[narayans80]

Originally Posted by sidsden

Old Madras Road close to TC Palya

You can take Arcot-Arani bypass-Chetpet-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondy.

There is a 2-3 km of Arcot town you have to negotiate, you'll be rewarded with a wide 2-lane which is a hoot to drive till Gingee. Gingee town is almost bypassed. Traffic is higher on Gingee-Tindivanam, you can still do a decent 60-90, not 100 as you would do on Arcot-Gingee.

[sidsden]

I completed my 3-day trip yesterday. Thanks to the members who guided me with their insights and the others who had shared some valuable tidbits before, as those were of immense help!

Onward route: Hoskote (breakfast at Kamat Hosaruchi)- Kolar - Chitoor - Ranipet - Arcot - Arani - Chetpet - Gingee - Tindivanam - Puducherry (lunch at hotel)

My observations: Started from home at 6:43 AM and had an early pitstop at Kamat Hosaruchi just outside of Narsapura. The roads until Chitoor are superb. We were easily getting 17+ KMPL on my Venue Turbo DCT (Hardly ever get anything beyond 10 in Bangalore city traffic). After crossing Chitoor, we were held up at a railway crossing right at the Andhra - TN border, post which there is a lot of construction going on and there are a lot of diversions. Just before reaching Ranipet, Google maps decided to make us take a right turn towards Ammundi and made us cross the Palar river via some village roads. Not sure if this was the best way to cross this part but it didn't cause much trouble. Once we crossed Palar, it took us to the Vellore - Chennai road and from there we reached the extremely confusing interchange in Arcot. Just before the Palar bridge in Arcot, one is supposed to take an almost invisible right turn on the highway, continue on the service road and then cross the highway to enter the Arcot - Arani road. Needless to say, I missed the turn, crossed Palar river again, and then took a u-turn at an underpass and reached the Arcot - Arani road.
This is where you leave the highway and you don't get on it again until Gingee.
The road between Arcot and Gingee is good if you can manage the fact that you have to cross some market areas during day time. It being a Friday afternoon, streets were super crowded in Arcot market and to cross the stretch it took us around 25-30 minutes. Arani market area is mostly bypassed. Roads are pretty good thereafter and with no hassles you can easily reach Gingee. From Gingee, we got back on the highway. Again, when you reach Tindivanam, you have to cross their whole market area and it took us a good 20-30 mins again. Post that, the only traffic you face is while entering Puducherry. Reached our hotel at around 2:26 PM. Total distance covered was 362 kms in 6:46 hours
Tripmeter:

Return Route: Tindivanam - Vandavasi - Cheyyar - Arcot - Ranipet (Lunch at Amirtha) - Chitoor - Kolar (Tea break at Krishna Grand, just after entering back in KA) - Hoskote - Bangalore

My Observations: Faced some traffic just after leaving the hotel in White Town around 11:07 AM, when for some reason Google Maps decided to route us right through Ranga Pillai St, which passes through the vegetable market. Once we exited the city and got on the highway, there was no traffic whatsoever. The journey till Amirtha Restaurant was a breeze and took us around 3.5 hours for that 140 km stretch. I guess because it was a Sunday, Arcot city streets were empty and hardly faced any hassles. Post lunch, it was mostly the same route we had taken while coming and after crossing Chitoor were welcomed again by the lovely buttery roads. Entered KA and did the first tank refill just outside of Mulbagal. Covered 650+ kms on one full tank! P.S. Fuel is more expensive both in AP and TN. Reached home by 7:10 PM. Total distance covered was 344 kms in 7:05 hours of driving time.
Tripmeter:

[nma83]

Is this route still the best option to pondicherry?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JVcGZGPeLNMqkXiA9
Maps suggests Krishnagiri - Tiruvannamalai - Gingee.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by nma83

Is this route still the best option to pondicherry?

The Thiruvannamalai route has improved by leaps and bounds over time. Also most towns on this route have bypasses as well. So it might be worth taking.

[KumarS]

Originally Posted by nma83

Is this route still the best option to pondicherry?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JVcGZGPeLNMqkXiA9
Maps suggests Krishnagiri - Tiruvannamalai - Gingee.

Originally Posted by ampere

The Thiruvannamalai route has improved by leaps and bounds over time. Also most towns on this route have bypasses as well. So it might be worth taking.

I travelled to Pondicherry today via above route and I attest what @ampere said above.

Total drive was of 6 hours.
Started at 6 from HSR and reached Auroville before 12 with breaks including, fuel, breakfast and loo.

After krishnagiri, food joints are non existence, passed one Saravana Bhavan enroute other side, stopped at one local shop for idli/dosa for breakfast. Gingee bypass is not opened yet.

