Bangalore to Pondicherry and back - 3 days trip

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

my search string was 'Pondicherry' and that too on the title, hence this neat travelogue didn't turn up!

Anyway, there is always a 'next time' to bug rjsytles69!

Oops, sorry about that, will have the title changed ASAP. Yeah, bug him & bug him good.

[sqwall]

Very nicely written and supported with good pics.
This can be a good reference for people wanting to make the same trip.

Cheers

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by sqwall

Very nicely written and supported with good pics.
This can be a good reference for people wanting to make the same trip.

Cheers

Thanks mate. This is what it makes it worth for the time and effort put into this.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

hey HappyWheels good write up and pics too and what was the total length of the bad stretch you mentioned. Is it patches of bad roads or is it pathetically bad to have a normal ride?

[HappyWheels]

thanks mate.

they are patches of bad road. you will not be able to have a brake-less drive for a long distance.

and the bad patches are really bad. in certain places I had to stop completely and analyze and then drive thru the patch. this was mainly due to huge pot holes present.

but the time spent at Pondi was worth the pain / effort! :-)

[indianrunner]

HappyWheels,

Is the route you took the best way to get to Pondicherry from Bangalore? I am planning to leave tomorrow morning.

Thanks

[dadu]

He took the Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Thiruvannamalai-
Gingee-Thindivanam- Pondicherry route.

Hope you are carrying your camera, we await your travelogue, once you are back.

[HappyWheels]

IndianRunner, Dadu has answered your query on the route (Thanks mate).

But if you ask me if this is the best, well, reading the other travelogue, i feel that you can take a detour to visit other place and have better roads. As mentioned earlier, the road from Krishnagiri is just ok, sans for some major road erosions.

If you are planning only Pondy, take this route. Just drive slowly and enjoy the scenary.

Have a great drive and loads of fun!

[indianrunner]

My elder son was down from his boarding school in Simla and he wanted to go to a beach before he gets back so the options were only coastal!! Choices ranged from Mahaballipuram, Managalore coast, Goa and also Pondicherry. We have been to Mahabs so that was hot down. Goa and Managalore coast were a little too far driving time wise so were also no go's so we ended up with Pondicherry.

I did some reading on the beaches etc but the reviews were not too good so I had some apprehension on it. Spoke with a few friends and then decided to take the plunge. I took reservations at Kailash Beach Resort at Cuddalpore and were ready to leave on early morning Feb 1st.

The plan was to leave early morning so we loaded the Pajero the night before. The alarms came on as per schedule but being a democracy each limb of the family took its on time in getting up till yours truely had to blow a loud trumpet to get the stragglers out and into the Pajero. we finally left at 6.30 am.

I had taken printouts from the other people on the site so was reasonably sure of the route. We had decided to check the air pressure enroute (coz i was being lazy the night before) so we stopped at a number of bunks on Hosur road but either the attendants were waking up, or the air pressure pump was not operational. Anyways all in all.. we carried on.....

The plan was to have breakfast at Thiruvannamalai where there is Ramakrishna Ashram and there is this cafe on the main road which was great food. Clippiing down the G Quad was a breeze and we all were assuming an early lunch when we took the left turn to Pondi. Thanks to Happy Wheels's travelogue, we were prepared for the cratered surface which the Pajero handled without any issue but each culvert was broken down and the only way accross was to crawl over. In addition there were these square cuts in the road where a smaller wheel could get stuck or at a minimum damaged. wonder how these are made?

Reached Thiruvannamalai and the cafe is on the highway itself and at the entry of the town. had a good and hearty meal - omlettes and all and then started off. Its rather simple getting out of the town. Just after the cafe, there is a fork and one needs to keep to the left. Soon one will come to an imposing temple, painted white. Keep that on your right till you come to a no entry board. The turn off for Pondy is about 50 meters from there. However one needs to take the road going to the left and after about 500 meters of market traffic, there is a left turn which would lead to a roundabout. Keeping straight you hit the Pondy road.

Another town which I found confusing to go through was Thindivanam. I followed a PY car and luckily this car stopped just before the flyover which is shaped like the polo mint (hole in the centre)!! This town also had a old dolphin car being used as a direction marker. Not sure if it was permananent. The flyover also had signs which should the route one should 'not' take!!

As with HaapyWheels decided to park a visit to the Gingee fort sometime in the future as the brood refused to get out and walk up the steps. They looked only about a 1000 in nos!! The new generation!! :-).

Finally reached Pondy and the entry is really great. Neat roads and well marked lanes etc etc and it did not look as though one was in India. But... i spoke too soon...the traffic soon brought me down to earth!! all modes of transport and all following their own traffic rules!! One had to be on the toes and finger on the horn to blast out.

[dadu]

Those should be done by the PWD for patchwork filling.

Originally Posted by indianrunner

Thanks to Happy Wheels's travelogue, we were prepared for the cratered surface which the Pajero handled without any issue but each culvert was broken down and the only way accross was to crawl over. In addition there were these square cuts in the road where a smaller wheel could get stuck or at a minimum damaged. wonder how these are made?

