Bangalore To Pondicherry: Road Condition & Route

[manuman]

Planning a trip from Bangalore to Pondicherry during 3rd/4th week of December (this year).

Which is the ideal route? Pampered kids - can't take bad roads - hence need a route which is smooth and safe (double road?), even if it is little longer in distance / time.

Those who have taken Krishnagiri --> Chengam --> Thiruvannamalai --> Gingee --> Pondicherry tell me that the roads are horrible.

In fact, I was thinking to camp at Yercaud for a day (which means I'll go to Salem first) and then head from Yercaud to Pondicherry. In which case, the route would be Krishnagiri --> Dharmapuri --> Salem --> Yercaud --> Salem --> Attur --> Ulundurpet --> Viluppuram --> Villianur --> Pondy?

Yercaud stop over might help en-route but can't stop over whilst return! Hence definitely need a good point-to-point (Bangalore - Pondy - Bangalore) route.

Is via Chennai better? I am quite flexible with the route, but prefer smooth road. Even via Chennai is ok to me if the roads are good. Hope the road construction is not hampering smooth ride between Bangalore ~ Chennai.

If the roads are bad and if most of the time would be spent on road, then I might change my plan within South Karnataka (3 nights 4 days trip).

Please advise.

 

[Figoian]

You are right about the Thiruvannamalai route. It's worst! The critical problem is, you can't say the entire road from Krishnagiri to Thiruvannamalai is bad, but it has a lot of pot-holes and patches and the specialty is, most of them are just immediately after a good stretch. So, you may be happy cruising on the good stretch and pop your eyes out when you see such incredible multiple pot-holes, which won't even allow you to escape anyway.

Yercaud route is a good option, provided you have a pitstop as it's over 100 KMs more than the Thiruvannamalai route.

Chennai route would be even more longer, but good roads with some deviations due to over bridge constructions. However, the stretch from Sri Perambadur till Ranipet is extremely bad for Golden Quadrilateral now. Can say, it's more like Thiruvannamali route.

Another option is, Pondy - Kalpakkam - Chengalpattu - Kanchipuram - NH4. This would make the Chennai option a little shorter, but the Kalpakkam to Kanchipuram stretch is a state highway and travels thru a lot of villages. So, mostly with single/double lane roads with some speed breakers. Also, Chengalpattu bridge is under construction, which causes chaos during peak hours and you will have to enter & exit Kanchipuram town, which is another pain.

 

[AR Ram]

Planning a trip from Bangalore to Pondicherry during 3rd/4th week of December (this year).

Which is the ideal route? Pampered kids - can't take bad roads - hence need a route which is smooth and safe (double road?), even if it is little longer in distance / time.

Those who have taken Krishnagiri --> Chengam --> Thiruvannamalai --> Gingee --> Pondicherry tell me that the roads are horrible.

In fact, I was thinking to camp at Yercaud for a day (which means I'll go to Salem first) and then head from Yercaud to Pondicherry. In which case, the route would be Krishnagiri --> Dharmapuri --> Salem --> Yercaud --> Salem --> Attur --> Ulundurpet --> Viluppuram --> Villianur --> Pondy?

Yercaud stop over might help en-route but can't stop over whilst return! Hence definitely need a good point-to-point (Bangalore - Pondy - Bangalore) route.

Is via Chennai better? I am quite flexible with the route, but prefer smooth road. Even via Chennai is ok to me if the roads are good. Hope the road construction is not hampering smooth ride between Bangalore ~ Chennai.

If the roads are bad and if most of the time would be spent on road, then I might change my plan within South Karnataka (3 nights 4 days trip).

Please advise.

I think the best option is Salem>Attur>Ulundurpet>Villupuram>Thindivanam>Pondy
The roads are excellent now

 

[manuman]

Well, after some more search and talking to friends from that part of the country, I intend to go with -

Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --> Pondy.

I have driven to/from Chennai and quite familiar with road condition between Bangalore and Arcot.

Now hunting for a good place to stay. There are resorts which are around ~12/15K per day (stay, extra kid/bed, 3 meals, so on) which is little more than my budget. Planning to go around the place sight seeing, some shopping and definitely exploring the food. So something <10K would be good.

The Accord hotel seems to fit my bill.

I know am little off the topic, but was looking for some 'free advice'

 

[Figoian]

Well, after some more search and talking to friends from that part of the country, I intend to go with -

Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --> Pondy.

I have driven to/from Chennai and quite familiar with road condition between Bangalore and Arcot.

Now hunting for a good place to stay. There are resorts which are around ~12/15K per day (stay, extra kid/bed, 3 meals, so on) which is little more than my budget. Planning to go around the place sight seeing, some shopping and definitely exploring the food. So something <10K would be good.

