[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by BikerSuz

Planning to drive down to Guruvayoor (from Bangalore) on 16th Jan. Any recent updates on the road conditions and the routes preferred?

Keep your Google map running and track the traffic on Kuthiran.

If things are normal or not more than 10 to 15 minutes delay at Kuthiran, stick to Option 1 : Pallakad - Alathur - Thrissur - Guruvayur.

If you sense trouble at Kuthiran, exit highway and take the right at Alathur, and go via Pazhayannur- Wadakancherry- Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

If you sense trouble at Kuthiran, exit highway and take the right at Alathur, and go via Pazhayannur- Wadakancherry- Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur

I skip Kunnamkulam and go via Choondale..

[BikerSuz]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Keep your Google map running and track the traffic on Kuthiran.

If things are normal or not more than 10 to 15 minutes delay at Kuthiran, stick to Option 1 : Pallakad - Alathur - Thrissur - Guruvayur.

If you sense trouble at Kuthiran, exit highway and take the right at Alathur, and go via Pazhayannur- Wadakancherry- Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur

Thank you!
Another friend had suggested skipping Kuthiran!
So after Palakkad, took Ottappalam - Shornur - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur route. It was quite decent.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by BikerSuz

Thank you!
Another friend had suggested skipping Kuthiran!
So after Palakkad, took Ottappalam - Shornur - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur route. It was quite decent.

Depending on time, I may not touch Palakkad (town) but take bye-pass towards Kozhikode, then somewhere take left to go to Parli in Palakkad-Ottappalam route... else, may get stuck in market and bus-stand areas, I guess

[pannags]

We are off to a wedding in Coimbatore in a couple of weeks. There's a proposal to visit Guruvayur as it happens to fall on a weekend.

Please let me know if the route from Bangalore to Guruvayur via Mysore-Gundlupete is a better option than driving via Coimbatore?

If the route via Mysore has heavy ghats, I'd like to avoid that, but the distance and time seem to be lesser in comparison and hence checking with frequent drivers.

Thanks in advance.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by pannags

We are off to a wedding in Coimbatore in a couple of weeks. There's a proposal to visit Guruvayur as it happens to fall on a weekend.

Please let me know if the route from Bangalore to Guruvayur via Mysore-Gundlupete is a better option than driving via Coimbatore?

If the route via Mysore has heavy ghats, I'd like to avoid that, but the distance and time seem to be lesser in comparison and hence checking with frequent drivers.

Thanks in advance.

You are much better off sticking to Coimbatore route and no need to go via Mysore route. Bangalore to Thirssur is 4L/6L roads and only the last section from Thrissur to Guruvayur, which will take an hour , due to some sections of bad roads after Thrissur. However, still its much better to drive via 90% 4L/6L roads than going via Mysore which is more driving effort/tiring for sure.

On a side note, be watchful for speed limits and cameras in KL after Walayar checkpost. Also, weekends are super crowded in Guruvayur temple, so your best bet to is take Rs. 1000/- per person ticket to have quicker darshan.

-Ravi

[JohnnyBoss]

Originally Posted by pannags

We are off to a wedding in Coimbatore in a couple of weeks. There's a proposal to visit Guruvayur...

I would suggest to take Coimbatore - Palakkad - Alathur - Pazhayannur - Wadakkanchery - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur. I drove recently Alathur - Wadkkanchery and the section has newly laid tarmac. For the Wadakkanchery - Kunnamkulam stretch someone recently drove that route can give inputs.

[pariwar]

Originally Posted by ravib

Y Also, weekends are super crowded in Guruvayur temple, so your best bet to is take Rs. 1000/- per person ticket to have quicker darshan.

-Ravi

This is a definitive option. However, if you do not want to forego the additional payment then the trick is to get into the line just before 8 p.m. Around 8.10 or 8.15 a cop will turn up at the end of the then existing line of devotees and deter any more from joining the line. All the people who are already in the line will be able to enter the temple.

This is our regular schedule when visiting Guruvayur. Also it makes it quite convenient as we are out before 10.00 p.m. and can have dinner nearby before retiring for the night. The next day morning, enter from the back entrance for an outside darshan.

[kbnissan]

Originally Posted by pariwar

the trick is to get into the line just before 8 p.m...

In addition to the above, I would also suggest visiting the temple around noon (12:30 PM) - closer to the Ucha Pooja time. The rush tends to go down a little by then and you would be able to get a fairly decent darshan at the temple. You can leave Coimbatore at around 8 AM, finish your darshan and be back by evening by around 6 PM.

The 1000 Rs ticket can be purchased if the queue is very large. But we have not felt the need to do that in our visits.

FYI - as a Thrissur native whose better half is from Punnayoorkulam (close to Guruvayoor), I would also suggest including (if time permits) Mammiyoor temple to your itinerary. This temple is hardly one kilometer away and we generally walk from the East Nada to Mammiyoor.

The general legend / belief is that a visit to Guruvayoor is not complete without visiting Mammiyoor considering that the Lord Shiva moved to Mammiyoor thus allowing Lord Krishna's temple to come up in Guruvayoor.

[Pastey93]

Hi Guys, I am travelling to Guruvayur from Bangalore this week (29-30 Sept). Which is the best route to take, as Google Maps is suggesting below two routes:

Route A: BLR - Mysore - Gundlupet - Mudumalai - Nilambur - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur

Route B: BLR - Krishnagiri - Salem - Coimbatore (Bypass) - Palakkad - Thrissur - Guruvayur

Route A is 406 kms and takes approx. 9.5 hours of travelling, while Route B is 504 kms and approx. 9.2 hours of travelling.

