[SilverSurferHC]

Planning to visit Mantralaya next month for my Son's tonsure ceremony around Deepavali. The last time I was there I would have been his age. Hence no real memory of the place.

Request fellow BHPians to help with the below:

Latest route - Travelling from Bangalore
Places to Stay - Considering we are travelling with 2 little ones I would avoid a day trip and prefer to stay overnight. Would you suggest booking via SRS website or any travel site before going there?
Also is there a Akshara Abhyasa offering in the Temple? Considering its the abode of the guru, was wondering
Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple - Do you suggest driving down to this place or hiring a local cab? Heard not-so-nice stories about the road and the route in general.

Also, if someone could guide to the recommendations from the past that are still relevant, it would be helpful as well.

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Planning to visit Mantralaya next month....

Hello..

For latest route -- please see https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5648041 (Bangalore - Mantralayam : Route Queries)

Places to stay - better to book online in advance. If you manage to get the rooms online from Mutt, well and good. Otherwise, please book it thru MMT, though options are very little. On weekends, its difficult to get a place to stay.

For Aksharabhyasa -- Check Mutt's webisite again for Sevas. I am visiting Mantralaya this weekend. I can check too. Will update here.

For Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple and Bichchali - roads are just horrible. Never take your car there. Taking a local auto or a cab too will also be bone breaking.
Feel free to ping for any other info. Have a good darshan.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Latest route - Travelling from Bangalore

Visited over last weekend via Bangalore, Gooty, Pattikonda bypass, Aspari, Adoni bypass, Yemmiganur, Mantralaya. This is not 100% matching with google recommendation but using this route for more than a decade now. Except for a few bad patches it is good. Better to start say by 5 AM from Bangalore and reach by 11-11.30AM with a couple of 20 min breaks. Around 5% of route is different from google route. Here make sure you take the two bypass roads mentioned, very easy to identify.

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Places to Stay - Considering we are travelling with 2 little ones I would avoid a day trip and prefer to stay overnight. Would you suggest booking via SRS website or any travel site before going there?

1. Check with srsmatha.org to book rooms, if only one room per person is allowed and you need more, book with different person's details. Do carry kyc of all booking people and I think they need to be present there as well. But book them very early. The susheelendra, dheerendra and suyateendra vasathigruhas are good specifically.
2. Another choice is to go via make mytrip or cleartrip options. One big hotel Adobe is there which looks ok but I never stayed so cannot comment more.

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Also is there a Akshara Abhyasa offering in the Temple?

Again check with above website.

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Considering its the abode of the guru, was wondering
Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple - Do you suggest driving down to this place or hiring a local cab? Heard not-so-nice stories about the road and the route in general.

Gòing by car may not be a very good idea due to very bad to bad roads, however if you hire a local auto, be careful with your back and spine since my parents had a real tough time with the shocks they had in the auto. Most auto drivers go pretty fast on these roads and the auto suspensions virtually do not exist. I travelled only once by an auto but not again after that horrific experience with my parents. I think a car with good GC should be OK to go. I have my 2016 Ertiga and took there multiple times. However not visited Panchamukhi and Bichal for last 3-4 years, hopefully roads are at same condition.

[arundeepbv]

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

Planning to visit Mantralaya next month for
Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple - Do you suggest driving down to this place or hiring a local cab? Heard not-so-nice stories about the road and the route in general.

I visited Mantralaya and Panchamuki Anjaneya temple last month. The road to Anjaneya temple is good and there is nothing to be worried about. It is a decent village road. It is narrow, but nothing out of the ordinary or terrifying.

[puntra800]

Visited Mantralyam on Saturday, Road is good till Gooty then deteriorates till Adoni bypass post which the roads are good again. Gooty to Adoni Bypass beware of potholes and speed breakers some of them get camouflaged in the shadow of trees. Overall took about 6 hours 15 minutes including 30 mins break.

[DragonHawk]

Update on Bellary to Mantralaya Road Conditions
My previous visit to Mantralaya via Bellary was a couple of years ago and have shared the road conditions here here (Bangalore - Mantralayam : Route Queries). I recently undertook the Puttur to Mantralaya road journey via Bellary. My journey started at 5 in the morning, and I took the Puttur - Hiriyur - Challakere - Bellary - Adoni - Yamingalur - Mantralaya route. Here are the details:

