Vellore Municipal Corporation, headed by a mayor, who is elected by the councilors of the respective wards. As of the 2011 census, the city had a population of 315,128. It is a part of the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, which elects its Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha, and the Vellore state assembly constituency that elects its member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.