[mogambo]

Hi All

Planning a day trip from Bangalore to Thiruvannamalai this weekend.
Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Chengam - Thiruvannamalai.

Thanks for all the good posts. But a couple more questions:

1>
We might leave early morning and maybe stop by K'giri for breakfast - any suggestions/alternatives?

2>
This is primarily a temple visit. I've heard that Thirukkoyilur (35km South of Thiruvannamalai) has another beatiful temple as well. Any pointers in terms of how/where to go?

3>
Has anyone been to the new Golden Temple @ Sripuram near Vellore? Any tips/driving directions/feedback?

Thanks

Ravi

[akroy]

Originally Posted by mogambo

1>
We might leave early morning and maybe stop by K'giri for breakfast - any suggestions/alternatives?

Yes, leave by 6AM from bangalore....Have your breakfast at Hotel Uthyaiah (exactly 10km before the Kgiri toll gate), Nice food and tea/coffee...There is no decent food/water facilities on NH66 till Tvmalai, hence suggest you to keep adequate food and water in your car...

Be careful with villagers/cattles and sudden potholes out of nowhere in the Kgiri - Chengam stretch...
You should be in Thiruvannamalai by 10AM...

Sorry, I have no idea of the other two temples so cannot comment on it...

Abhi

[csentil]

There are a few options as well just after Hosur.

Well if you want a buffet breakfast you can stop at Rennaissance Inn just after Hosur. Its a big hotel that comes on the left side. They serve breakfast by the pool. Its 125/- per person. You get Indian & continental breakfast. Don't forget to ask for omelette and hot dosas. :0)
However breakfast here is ready only around 7.30 ish.

Or you can try the Reliance A1 Plaza a few kilometres further on on the left side. Good food, neat toilets.. well maintained. In fact there's another Reliance A1 on the right side a bit further down. If you are coming back and want a stopover you can go there. Its a few kilometres after the Sulagiri bypass (probably 10kms before Hosur).

I've not been to Thirukoyyilur so won't comment on it.

The Golden Temple is 8kms from Vellore, so its like almost coming to Vellore from Tiruvannamalai. Take the Vellore road from Tiruvannamalai and you can see the entrance to the Narayani Temple a few kilometres before Vellore town.

I've been there and according to me its a giant ego trip of one man. Huge landscaped gardens, artificial waterfalls, an artificial pond in the middle of which stands the golden temple. There's a star shaped walkway around the temple which must be more than a kilometre long and you have to walk along this to get to the temple. I can keep going on. Its more of a gawk and gape show then a temple. That enough of a rant for now.

[iridium]

I have been to Tiruvannamalai (without a h).
However the route was BLR - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Uthangarai - Tiruvannamalai

Its 200kms from BLR.

The Ramana maharshi ashram here is nice.
If you reach there before 11:30 Am, you can have prasadam there and its very good.

There are peacocks in the ashram also.
Here's a link: The Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi website - Home Page frameset

A little beyond this place, there's a fort that runs across the middle of the main road and you can climb up the path to the fort.

One of my relatives has visited the Lakshmi temple near Vellore. Heard that its very good and you need to walk almost a kilometre to reach the temple.

When the lights are turned on in the evening, its supposed to be fabulous.

Regards
Ravi.

[mogambo]

Thanks for the leads, Abhi, Sentil.

Regarding the breakfast joints - I was intending more like Kamat Lok Upachar types, rather than continental food

Originally Posted by csentil

There are a few options as well just after Hosur.

Well if you want a buffet breakfast you can stop at Rennaissance Inn just after Hosur. Its a big hotel that comes on the left side. They serve breakfast by the pool. Its 125/- per person. You get Indian & continental breakfast. Don't forget to ask for omelette and hot dosas. :0)
However breakfast here is ready only around 7.30 ish.

Or you can try the Reliance A1 Plaza a few kilometres further on on the left side. Good food, neat toilets.. well maintained. In fact there's another Reliance A1 on the right side a bit further down. If you are coming back and want a stopover you can go there. Its a few kilometres after the Sulagiri bypass (probably 10kms before Hosur).

I've not been to Thirukoyyilur so won't comment on it.