[indianrunner]

Finally managed to reach Kailash Beach Resort which was a little difficult to find as it was not too well marked from the main road. The resort is well maintained and good value for money. Great pool, good rooms and a kind off private beach in front. The beach was reasonably clean and just long enough for me to run as it ended where the river came to the sea. The food was ok though the snacks were better!! The kids and we all had a blast in the pool and beach. Got terribly sun burnt though it was not too hot. As this was a pure beach and water trip, outings were limited!! On Saturday we drove to the Beach Road and the French quarters. It was very clean and well laid out. Definitley a place to re visit at leisure. We drove further to Auroville asharam and though the approach is bad, once you reach the ashram it is quiet and serene. The disappointment is that they do not let you enter the meditation center which has the crystal without a 'two day' prior notice so please plan accordingly else you would be able to see the buidling from 100 meters away!

We left Sunday afternoon from Pondy. At Thindivanam got slightly lost. After the polo mint fly over, one needs to take the road straight down through a market till you come to a junction which has a main (larger) road running perpendicular. Make a left there. This is the highway. We had carried on straight and had to come back.

We stopped at the Ramakrishna mission Ashram cafe for a late lunch/ early tea and faced the cratered road with a full stomach!! It was getting a little dark when we are approaching Krishnagiri and i could use my 'lightforce' lights to spot potholes well in advance and drive accordingly. It was a relief to reach G Quad and from there it was a cruising speed till Hosur dodging some wannabe F1 drivers!!

Reached home by 8 pm (abt 7 hrs) including the lunch/ tea stop. The Pajero ran like a dream with no issues, very smooth. Great for highway driving!!

I'll try and upload the photographs later though i dont have too many!! But Pondy (the French Quarters) is a visit again place along with Gingee Fort. There are organised walks in Pondy and using the Beach Road as a base, a good place for a day outing wandering about on foot. Certainly not on a 4 wheeler.

[HappyWheels]

Great IndianRunner, nice writeup.

even I had problem when coming down from the flyover at Thindivanam - being day before pongal, the market place was crowded. Luckily had a truck in front of me behind whom I followed all the way till the end. He took the left turn from there and I followed suite! Else I am sure that I would ahve taken the straight road that you went down!

Waiting for the photos...

[RCS]

Hi:
Was surprised to see so many threads on trips to Pondicherry, the erstwhile French colony. Travellers to Pondicherry from Bangalore can try out a detour that is only 15 Km more than the 'usual' route. I did this in Jan 2008.
I guess the 'usual' route is Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Uthangarai-Singarapettai-Chengam-Tiruvanamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondicherry. The 60 Km stretch from Krishnagiri to Singarapettai is more of potholes than a motorable road. It was this stretch that I avoided through a detour. My route was Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Bargur-Tirupatur-Singarapettai-Chengam-Tiruvanamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondicherry.
At Krishnagiri, instead of turning right from the expressway towards Tiruvanamalai (via Mathur), go further ahead in the expressway (towards Chennai) for about 10-12 Km. You hit the outskirts of Bargur, where you branch off the expressway in the right and get to Bargur town and then to Tirupattur and further down to Singarapettai.
In this route, I encountered only a handful of potholes between Tirupatur and Singarapettai. Was worth it compared to the route via Mathur that is hated even by truckers !
Going past Tirupatur was a bit confusing. As you enter Tirupatur town (travelling from Bargur/Bangalore), the first landmark is a rail overbridge (fortunately not as messy as the one in our own backyard -- the rail overbridge at Marthahalli). Past this overbridge, you would hit at a 3-road junction. This is infact the intersection of a 'Y' shaped set of 3 roads. At this point, take a right i.e from one tong of the Y get to the other. Go further about 300 mts and you would find a road branching off on the left. This is the road to Singarapettai and also the outskirts of Tirupatur !!

Then again, to avoid the crowded and narrow roads of Tindivanam, I by-passed Tindivanam. At the outskirts of Tindivanam (when travelling from Bangalore), we hit on a perpendicular road where we turn right that takes us immediately to Tindivanam town. Instead, turn left to go towards Vellore. Go a short distance ... sorry I don't remember the acutal distance ... and on the right is a road to Chennai. Take this and we would hit NH-45. At NH-45, turn right (turning left will take you to Chennai !!!) and go further till you hit the 'polo-mint' flyover in Tindivanam town. Beware that you should NOT get onto the flyover at this point as it is a one-way in this direction. Keep to the left below the flyover till we get to the 'polo-mint' point. Turn right and you are onto the road to Pondicherry.

So, happy journey to the next group of holidayers at Pondicherry !!!

[csentil]

Thanks for that info. I remember Tirupatur very well. Used to catch buses from there to Krishnagiri after getting down at Jolarpettai. Yes Tirupattur is confusing to say the least. Best is to ask. Is the road that you mentioned the same as the one that goes towards Jolarpettai or a different one.

The road connecting Tvmalai - Vellore road to NH45 is the one a lot of people use when coming from Chennai and wanting to avoid Tindivanam. If I remember correctly it has a railway gate. That nut didn't open it for quite sometime and then someone tipped him. Seems that was the norm !!!

How is Singarapettai - Chengam and Chengam - Tvmalai ?

[RCS]

Csentil:
1. Singarapettai - Chengam road is ok. Any day better than Singarapettai-Krishnagiri.
2. Chengam - Tiruvanamalai road is good. Better than Singarapettai-Chengam stretch
3. Not sure about the Jolarpettai road from Tirupatur. When I travelled, I enquired about the road to Tiruvanamalai and was directed the way I described earlier.
4. I guess you are referring to the Tindivanam-Vellore road that branches off to NH-45 (and not Tiruvanamalai-Vellore road as you have mentioned). And, yes, it cuts across a railway track to meet NH-45. And it's the road that by-passes Tindivanam town to get to Tiruvanamalai/Chennai.