• Puttur to Kadur: The road via Charmadi is in good condition, with the first stop at Sri Vinayaka Cafe, Kadur, for a quick breakfast.
• Kadur to Hiriyur: The dual carriageway had some broken stretches, but most potholes were patched up.
• Hiriyur to Challakere: The four-lane work is progressing with 80% complete and with the Challakere bypass expected to open in a month, saving valuable travel time.
• Challakere to Bellary: The road is excellent, with almost completion of the four-lane project. However, there's still work pending on the sole flyover near Bellary bypass.
• Bellary to Adoni: The road from Bellary to Mokka remained in excellent condition. Surprisingly, the Mokka to Adoni stretch, which was previously challenging, has now become one of the highlights of the journey. The wide dual carriageway significantly improves the travel experience.
• Adoni to Yamingalur: While the road is smooth, one has to navigate through the busy streets of Adoni to join the Yaminganur - Mantralaya route.
• Travel Time: The journey from Puttur to Bellary took nearly 8 hours, including a 20-minute breakfast break. The Bellary to Adoni stretch took approximately 2 hours.
• Lunch Options: Limited good restaurant options were available in Bellary, so carrying packed food from home might be a practical choice.

Additional Recommendations:

• Consider this route as an alternate to the Gooty-Pattikonda route, depending on your starting point in Bangalore.
• Note that the Bellary - Mokka - Adoni stretch is excellent, making the journey smoother and more enjoyable.

Safe travels!

[SilverSurferHC]

Thank you, BHPians. I completed the Bangalore - Mantralayam - Bangalore journey and wanted to share my experience.

Onward Journey:
Departure: 6:00 AM from Rajajinagar
Arrival at Mantralaya: 1:00 PM
Break: 1 Hour at Ananthpura, Hotel Petals

Stay @ Mantralaya: Hotel Abode
Quick note: I recommend avoiding bookings on MMT. They charged over 14k, while the hotel listed the property at 8k. Check directly with the property to compare costs.
I followed the route suggested by BHPians in this thread. However, I did not course-correct and took the Pattikonda Peapully road instead of the Gooty Adoni road both ways. Not sure if the other road was better (recommendations appreciated for my next visit).

Return Journey:
Left Mantralaya at 1:00 PM after visiting Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple.
Quick bite at Rajashri Pure Veg @ Adoni city as finding good option in Mantralaya for lunch is difficult and Abode’s kitchen was closed.
Coffee break at Pakashala Ananthpur.
Fuel & air stop at BPCL RT Nagar.
I usually tank up at IOCL Rajajinagar on the Rajkumar road.
Return Timings:
Mantralaya: 1:00 PM
Rajajinagar: 9:45 PM
Breaks: 3

Darshan @ Mantralayam:
Darshan was smooth despite Diwali.
Got my Son’s tonsure done around 5:30 AM and headed for the darshana
Opted for the Kanaka Pooja ticket (1000) for special darshan.
Advantage: Multiple entries through special entry ,before submitting the receipt at Counter #10 for Prasada & Momento.
For special Seva, like my son's Akshara Abyasa, I contacted the PRO office inside the temple premises.

Panchamukhi Aanjanaya Swamy Temple:
Around 20 Minutes from Mantralaya (one way), good roads . Last mile country road .

Overall, a wonderful experience. Thanks to fellow BHPians for your guidance.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by SilverSurferHC

They charged over 14k, while the hotel listed the property at 8k.

This looks like Diwali season rates. In 2021 September, we paid 4500 + GST for a quadruple room.

First time am hearing aggregator rates significantly more than the hotel rack rates

[SilverSurferHC]

Originally Posted by narayans80

This looks like Diwali season rates. In 2021 September, we paid 4500 + GST for a quadruple room.

First time am hearing aggregator rates significantly more than the hotel rack rates

The standard room rates at the hotel fluctuate between weekdays and weekends, but there is no additional charge for accommodations during festivals. We were 4 adults and 2 children, prompting MMT to recommend one Suite and one Family Suite. MMT's algorithm automatically included an extra child in each room, resulting in an additional charge of 1k for each. This detail was not apparent to me during the booking process.

I looked at the invoice shared by MMT with the hotel, & observed a commission of 3020.8 (including tax). MMT has now agreed to refund the commission, I am advocating for an additional refund of 2k, which MMT attributes to the hotel. According to MMT, the hotel provides a different quote during the listing process, one that surpasses the offline quote. At times we learn the hard way and at a cost.

[Rev2Serenity]

Originally Posted by Rev2Serenity

Hi All,

Planning to Visit Mantralaya on Sunday, 22nd....

Visited Mantralaya and Hampi over the Dussehra weekend. Started at 4.15 am, reached hotel Bluemoon Hampi delight at around7.35 am for breakfast. This is the only decent hotel for breakfast on this route. Except for short stretches, over all good road conditions.

Route opted - Bangalore - Pattikonda - Adoni-Yammiganur - Mantralaya.

Reached Mantralaya at 10.45 am. Even though temple was crowded owing to Dussehra holidays, we could have darshan twice! 30 mins was spent each time in the queue. Had lunch in the Bhojanalaya itself and headed towards Panchamukhi temple. Road goes through villages and is in good condition. Can travel in one's car comfortably.

