[ashwinsid]

Planning to go to tirumala from Bangalore today afternoon. planning to start around 2 pm. Having carrying wife and elder people along with me. Can anyone suggest which is the best route? i want smooth roads.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ashwinsid

Planning to go to tirumala from Bangalore today afternoon. planning to start around 2 pm. Having carrying wife and elder people along with me. Can anyone suggest which is the best route? i want smooth roads.

The Bangalore-Chitoor - Tirupati is still the best option. Take a break at Maiyas. But still please note once you are past the 4-lane you will have humps for company all the way. That is the only big issue when on this road. Please be very cautious.

[audioholic]

We had been to Tirupati the previous weekend and this time, I totally experimented with the route and it was very much worth the experiment. Road widening is happening at a really quick pace and right from Nangli the work starts, which leads to frequent diversions. We went there on Saturday morning starting from Kolar and returned Sunday night. We had a 300 rupee Darshan Saturday evening and a Brahmotsava on Sunday afternoon, which posed challenges to our return.

So the regular route is Bangalore - Kolar - Palamner - Chittor(bypass) - Tirupati. The common alternative is to go via Madanapalle - Pileru which is now being used by many here. However, this time I decided to make a mix of both.

The onward journey:

• As you can see, we took the regular route since we started from my village near Kolar.
• From Kolar to Nangli is the regular multi lane highway where we cover most distance in least time.
• After this, the grind starts. One advantage of road widening is the partially completed stretches allow for easy overtakes compared to before. Hence, in day time it is pretty manageable to have a decent pace in this stretch. At night especially if it is raining, I would not venture here since the diversions are not marked well and we might end up taking the wrong path.
• Instead of taking Chittor bypass, we turned left at Bangarupalyam 15kms before the bypass.
• From then on, we reach Kanipakam and then join the regular route almost near the right turn towards Tirupati. The advantage here is that the traffic is sparse compared to taking the bypass. Also, the stretch from Chittor and the right turn point which is very narrow is avoided. A good amount of time is saved, and the distance is lesser too.

• After this, the road is wide once we turn right towards Tirupathi and is good enough for safe overtaking since the road is wide and there is a good shoulder throughout.

The return journey:

• Our darshan on Sunday was through Arjitha Seva, and we entered the Supatham at 230PM. Due to the break in shift and darshan for senior citizens, we were made to wait for close to half hour and then we joined the queue at 3PM. Darshan and exit from temple was over by 4PM. There was some delay in fetching the laddu and we left Tirumala only by 440PM.
• Currently, those who undercut the time limit in the ghat section are being fined. Minimum time to travel uphill is 28mins while downhill is 40mins which is absurd. The previous day, we reached downhill 12minutes earlier than minimum(Dad was testing new brake pads on SX4) and the next day when we went uphill when we reached the toll booth they fined us 300
• Hence, I left Tirumala at 440PM, stopped near the deer park for some tea and reached the exit gate downhill at 525PM
• The challenge was to manage the heavy return traffic during this time, as well as darkness, road construction and possiblity of rain.
• Here was the route I decided:

• From Tirupathi Alipiri toll gate, you immediately exit the city and head towards Pileru. Road is decent but with a few speedbreakers.
• 11km before Pileru, I turned left to head towards Pulicherla and Kallur. This is a rural road but well tarred and a bit narrow. But traffic is just rare so you can enjoy a relaxed drive between 60-80kmph. Far better than risking overtakes on the regular route, along with other morons overtaking and coming head on. This is a 12km stretch to reach Kallur
• From Kallur, the same road continues towards Punganur for 50km but is wider and well tarred as usual. Traffic is sparse here too and will allow a very good cruise with zero commercial vehicles etc. There are only a few bikes and cars of the local population.
• From Punganur there is a road that takes us deep inside a few villages and also crosses the AP-KA border immediately after the town. It is a good 30km stretch to reach NH206 between Mulbagal and Nangli.
• Once you reach the NH, its time to stretch out and enjoy a spirited run towards Bangalore.
• We left Tirupathi Alipiri at 5:30 PM, and I drove into my parking at home at 10:40 PM in Banashankari after driving through the city. This included a 10min break at Punganur for change of driver(Dad drove till Punganur and I took over later), 15min break at Adigas Kolar for tea and 5mins break near Kolar to collect dinner supplies from my native.

Hence, taking away half an hour of stopping time, we covered the distance in 4:30mins which was not the case in our earlier trips in the regular route or through Madanapalle.