The Accord hotel seems to fit my bill.

I know am little off the topic, but was looking for some 'free advice'

Which place would you want to stay in look around? Maybe AppU can help you something in & around Vellore.

 

[Rajvel]

Well, after some more search and talking to friends from that part of the country, I intend to go with -

Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --pondy'

This route will be good but last time i took a road parallel to pondy - banglore route. It was about 20 kms still i suffered with bad roads. I may check and say here.

 

[AppU]

Hi Manuman,

I suggest you to take B'lore - Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --pondy route.

From B'lore - Arcot via Vellore is Six lane excellent NH with some diversion at some place.

From Arcot - Cheyyar Newly tared two lane road(Went till Kalvai last week)

From Cheyyar - Tindivanam Heard the roads are good with few negotiable pot-holes

Tindivanam - Pondy -> Excellent 4 lane Highway, which will tempt us to do triple digit on Speedo

 

[manuman]

Concluded the trip last week.

Took the Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --> Pondy route. Started at 6.15AM from Bangalore to beat the traffic. Did lot of research on the route before departure, but still messed it up! Went through almost every town center (), due to which it took 6 hours of drive time for ~380KM (door to door). Timing is not bad considering the bypass misses, but I can’t digest it. I can converse in Tamil and did check with the public at every junction – but to my bad luck, everyone misguided me.

I was extremely careful whilst returning though – and took bypass at Tindivanam, Vandavasi and Cheyyar. Took 6 hours (drive time), including the evening traffic at Bangalore! Being Sunday helped too.

What helped is the fantastic road between Bangalore and Vellore! The 6 lane highway is almost complete, and I could cruise at an average 100KMPH – crossed 120 at times. I slowed down only after observing the speed on meter.

The road between Cheyyar and Pondy is excellent too. Between Cheyyar and Tindivanam, via Vandavasi, is 2 lane with no divider. But the road quality is good. The road between Tindivanam and Pondy is the best – I cruised at ~140 at times – one of the best toll roads I have driven in India I should say – though 2 lane, very smooth (no bumps / vibration), straight, with great visibility. The weather and good roads ensured my car was clean even after the trip! I plan to get it serviced next week anyway, hence did not bother to wash

My advice to anyone who is travelling is to take this route; ensure you stop at junctions and seek ‘bypass’.

Nearly 800KM, at an average 14KM mileage (per infotainment system) with air-condition on throughout. At times it showed as high as ~15, but the Bangalore city traffic on return reduce the average. I did not bother to calculate the mileage manually because I had some fuel when I refilled at Hosur; only an empty tank to empty tank makes sense for manual calculation.

Stayed at Sunway GRT. There is nothing much to do in Pondy anyway. I had not planned a sight-seeing vacation anyway. Had a relaxing lazy stay – sleep, eat, drink - kind of holiday 

Thank you all for your help and guidance.

 

[Figoian]

only an empty tank to empty tank makes sense for manual calculation.

Happy to see that you had a good drive.

BTW, any reason for the above point? I believe you can do Tank-to-Tank anytime.

 

[anshuman8]

Making a tank fully empty is bit risky as residue particles (impurity/dust/rust) may flow to fuel lines and to engine causing damage. Refill the tank when at least 4-5 L fuel is there.

 

[manuman]

Well, I meant 'almost empty' , not literally empty. When it is partially filled, it is difficult to calculate. When I filled the diesel in Krishnagiri, I could fill only ~60 litres, which means there was some diesel in the tank. Similarly, when I returned to Bangalore, I still had some diesel in the tank. Hence, I went by infotainment average mileage rather than my manual calculation.

In fact, earlier once, the DTE (Distance To Empty) showed 0KM, but I still travelled few KM to bunk! I was nervous wreck, but experience taught me that though the tank capacity is stated as 70 litres, there is some fuel in the 'system' which is why I was able to push forward.

The DTE is a topic by itself. Came across this DTE FAQ by Ford sometime ago; hope it makes some sense. The document is Ford property btw.

 

[Figoian]

When it is partially filled, it is difficult to calculate. When I filled the diesel in Krishnagiri, I could fill only ~60 litres, which means there was some diesel in the tank. Similarly, when I returned to Bangalore, I still had some diesel in the tank.

Well, I still don't get the logic. Tank Full Method can be done anytime, even if the tank is almost full. It works this way.