The Golden Temple is 8kms from Vellore, so its like almost coming to Vellore from Tiruvannamalai. Take the Vellore road from Tiruvannamalai and you can see the entrance to the Narayani Temple a few kilometres before Vellore town.

I've been there and according to me its a giant ego trip of one man. Huge landscaped gardens, artificial waterfalls, an artificial pond in the middle of which stands the golden temple. There's a star shaped walkway around the temple which must be more than a kilometre long and you have to walk along this to get to the temple. I can keep going on. Its more of a gawk and gape show then a temple. That enough of a rant for now.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by mogambo

Regarding the breakfast joints - I was intending more like Kamat Lok Upachar types, rather than continental food

Then Hotel Uthyaiah is the best one !!

Abhi

[thalavoy]

Didnt like Uthaiah that much. I always went to Hotel Tamilnadu (after Krishnagiri). I always felt it was worth the 2kms detour.
Also, the road from K'giri to Chengam is horrible. I heard that you could take the following to save some time.
K'giri - Bargur (on Chennai route) - Tirupattur - Singarapettai - Chengam - Tvmalai

[mogambo]

Originally Posted by thalavoy

Didnt like Uthaiah that much. I always went to Hotel Tamilnadu (after Krishnagiri). I always felt it was worth the 2kms detour.
Also, the road from K'giri to Chengam is horrible. I heard that you could take the following to save some time.
K'giri - Bargur (on Chennai route) - Tirupattur - Singarapettai - Chengam - Tvmalai

Thanks @thalavoy
When did you last travel K'giri - Chengam? Quite recently?
If so then I'll avoid.
In case it was much earlier (few months back), could someone update me on the condition of K'giri - Chengam - Thiruvannamalai road as of recently?

Thanks

[mogambo]

Did the trip yesterday - update in the Travelogue section..
Bangalore - Thiruvannamalai

[csentil]

Might need to drive down to Tvmalai on Wednesday. How is the road condition between Krishnagiri - Tvmalai now? I vaguely remember someone mentioning that its being patched up or has been patched up. Can't find that post.

Or is it better to take the Bargur - Tirupattur - Chengam route ?

[thalavoy]

It is indeed patched up, as of 2 weeks back. Even after the heavy rains, the roads had held up then. You could definitely try this. If it is bad, then you could make your return back through Tirupattur.

[pypkmsrikanth]

There is a new BPC pump which has been opened near Chinnar in this stretch (about 3 Kms from the Reliance A1 plaza after Hosur) which has Adyar Ananda Bhavan so we have one more option now apart from the 2 A1 Plaza's.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

There is a new BPC pump which has been opened near Chinnar in this stretch (about 3 Kms from the Reliance A1 plaza after Hosur) which has Adyar Ananda Bhavan so we have one more option now apart from the 2 A1 Plaza's.

Thanks for the update, did you try the food there?
I am saying coz I didnt quite like the A1 Plaza food after hosur (towards Kgiri). Ananda Bhavan can be nice joint for fuel as well as food in future.

Abhi

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by akroy

Thanks for the update, did you try the food there?
I am saying coz I didnt quite like the A1 Plaza food after hosur (towards Kgiri). Ananda Bhavan can be nice joint for fuel as well as food in future.

Abhi

My brother had his breakfast and lunch on the return last week, he says its extremely good. Knowing the standards Adyar Anada Bhavan has maintained I think it should be good.

Somehow I have never had good stuff at A1 Plaza, maybe because I prefer to have Pongal for break fast on most occasions when I travel, A1 never seem to have them even though I must have had breakfast in atleast 5 different A1's, the taste is also no great shakes, its the loo which is the incentive for stopping at A1 especially when you go with family and kids.

[csentil]

First things first, the BPCL bunk with A2B (Adyar Ananda Bhavan) is not 3 kms from the Reliance bunk but further on. You have to cross Sulagiri bypass and travel a further 8 or so kms and you would see it. Would be definitely more than 15 kms away from the Reliance A1 in the direction of Krishnagiri.

The place is easily identifiable as the 4 lane splits at Chinnar and the left lane curves left and then right. The BPCL is at this point.

Also there is another one coming up even before this bunk.

Update on the Thiruvannamalai route later.