Downside of the route - Just no places for tea breaks or loo breaks between Kallur and the point you reach the NH. Though there are many options for fuel all along the route. Regarding taking the route in darkness, maybe first timers might get nervous. But it is like any typical rural road(non NH) which we are used to. Hence, we were enjoying the calmness.

I would recommend this instead of the other options, until the widening is complete. After that, it is going to be a good 3.5 - 4hr journey from Bangalore to Tirupati for sure.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by audioholic

We had been to Tirupati the previous weekend and this time, I totally experimented with the route and it was very much worth the experiment.
I would recommend this instead of the other options, until the widening is complete. After that, it is going to be a good 3.5 - 4hr journey from Bangalore to Tirupati for sure.

Hey audioholic, thanks so much for great update. We are 4 families planning to visit Tirumal next weekend. I am aware of the road widening work so was planning for an early start to cover the distance. But your update is awesome and extremely helpful. Thanks so much.

I will see if we can as well try this route. If i place the stop overs you mentioned in Google maps, is this the correct route?

https://goo.gl/maps/YDdBGZBu21w

-Ravi

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ravib

I will see if we can as well try this route. If i place the stop overs you mentioned in Google maps, is this the correct route?

https://goo.gl/maps/YDdBGZBu21w
-Ravi

Hello Ravi,

Yes, the points which you have placed is correct. However, the exit from Tirupathi is shown through the Tirupati Bypass road. This is fine if you start from the middle of the town. However, if you start the journey after driving downhill, you need not enter the town. Instead you just have to turn right after you come out of TTD roads onto the public road and head towards Pileru. It will save some time which will be spend wading through town to reach the Bypass.

If you are planning to travel during peak times, ie Saturday morning onward and Sunday afternoon/evening return then the route I shared makes absolute sense. If not, during non peak times it might be a tough call between my onward and return routes.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Hello Ravi,

Yes, the points which you have placed is correct. However, the exit from Tirupathi is shown through the Tirupati Bypass road. This is fine if you start from the middle of the town. However, if you start the journey after driving downhill, you need not enter the town. Instead you just have to turn right after you come out of TTD roads onto the public road and head towards Pileru. It will save some time which will be spend wading through town to reach the Bypass.

If you are planning to travel during peak times, ie Saturday morning onward and Sunday afternoon/evening return then the route I shared makes absolute sense. If not, during non peak times it might be a tough call between my onward and return routes.

Thanks buddy. Yea, am aware of the exit from Alipiri roundabout. I have tried Chintamani/Madanapalli-Pileru route as well, so well aware of that stretch. As we are travelling with family, we are staying in town, so i marked it as Tirupati Bus stand so that others reading these posts will be able to relate easily.

Our original plan was to start on Saturday morning onward and sunday noon return journey, but we are re-evaluating it, because of lunar eclipse on friday July 27th and have to make modifications to our plans. Still work in progress

[yatin]

I came back from Tirupati on the day @audioholic posted, and Google took me on the exact route he took for his onward journey. I think Google has marked his route as best for now!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I would recommend this instead of the other options, until the widening is complete. After that, it is going to be a good 3.5 - 4hr journey from Bangalore to Tirupati for sure.

Nicely done! Even I will try it some time. I usually get out of Bangalore on a friday late afternoon (3-4 PM). Hence was wondering, if Nangli-Punganur-Kallur-Rompicherlla sections are safe to drive in fading light (6-9PM) evening times with family.

Since most usually stop at Maiyas, this route is just fine as it accounts for that too!

Also just wondering; if the road widening is that bad, that an alternative is worthwhile ? The way you mentioned; the diversions being really bad during evenings and rains, makes me think it should be worth it.

[yatin]

Maiyas establishments have closed down enmasse. Even this one was closed (on a Saturday afternoon). In the city, is the Jayanagar one still running?

I didn't feel the road widening was such a big deal, progress was quite respectable, overtaking was easier than on the state highways in the Tirupati-Chittoor area.

Is the widened road going to become a toll road? No signs yet of initially dysfunctional toll booths.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by yatin

Maiyas establishments have closed down enmasse. Even this one was closed (on a Saturday afternoon). In the city, is the Jayanagar one still running?

This is news! I hope the food court is still on ? Some other restaurant has taken place instead of Maiyas? Any update on that?

As regards to the one in city, I remember seeing the Jayanagar one recently from outside. It still looked open.