1. Fill the Tank (Either with Auto Cut Off or to the Brim)
2. Note down the ODO or Reset the Trip Meter
3. Run till the tank is half, quarter or even to few 100 KMs
4. Refill the Tank again (Remember, if you had filled up to Auto Cut Off / Brim in Step 1, stick to the same)

Now the math, Number of KMs / Liters Filled in 2nd Fill is the actual Mileage.

In fact, earlier once, the DTE (Distance To Empty) showed 0KM, but I still travelled few KM to bunk! I was nervous wreck, but experience taught me that though the tank capacity is stated as 70 litres, there is some fuel in the 'system' which is why I was able to push forward.

The DTE is a topic by itself. Came across this DTE FAQ by Ford sometime ago; hope it makes some sense. The document is Ford property btw.

DTE is just an approximation and not actual.

 

[suresh_gs]

Hi Manuman,

I suggest you to take B'lore - Krishngiri --> Vellore --> Arcot --> Cheyyar --> Vandavasi --> Tindivanam --pondy route.

There is one more route to go to Tiruvannamalai from Bangalore . It is via Krishnagiri, Kambainallur, Morappur, Harur, Theerthamalai, Thanipadi. I had been on this stretch in October 2013. Good roads all the way.

 

[suresh_gs]

Folks
Here are my trip details to Thirukkoilur on October 5th 2013. The road conditions mentioned below are as on the said travel date.

UPDATES ON ROAD CONDITION FROM BANGALORE TO THIRUKKOILUR VIA RAYAKOTTAI, KARIMANGALAM, KAMBAINALLUR, MORAPPUR, HARUR AND THEERTHAMALAI

VISIT TO ULAGALANDHA PERUMAL TEMPLE, THIRUKKOILUR AND RANGANATHAR TEMPLE, ADHITHIRUVARANGAM (NEAR MANALURPET)

I had been to the above mentioned temples yesterday (05.10.13). For the onward journey, took the above mentioned route. To sum it up, i would say overall pretty good roads. Till Naripalli (on Harur - TV Malai SH), the roads are very good. In some stretches i would say EXCELLENT.
From Naripalli onwards till you reach TV Malai GH (approx 50 kms), the road surface has been eroded (broken tarmac) at many places. There are no major potholes as such. This stretch is very much driveable but the drive is bumpy due to poor quality of patch work. Of these 50 kms, around 20 kms stretch has very good tarmac. For the balance stretch speeds above 60 kmph makes the drive bumpy.

Even the Rayakottai road has been eroded at quite a number of places but very much driveable. The quality of patch work leaves a lot to be desired. Approx 10 kms before Palacode, you will reach a village called VELLICHANDAI. From this junction, proceeding straight takes you to Palacode. Turning left, takes you to Karimangalam. Road leading to karimangalam was surprisingly good.

From Karimangalam to Naripalli via Kambainallur, Morappur , Harur and Theerthamalai, excellent roads. Trust me you can constantly go at 85-90 kmph speed.

The winding roads post harur pass through ghat section . What a sight!!

One must not miss this experience. We do have govt buses plying on this route but frequency is less.

Once you reach TV Malai GH, you have 2 options to go to Thirukkoilur. One via Manalurpet and the other Thirukkoilur by pass road. I took the latter as i wanted to reach the temple fast.

The best part of my onward journey was going on the Thirukkoilur by pass road. Boy, excellent road. There are some humps enroute that can take you off guard. Otherwise superb tarmac. Infact at one point of time, my speedo indicated 110 kmph.
Once you cross Thirukkoilur by pass road, the road leading to thirukkoilur town is awful to say the least. Broken tarmac all the way.
Infact if anybody wants to proceed further say towards panruti/cuddalore/pondy, i would caution them.

Departure from Bangalore - 6:23 AM
Reached Temple - 11:35 AM (inclusive of a number of breaks to take photos of road)

ONWARD JOURNEY ROUTE MAP


Adhithiruvarangam is about 20 kms from Thirukkoilur via Manalurpet. The idol of Lord Ranganathar is much bigger than the idol at Srirangam. This temple is much older than the Srirangam temple. One must visit this temple for sure. Not many are aware of the existence of this temple.

After completing darshan of Lord Ranganathar, i took the Manalurpet- TV Malai SH. I would use just one word to describe this SH

SUPER

Consistently i was able to go at 85-90 kmph speed. One has to be watchful of speedbreakers enroute though they are not big.
Proceeding on this road takes you to TV Malai GH .

I then followed the onward journey route for the return leg.

Overall it was a very good experience visiting these 2 famous temples.
The only drawback of the route i followed is lack of hotels to break for food. In such cases, one can come via krishnagiri instead of Rayakottai.