Road condition is good on undivided road. Many fuel options including Nayara .

I think toll will be colleted for undived route too as many tool booth are being constructed and will be ready in next 6 month.

Beaware of dogs crossing the roads.

[nma83]

I took the Krishnagiri - Tiruvannamalai - Gingee route to pondicherry yesterday. Being the start of the vacation weekend, suffered through tons of traffic at attibele and hosur. I took 2.5 hours just to get to Krishnagiri, but it was my fault that I left at 6.15am instead of earlier.
I felt the 2 lane road after the deviation in Krishnagiri was very limiting given the tourist traffic and slow moving busses everywhere. The total journey took 7hr 10min, mainly due the huge delay getting out of Karnataka.
I will try the vandivasi - arcot - vellore route while returning tomorrow, just to get a proper lunch break near Vellore.

[nma83]

Originally Posted by nma83

...
I will try the vandivasi - arcot - vellore route while returning tomorrow, just to get a proper lunch break near Vellore.

Back to Bengalooru yesterday via the Tindivanam - Vandavasi - Arcot route. And what a difference! Beautiful 2-lane road surrounded by fields between Tindivanam and Arcot. After which there was a 2.5 hour slog back to Krishnagiri. Fortunately the Karnataka entry was quick without much congestion. It took 7.5 hours of drive time with sedate driving. I used cruise control liberally between Arcot and Krishnagiri.
In exchange for a better driving experience and a perfect mid-way lunch break in Arcot (A2B), it takes about 45 min more than the shorter Tiruvannamalai route.
To and fro journey statistics from the car:

[manjubp]

Returned yesterday, back from Cuddalore to Bangalore, started early at 8AM.

Route taken Cuddalore--> Panaruti --> Thorapadi --> Thirukoilure(bypass) --> Thirruvannamalai(Bypass)-->Chengaum--> Krishnagiri-->Hosur-->Bangalore

Here are the observations

1. Cuddalore--> Panaruti --> Thorapadi --> Thirukoilure(bypass)
Very well marked state highway in excellent condition, expect lot of private buses and two wheelers. Bypass is in very good condition.

2. Thirukoilure(bypass) --> Thirruvannamalai(Bypass)
Superb 4-lane road, but google map doesn;t show it as 4-lane road!!!
Thirruvannamalai(Bypass) is in good condition

3. Thirruvannamalai(Bypass)-->Chengaum--> Krishnagiri
Excellent roads, but too much of traffic. Any day prefer to drive another 30-40 KMs are take the road via vellore..

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Panaruti --> Thorapadi --> Thirukoilure(bypass)
Very well marked state highway in excellent condition, expect lot of private buses and two wheelers. Bypass is in very good condition.

There are two parallel roads, one marked SH68 and one marked SH9 in google maps. Which one are you talking about ?

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

There are two parallel roads, one marked SH68 and one marked SH9 in google maps. Which one are you talking about ?

I am talking about SH9

[GeeTee TSI]

I had a two day trip to Pondicherry followed by an ECR drive to Chennai

Route chosen was Hosur – Krishnagiri – Tiruvannamalai – Tindivanam – Edayanchavadi main road – La Taara homestay, near Serenity Beach (Kattukuppam) near Pondicherry

• Start from Yelahanka: 07:00
• Breakfast: 08:45 (with a 45 minute wait!) Murugan Idli Krishnagiri
• Lunch option considered: Ananda Bhavan, Tiruvannamalai Bypass
• Actual Lunch halt: 13:30 Vasantha Bhavan, Gingee
• Destination: 15:00

The two-lane highway from Krishnagiri till Tindivanam had decent surface and not so dense traffic which made light work of traversing it. Speeds however, cannot go too high if one practices smooth driving. The two lunch options stated above are not to be confused with popular brands which sound similar and both were very mediocre last (only) resort choices. I took the turn off at Edayanchavadi main road (before Thiruchitrambalam toll gate) followed by Auroville Road (which was fantastic).

The homestay, a lovely vintage themed building also had in-premises parking (important!). The property could take around 6 cars + 3 more parked back to back. I used a rental scooter (Dio) for two days, delivered and picked up from the property.



Narrow streets abound White Town with the paucity of car parking spaces; I did notice a pay and park plot in one of the parallel streets to the Promenade. Probably arranged by the traffic police as a temporary measure and I cannot find its location on Maps.

Auroville meanwhile has expansive parking and very well managed. Given no one wears a helmet in Pondicherry, I insisted on one from the rental and carried the pillion’s helmet from home.


Finally, cafes visited and worthy of recommendation – Sicily’s pizzeria (Promenade), 1 Rue Suffren (White Town), Hope Café (Auroville Road).