From Panchamukhi temple we started towards Hampi at 2.30 PM via Sindhanur. Road is average to good. We reached our Hotel Swagath near Hospete at 7.30PM as we couldn't find good budget hotels at Hampi. Hotel was surprisingly excellent with good food. Parking facility available at basement.

Hired an ASI certified guide and toured the magnificent Hampi next day from 9.30 am till 5pm. Guide is highly recommended for Hampi. Can give contacts if anyone requires.

Lunch at Hotel Mayura. They serve good veg buffet lunch.

Left Hampi at 5.15 pm towards Bangalore Via Hospete - Chitradurga. As the traffic was slowly piling up, took an early dinner break at Hotel Kamat, Shira. Spent an hour and restarted the return journey to find the traffic having eased out. Reached Bangalore at 11.10PM.

Overall, an awesome trip!

[Sufficient_shop]

Friends, planning a trip to Mantralaya from Bangalore later this week. This will be my first long trip in my new Seltos, so pretty excited. Also, this will be the first time I'll be driving with family for this long, hence a bit jittery with planning.

Kindly help me out with the route, and more importantly, places to have breakfast (and lunch?). We plan to leave by 5am to beat Bangalore traffic (will be starting from Kanakapura road/Nice road junction). So kindly suggest

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by Sufficient_shop

Friends, planning a trip to Mantralaya from Bangalore later this week. This will be my first long trip in my new Seltos, so pretty excited. Also, this will be the first time I'll be driving with family for this long, hence a bit jittery with planning.

Kindly help me out with the route, and more importantly, places to have breakfast (and lunch?). We plan to leave by 5am to beat Bangalore traffic (will be starting from Kanakapura road/Nice road junction). So kindly suggest

Good that you are staring at 5AM. Here is the route to stick to. Google might show some deviations but I always take this one. Last time I travelled was in November 2023.
Bangalore-Ananatapur-Gooty-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni bypass-Yammiganur-Mantralaya.
You will take 6-6.5 hours with one stop. I usually stop at Bluemoon, Gooty for breakfast at around 8.30AM after starting at 5 from Marathahalli. You might want to go slow and here are some options
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9G1QkSGYmbo6bE7o6 (Nandi Upachar, close to Devanahalli, very closeby, may not be suitable)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/r5uvXpwWot3GJivg7 (Cube Stop, Chikkaballapur, opens at 7 AM, perhaps suitable)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qa2Ud6bVRLrXYvNW7 (Bluemoon, Gooty), may be used for lunch in case you are delayed. Not a pure veg restaurant, in that case you need to hunt around Ananatapur, mentioned somewhere in this thread, is it hotel Triveni at Ananatapur? Kindly do some research in this thread.
I always see some places on highway before Anantapur but never visited any of these. Some good hotels are also there, may be worth trying.
The above listed hotels I have visited and are okish.
Hope this helps.

[rajivtelang]

Visited Mantralayam today starting at 5.30AM from Marathahalli. As usual returned home by 9PM. Being holiday season and Thursday it was pretty much crowded. Took the usual road Bangalore-Gooty-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni bypass-Yemmiganur-Mantrlaya. Road condition is good except for a couple of places between Gooty to Pattikonda where some really deep potholes were seen, really deep to bend the rims if not slowed down. Better to be cautious between Gooty to Adoni, in short all state highways are not good but national highways are excellent.
Took about 6.5 hours with 30 min breakfast break at Hotel Bluemoon and same time on return with 10 min break for a quick coffee at Bluemoon again. Thanks to holiday season for less inbound traffic in the evening.

[MCR]

Had been to Mantralayam on Saturday 3rd Feb.
Onward journey was via the usual - Anantpur, Gooty, Adoni Bypass - Yemmiganur road. The biggest problem with this road is lack of any eateries or any highway side facilities. This road passes through the least developed part of Andhra and one can encounter multiple places where beggars literally block the road (near road humps)once past Gooty.

The road surface condition is however decent.

While returning, we decided to take the Adoni - Ballary - Hiriyur - Tumkur route and this road though longer by some 35 kms, is much more faster. The road from Adoni to Ballary is very good and also the new 4 lane carriage way between Ballary and Hiriyur is very good.

I would recommend the Ballary road any day over the Anantpur - Gooty road.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by MCR

I would recommend the Ballary road any day over the Anantpur - Gooty road.

How much time did you "really" save with this road? Just curious to know since Tumkur to Bangalore is mostly a nightmare drive over weekends. I always take the Gooty road and am happy with it since no real slow traffic absolutely anywhere, except inbound traffic is a little more on sunday evenings starting from airport but quite manageable.