I didn't feel the road widening was such a big deal, progress was quite respectable, overtaking was easier than on the state highways in the Tirupati-Chittoor area.

Thanks for the note. Yes the section past Chittoor is better. Its the Palamaner-Chitoor which is the concern. But I get your point of view that its not that big a problem.

EDIT: Here is what I found while searching: Closure of Maiyas

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ampere

EDIT: Here is what I found while searching: Closure of Maiyas

This is bad news :( Looks like a classic case of bad business sense.Sad to see the brand go this way-the 4th block restaurant was average in terms of taste but definitely had a buzz around it.

On the topic of the thread,have a few queries:
-how long does it take usually for the darshan at Tirupati.I last went 25 or so years ago.
-Would something like stay in a hotel below the hills,cab it to the temple,finish darshan and cab it down to the hotel work.
-The online darshan timing that you get when you book online-does one get to do the darshan at that time itself-how long is the waiting period usually?If for instance the darshan timing alloted is 3pm when should one be there and by when does one get to finish darshan and come out?

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

On the topic of the thread,have a few queries:
-how long does it take usually for the darshan at Tirupati.I last went 25 or so years ago.
-Would something like stay in a hotel below the hills,cab it to the temple,finish darshan and cab it down to the hotel work.
-The online darshan timing that you get when you book online-does one get to do the darshan at that time itself-how long is the waiting period usually?If for instance the darshan timing alloted is 3pm when should one be there and by when does one get to finish darshan and come out?

We had been last weekend and had two darshans, one via the 300 rupee ticket, and another via Arjitha Seva. The 300 rupee darshan took us just one hour on Saturday 4PM-6PM slot. We reported at 4:30 and were guided via the cellar. We had to wait there for around 15 minutes twice and after that, it was a continuous walk till the end. The next day Arjitha seva took slightly longer at 2:30PM, mainly because there is a break at this point and we were made to wait a good 40 minutes to let the senior citizens have their darshan. After that, it was a smooth darshan as usual. Now, they have cut short darshan times by rerouting some of the queues and making changes to the queue management. Working out good, especially on a weekend.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ampere

Hence was wondering, if Nangli-Punganur-Kallur-Rompicherlla sections are safe to drive in fading light (6-9PM) evening times with family.
Also just wondering; if the road widening is that bad, that an alternative is worthwhile ? The way you mentioned; the diversions being really bad during evenings and rains, makes me think it should be worth it.

Missed replying to this. The entire region around Madanapalle, Punganur, Pileru are pretty scarce areas of the state. Even the infrastructure around these areas is very basic, except for the fact that roads have been kept in a good shape, if not wide. Driving through these areas at night gives the same experience as what you get driving through the western ghats in terms of presence of people and traffic. You will pass through occasional traffic, some sleepy towns in between.

Issue with the road widening is that the new road is made of concrete, which is very thick compared to the existing road. Hence, they have made diversions at random places which have ramps. At a lot of places, there are pits dug on the sides of the road. To add to this, the new road does not follow the same course as the old one in a few places. Hence, if you lose track, then it will be disastrous.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Driving through these areas at night gives the same experience as what you get driving through the western ghats in terms of presence of people and traffic. You will pass through occasional traffic, some sleepy towns in between.

I usually would prefer to avoid such sections when with family. The other option from Kallur is come down towards Pakala.

To add to this, the new road does not follow the same course as the old one in a few places. Hence, if you lose track, then it will be disastrous.

Looks like left with no choice for the time being.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ampere

I usually would prefer to avoid such sections when with family.
Looks like left with no choice for the time being.

It depends upon one's priority. We have driven through more deserted and riskier areas compared to this one. Especially places like the Nallamalla forest in AP which is notorious for anti social elements, deserted roads of the Western ghats and so on. Though it could be pure luck, but in terms of the risk, for me driving through the Chittoor road is anyday more riskier at night compared to driving through a deserted place, since the probability of vehicles coming head on and throwing me off road is higher than the rate of crime in these areas Like I said earlier, if you have driven through the western ghats at night, then this is no bid deal so no worries. Maybe for a first timer on the highway/someone not used to night driving, this route will be a little fear inducing.

The other option from Kallur is come down towards Pakala.

Makes no sense since you will come back to the same mess again. And the route from Kallur to Pakala is frequented by heavy truck traffic moving between north and south AP, and the route between Tirupathi and Pakala is anyway excellent and there is no need to avoid this stretch.