RETURN JOURNEY ROUTE MAP

 

[AppU]

Folks
Here are my trip details to Thirukkoilur on October 5th 2013. The road conditions mentioned below are as on the said travel date.

UPDATES ON ROAD CONDITION FROM BANGALORE TO THIRUKKOILUR VIA RAYAKOTTAI, KARIMANGALAM, KAMBAINALLUR, MORAPPUR, HARUR AND THEERTHAMALAI

VISIT TO ULAGALANDHA PERUMAL TEMPLE, THIRUKKOILUR AND RANGANATHAR TEMPLE, ADHITHIRUVARANGAM (NEAR MANALURPET)

I had been to the above mentioned temples yesterday (05.10.13). For the onward journey, took the above mentioned route. To sum it up, i would say overall pretty good roads. Till Naripalli (on Harur - TV Malai SH), the roads are very good. In some stretches i would say EXCELLENT.
From Naripalli onwards till you reach TV Malai GH (approx 50 kms), the road surface has been eroded (broken tarmac) at many places. There are no major potholes as such. This stretch is very much driveable but the drive is bumpy due to poor quality of patch work. Of these 50 kms, around 20 kms stretch has very good tarmac. For the balance stretch speeds above 60 kmph makes the drive bumpy.

Even the Rayakottai road has been eroded at quite a number of places but very much driveable. The quality of patch work leaves a lot to be desired. Approx 10 kms before Palacode, you will reach a village called VELLICHANDAI. From this junction, proceeding straight takes you to Palacode. Turning left, takes you to Karimangalam. Road leading to karimangalam was surprisingly good.

From Karimangalam to Naripalli via Kambainallur, Morappur , Harur and Theerthamalai, excellent roads. Trust me you can constantly go at 85-90 kmph speed.

The winding roads post harur pass through ghat section . What a sight!!

One must not miss this experience. We do have govt buses plying on this route but frequency is less.

Once you reach TV Malai GH, you have 2 options to go to Thirukkoilur. One via Manalurpet and the other Thirukkoilur by pass road. I took the latter as i wanted to reach the temple fast.

The best part of my onward journey was going on the Thirukkoilur by pass road. Boy, excellent road. There are some humps enroute that can take you off guard. Otherwise superb tarmac. Infact at one point of time, my speedo indicated 110 kmph.
Once you cross Thirukkoilur by pass road, the road leading to thirukkoilur town is awful to say the least. Broken tarmac all the way.
Infact if anybody wants to proceed further say towards panruti/cuddalore/pondy, i would caution them.

Happy to see, you visited Thirukovilur.

Thirukovilur is my Dad's native and still we have lands there.

And the route which you taken is my regular route. my Grandma's home is at Cuddalore. So I usually take Vellore - Porur - T.V.Malai - Thirukovilur - Panruti - Cuddalore.

My Favorite stretch is T.V.Malai - Thirukovilur. One can easily cross 120kmph without and stress. There are some 6 speed breakers in this stretch. That will spoil the sport.

As like you said, the road condition before Thirukovilur is very worst since my childhood. So no comments about it.

BTW, the road condition beyond Thirukovilur - Panruti is good. But, dumpy. There are so many small villages on this stretch, so we will encounter so many cattle/people crossing the road from nowhere.

Panruti to Cuddalore route is well laid road. There are two routes, one via Nellikuppam and other via Palur. I mostly take Palur route, the road will be very good with less traffic.

Departure from Bangalore - 6:23 AM
Reached Temple - 11:35 AM (inclusive of a number of breaks to take photos of road)

ONWARD JOURNEY ROUTE MAP
View attachment 126925

Adhithiruvarangam is about 20 kms from Thirukkoilur via Manalurpet. The idol of Lord Ranganathar is much bigger than the idol at Srirangam. This temple is much older than the Srirangam temple. One must visit this temple for sure. Not many are aware of the existence of this temple.

After completing darshan of Lord Ranganathar, i took the Manalurpet- TV Malai SH. I would use just one word to describe this SH

SUPER

Consistently i was able to go at 85-90 kmph speed. One has to be watchful of speedbreakers enroute though they are not big.
Proceeding on this road takes you to TV Malai GH .

I then followed the onward journey route for the return leg.

Overall it was a very good experience visiting these 2 famous temples.
The only drawback of the route i followed is lack of hotels to break for food. In such cases, one can come via krishnagiri instead of Rayakottai.

RETURN JOURNEY ROUTE MAP
View attachment 126926

Ranganathar temple is one of the ancient temple.

I have been to that temple some 5-6 times. I like the temple very much for the clam and peaceful surrounding.

Have you went to the roof of the temple?. It will give different kind of feeling when you walk in the roof of the temple.