We are a group of 3 and are looking for some relaxed driving as we plan to visit the temple at night on reaching Guruvayur. Please suggest.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Pastey93

Route A: BLR - Mysore - Gundlupet - Mudumalai - Nilambur - Kunnamkulam - Guruvayur

Route B: BLR - Krishnagiri - Salem - Coimbatore (Bypass) - Palakkad - Thrissur - Guruvayur

Given the pain of crossing multiple flyover construction zones between Hosur-Krishnagiri-Salem (4 hours is what it takes sometimes to get to Salem), I’d be tempted to try the route via Mysore (expressway is a breeze to get to Mysore), though I’m not sure about conditions beyond Gudalur (Nilambur-Pattambi etc).

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by kbnissan

In addition to the above, I would also suggest visiting the temple around noon (12:30 PM) - closer to the Ucha Pooja time. The rush tends to go down a little by then and you would be able to get a fairly decent darshan at the temple. You can leave Coimbatore at around 8 AM, finish your darshan and be back by evening by around 6 PM.

The 1000 Rs ticket can be purchased if the queue is very large. But we have not felt the need to do that in our visits.

FYI - as a Thrissur native whose better half is from Punnayoorkulam (close to Guruvayoor), I would also suggest including (if time permits) Mammiyoor temple to your itinerary. This temple is hardly one kilometer away and we generally walk from the East Nada to Mammiyoor.

The general legend / belief is that a visit to Guruvayoor is not complete without visiting Mammiyoor considering that the Lord Shiva moved to Mammiyoor thus allowing Lord Krishna's temple to come up in Guruvayoor.

Thanks so much for this helpful information !!
We are planning to do a day trip from Alleppey to Guruvayoor, probably on wednesday, next week. Will time it to join the queue around noon as you suggested. Also, didnt know about Mammiyoor temple, will include it as well.

If time permits, thinking of visiting Thrissur temple on the way. Question I have is, since it is a navarathri holiday season, will it be too much to visit both these places ? or if it is manageable, is it better to visit Thrissur temple first in the morning, then go to Guruvayoor by noon or later in the evening on the way back?

[kbnissan]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

If time permits, thinking of visiting Thrissur temple on the way. Question I have is, since it is a navarathri holiday season, will it be too much to visit both these places ? or if it is manageable, is it better to visit Thrissur temple first in the morning, then go to Guruvayoor by noon or later in the evening on the way back?

@mankuthimma

In Thrissur there are 3 main temples - Vadakkunathan, Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady. All three are within a short drive (2 - 3 km) of each other. As for time, Vadakkunathan in itself could take about 1 - 1.5 hours and the other two temples can take 30 - 45 minutes each. All three temples close around 10:30 - 11:00 AM and open around 5:00 - 5:30 PM in the afternoon.

As for Guruvayoor, I do expect the temple to be more crowded than usual due to the festival season. Hence, would suggest reaching around 10:30 - 11:00 AM. That would give you a lot of buffer to visit Mammiyoor also (closes by 12:30 PM).

Considering the distance, you will have to leave quite early in the day, in case you want to do both Thrissur and Guruvayoor before 12:00 PM.

If your schedule permits, you can leave around 5 AM and try to complete Guruvayoor + Mammiyoor before lunch and post a late lunch, around 5:00 - 5:30 PM, you can visit the temples in Thrissur.

Finally, please note that Durgashtami to Vijaya Dashami is when there would be most crowds in these temples. The rest of the days of Navaratri, except for Guruvayoor, the crowd would be pretty normal.

[mankuthimma]

Originally Posted by kbnissan

As for Guruvayoor, I do expect the temple to be more crowded than usual due to the festival season. Hence, would suggest reaching around 10:30 - 11:00 AM. That would give you a lot of buffer to visit Mammiyoor also (closes by 12:30 PM).

Thanks again kbnissan for all this great info ! Will plan for Thrissur on the way back, if time and energy permits.

Couple of more questions -
- Since this is our first visit, anything to keep in mind regarding correct entrance for queues, mobile phone/footwear deposit counters etc ( I am thinking relative to Tirumala temple ).
- Any good place to have breakfast midway between Kochi and Guruvayur ?
- Good places for kerala veg food closer to temple in Guruvayur and Thrissur ?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

Couple of more questions -
- Since this is our first visit, anything to keep in mind regarding correct entrance for queues, mobile phone/footwear deposit counters etc ( I am thinking relative to Tirumala temple ).
- Any good place to have breakfast midway between Kochi and Guruvayur ?
- Good places for kerala veg food closer to temple in Guruvayur and Thrissur ?

Chipping in with couple of inputs. There are deposit counters near the main entrance. Cannot miss it. No electronics including smart watches are allowed. For the queue, the regular queue again is easily visible outside the main entrance. It is nothing like the scale of Tirupati.

There is another option. On the right side of the main entrance is another side entrance. Next to it there is a special ticket counter. For INR 1000 per person, you can enter via the side entrance and enter the queue directly from inside. Again, there are directions. This will enable you to enter the inner queue almost close to the main sreekovil entrance. This special ticket is called 'ghee something '. Seeing the queue outside and based on cost considerations, you can decide if you want to leverage this.

Several restaurants around the temple complex.

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

Thanks again kbnissan for all this great info ! Will plan for Thrissur on the way back, if time and energy permits.

Edit window expired. Was reading the earlier posts now. Keep in mind that the temple closes by 12.30 and then opens at 4pm. So you need to plan accordingly. Also if you are taking the regular queue, budget 1-2 hours easily even assuming the crowd is average.