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My folks informed me that Bangalore>Krishnagiri>Vellore>Arcot>Cheyyar>Vandav asi>Tindivanam>Pondy route [374 km] is in good shape. Arcot-Cheyyar-Vandavasi-Tindivanam stretch is SH with BP for Cheyyar. I had driven on this superb road [Pondy>Vandavasi>Cheyyar>Arcot>Chittoor>Kolar>Banga lore] in October, 2005 when Krishnagiri was cut-off due to torrential rain. I shall try again Bangalore>Krishnagiri>Cheyyar>Vandavasi>Tindivanam >Pondy route on 22 June 2011.

But how will you get to Cheyyar from Krishnagiri?

Amitoj,

The following route is what Ravi is referring to.

Bengaluru, Karnataka to Pondicherry - Google Maps

At Arcot you can latch on to NH46 GQ and drive to Krishnagiri.

Ravi
Thats good data point sir. I was not aware of it.Thanks.

Agree, this route is currently in good condition. I enjoyed this drive as there was absolutely no traffic when I did this in April. I would certainly recommend to take it.

Amit, From Krishnagiri you need to go towards Arcot on NH46 and take Arcot exit before Wallajah. Immediately after you take exit, you will have to look for SH5 which goes towards Cheyyar and then Vandavasi.

Ah i see it on Google maps now. SH5 becomes Arcot - Thiruvettipuram - Vandavasi - Tindivanam road.
Any idea how much distance this route would have?

I am mighty confused about what route to take from Pondicherry back to bangalore.
:(

I would say the same route should be good. At Tindivanam one needs to figure out how easy or difficult it is to get on to this road.

It is easy. From Pondy, after coming down from the flyover at Tindivanam, cross the busy market, travel some distance on NH 66, then turn to the right to go on SH to Vandavasi/Cheyyar. It is a big Y-junction with signages, one cannot miss it.

Taking the flyover and going through the market etc. is a pain in Tindivanam. The better option is to take the Tindivanam byepass towards Chennai. Little further to the point where the road from Tindivanam joins the NH you would find a detour marked as Tiruvannamalai, take a left here after a couple of kms and crossing a railway crossing you would reach the SH to Vandavasi where the left is marked at Tindivanam / Tiruvannamalai and the right is marked as Vandavasi. You are off towards Vandavasi now.

Is it the following which you are referring to?

Yes, it is the same diversion that pypkmsrikanth has referred to.
Yes, it is. But, the railway gate on the diversion is closed many a times, and when it opens, vehicles rush from both the sides on this narrow road resulting in total chaos. By the time one crosses the railway gate, the bell would start ringing again warning closure of the gate for the next train! I experienced this many times, so I prefer crossing the busy and congested market [usually I do this in the night, so no hassles].

Yes that is true. Madras-Trichy railway route is very busy. It happened to me once.
While returning from Mailam temple, I tried to take a short cut to reach the Gingee-Tindivanam road, instead of driving to Tindivanam and taking NH66. I ran into the exact same problem. On top of it the road was very narrow (but freshly tarred). Some how could manage to reach NH66 and end the day at Tiruvannamalai.

Though Chennai - Trichy rail route is busy the point to be noted very little crossings happen after Villupuram in the night. There is a risk as Ravi mentioned but getting caught in a jam there is not a regular phenomenon

I saw this just after reaching back to Bangalore. Will make a note for future. Thanks!

Otherwise, the route via Vandavasi is pretty good. Most of the road is driveable at 80. There are some sections where you might need to slow down to 40 or so. But otherwise, there was hardly any traffic on this road and very few speedbreakers. This route is shorter and hence faster timewise than the Kanchipuram - Chenglepattu route.

Just a couple of things i would advise people on this route:
1. Slow down when nearing villages.
2. Do keep your headlights on.
3. Carry food and water with you.

Happy motoring, and thanks to all for recommending this route!

Cheers
Amitoj

Wouldn't Vandavasi-Sothupakkam road avoid the Tindivanam traffic to an extent ? (atleast Vandavasi-Tindivanam sector). The road was decent, freshly laid when i last did (about 4-5 months back). The road joins NH45 under the Sothupakkam bridge, you still have to endure Tindivanam traffic to catch NH66.