[safari1808]

Wanted to share info with the community as it benefits everyone.

We visited from 29 to 31 Dec 2023 from Bengaluru. I was very confused about which route to take since I loved NH48 but maps was showing it as a whole 1 hr extra. Didnt want the family to spend an extra hour in the car, so I went with below route both ways.

Hosur – Krishnagiri – Tiruvannamalai – Tindivanam - Puducherry

Here's what I calculated: Taking the Hosur - Krishnagiri - Vellore - Arcot route has extra 50-60km compared to above route and it extends the NH by about 120km (Krishnagiri - Arcot). So to break even, the avg. speed on NH has to be double of the other route which doesn't happen out even if the NH is totally empty. But yes, it is a pleasure to drive (only if it has moderate to light traffic).

Climbing to Hosur Road had a jam for about 5 mins at state checkpost. Also there was a *lot* of traffic on NH. Especially when returning, it felt almost full. Even the toll booths had about 10 min jam. I could hardly touch 100KMPH for more than 2 mins at a stretch.

Coming to Krishnagiri – Tiruvannamalai – Tindivanam route: Decent road without any potholes except a very few stretches of less than 100m. But it is undivided road and you have to be fully alert. Some very scenic stretches as well.

Food: Lots of options from Bengaluru - Krishnagiri but very few afterwards. We stopped at a small Hotel Sai Bhavan about 60km after Krishnagiri. Decent food. On Return we stopped at Saravana Bhavan. they had limited options (since we reached around 3:30). Ok food but we all had a stomach upset - not sure if they are to blame or not. In Pondicherry, Surguru is a decent option (they are at 2-3 locations). Also zomato/swiggy work. But I would surely recommend Escape In, white town - amazing curries. We tried The Promenade on both 29th and 30th but didn't get reservation. It was packed to brim.

[Thinking_Slow]

Took this route to Pondicherry on 24th December:
Hosur - Krishnagiri - Mathur - Chengam - Tiruvannamalai - Gingee - Tindivanam

Back to Bangalore by the same route on 28th December.

The route is in excellent condition. Traffic was not much. Did not feel stressed on the two way stretches at all. I don't think I will ever take the Vellore route to Pondicherry after the great experience on this trip!

During onward journey, first stopped at the A2B in Shoolagiri for breakfast. It was full and there was a long queue. So, we decided to move on to Murugan Idly (the one right before Krishnagiri toll). It was even more crowded and wait time was ~60mins! Skipped it too and went to Hotel Saravana Bhavan which is right opposite to Murugan. The additional U-turn distance to get back to Pondicherry route was < 4kms. In spite of the ordeal, we were very glad to make it there since they served delicious breakfast (Dosa/Idly). I found them to be better than A2B. A2B used to be my benchmark for Tamil style Idly/Dosa/Sambhar/Chutney (I am a North Indian). The new benchmark is Saravana Bhavan :D

The humongous paper dosa at Saravana Bhavan:


We checked-in to an airbnb property ("Shubham boutique homestay") in White town, Pondicherry. Another great experience. Some snaps of the homestay and surroundings below:













On the way back to Bangalore, we stopped at the Gingee fort (Just 30KMs from Tindivanam). This should be on everyone's list. It's an amazingly beutiful and well-maintained 11th century fort. Some pictures below:





All in all, I will remember this trip for a long long time with a big smile :D

[anandhsub]

I will be driving down to Pondicherry this weekend, and I am in 2 minds which route to take, via Arcot or via Tiruvannamalai.

What complicates this is that I will be starting from KR Puram, meaning I can hit the highway fairly quickly if I take the Arcot route while have to struggle through ORR-Sarjapur-Attibele before can get to the good part in the Tiruvannamalai route.

However Gmaps shows the later route is 30kms shorter and almost a hour quicker.

But I know that weekends, getting to Hosur can be very unpredictable.

Any suggestions on whether the Tiruvannamalai route is worth the pain of getting to Hosur or should I stick to the Arcot route even if it is longer both in terms of time and distance?

[BudgetFailure]

Originally Posted by Thinking_Slow

On the way back to Bangalore, we stopped at the Gingee fort (Just 30KMs from Tindivanam). This should be on everyone's list. It's an amazingly beutiful and well-maintained 11th century fort. Some pictures below:
Attachment 2556341

Attachment 2556340


All in all, I will remember this trip for a long long time with a big smile

Where exactly do you see the entry for Ginger fort and what time would you suggest? I have been eyeing it for an almost 1 year now, but couldn't get time out of my frequent pondi trips yet. I really want to check out this fort before my routine trips to pondi end. By any chance is the fort pet friendly And what are the timings ?