[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Planning for a quick trip to Mantralaya on this Sunday. Will start at around 4AM and return by night. Will be taking the Veldurthi road.

Did one day travel to Mantralaya yesterday. We (Wife, daughter and I) started at 4:15AM from Marathahalli and reached at Blue Moon Restaurant, Gooty at 8AM for breakfast. No real traffic at all during early morning hours and enjoyed thick fog near Bagepalli. Then further continued till Veldurthi (Please note I always recommended this road due to more highway time and very good roads throughout) and took exit for Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur-Mantralaya. Reached Mantralaya by 11.15AM with 30 Min breakfast break. After having darshan and prasad we started back at 1:15PM and reached again at Blue moon by 4PM for a quick tea break of 30min. Being Sunday evening the inbound Bangalore traffic was bad, specifically near KR Puram flyover so it added one extra hour throughout. We reached home by 9PM. Total journey of 855 KM.

Except one village Gorantla (marked in red), the roads are good. The distance between Veldurthi exit to Mantralaya is around 85KMs out of which the 28KM stretch between Veldurthi and Kodumur has narrow roads of 12KM. The road is good but you need to be careful if you are overtaking local people carrier autos or tractors and even when some vehicle comes from other side. You may need to get one tyre off the road most of the times, but easily manageable.

The "Gorantla" village is the worst village I have ever seen in my life, all drainage water flows on roads. This time it was worst, there were two huge ponds of such water in the middle of road and I had to wait at one side of it looking for how the other vehicles cross them. Being huge I could not guess its depth. Luckily one jeep crossed it and I got the idea. It was not that deep but hard to believe how people stay with such things around. Please do not get down in this village for anything since the hygiene is completely missed here.
Once again you do not have to worry about bad roads or traffic if you take this road for Mantralaya. Other road that goes from Gooty has many more villages to deal with.

[vsathyap]

Visited Mantralayam during the weekend for an overnight visit and back.

Onward Route: Bangalore - Ananthapur - Gooty - Pattikonda - Aspari - Adoni - Yemmiganur - Mantralayam.
Total Travel Time: 9h
Breakfast Stop: Nandi Upachar for 1 hour
Lunch Stop: Blue Moon Highway Foodcourt for 1 hour
Moving Time: 7h
Total Distance (Door to Door): 385 km
Road Condition:
1) Bangalore to Gooty - Typical 4 Lane NH. Can maintain good speeds. Watch for sudden Rumbler Strips at important intersections.
2) Gooty to Pattikonda - Very average roads crossing through small villages. Broken patches everywhere - speeds of 20-40kmph on bad stretches. Can see some windmills on this stretch. See Pics below.
3) Pattikonda to Aspari - Adoni - Bad roads continue. Windmills continue to dot the landscape but become fewer and farther once we approach Adoni. Please note that if you are relying on GMaps to take you to Mantralayam, it suggests an alternative route and prompts you to take a right a few kilometres after Pattikonda. There are Road Signs that also say the same with an Arrow mark to the right showing the way to Mantralayam. Do NOT take this road as its a horrible road with nothing that resembles a road. See Attached Gmaps Screenshot. Continue onwards to Adoni Bypass and head to Yemmiganur.
4) Adoni to Mantralayam via Yemmiganur - Excellent 2-4 lane highway with a toll that's now functional!

Sample of Bad roads on this stretch!











Return Route: Mantralayam - Yemmiganur - Kodumur - Venkatagiri - Gorantla - Laddagiri - Veldurthi - Dhone - Gooty - Anantapur - Bangalore.

Since the roads on the onward journey were so bad, we decided to take the 'rajivtelang' recommended route via Kodumur and Veldurthi. Thankfully, the roads on this stretch are much better and progress was fast. Even this route passes through a lot of villages and one needs to proceed with caution at these places. Watch for big humps at the start and end of each village.

The stretch marked in red in the above post by rajivtelang still has the notorious stretch of 2 huge pools of sewage! I have attached the video of this stretch for your reference! Watch where the 2 wheeler passenger signals for me to go ahead since the water is not deep . I was a bit apprehensive going into the water on a low GC sedan like the City but in the end, it was OK. [PS: The front overhang of the City is what pisses me off - it almost always ends up kissing the tarmac on such steep dips and rises in the road!]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19vyTJbeKb0

We encountered what looked like a major accident just before Chikkaballapura where a car had overturned and there were a lot of onlookers and slow moving traffic. Could not make out what car it was.



Once past this, progress was quick on the BLR-HYD 4 Laned highway. We left Mantralayam by 11:30 am and arrived at Hebbal by 645pm - bang in the middle of rush hour traffic. However, thanks to mad traffic on the Hebbal Flyover, I took a wrong turn and headed towards KR Puram while I had to head towards Mekhri Circle! This Mistake cost me 30 additional minutes along with the crawling traffic due to a power outage near Vidhana Soudha, which meant that all intersections were being controlled by traffic police and this resulted in even slower traffic. We finally arrived home at 8:45pm - a whopping 2 hours spent in traffic!


Pro Tip - Leave Mantralayam at such a time so that you can plan your arrival at Hebbal before 4:30pm or after 11pm. Else you will lose your mind in the traffic!

Lunch Stop: Blue Moon highway Foodcourts - 45 min
Coffee and Bio Break Stop: Nandi Upachar - 20 min
Total Trip Time: 9h 20m
Total Moving Time: 8h 15m (including the mindless 2 hour jam at Hebbal!!!)
Total Distance (D2D): 425km
Fuel Stops: 1 stop at Yemmiganur HP Petrol Pump

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

There are Road Signs that also say the same with an Arrow mark to the right showing the way to Mantralayam. Do NOT take this road as its a horrible road with nothing that resembles a road. See Attached Gmaps Screenshot. Continue onwards to Adoni Bypass and head to Yemmiganur.

The stretch marked in red in the above post by rajivtelang still has the notorious stretch of 2 huge pools of sewage!

It is such a shame that those pools of sewage are always there. How do those villagers stay in such a mess god only knows. I have a plan to visit Mantralaya over coming weekend and will stick to the Veldurthi road only. Good updates.

The video does not run though. Please share it since it shows it as private.

[vsathyap]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

I have a plan to visit Mantralaya over coming weekend and will stick to the Veldurthi road only. Good updates.

The video does not run though. Please share it since it shows it as private.

Sorry about that - I have change the video settings and it should be playable now.

One more thing I observed on this stretch is that I was tailing a local AP transport bus. He was ahead of me near the town of Kodumur and I overtook him somewhere before Venkatagiri. I had lost him for some time and was sure that I was ahead of him. I was totally surprised to see the same bus ahead of me near Laddagiri! It looks like he took a better (rather faster) route to reach Laddagiri and may not have traveled on the Gorantla road at all! My guess is that he traveled straight to Anugonda and then took the turn towards Laddagri where he had gone ahead of me. Could this be a better route and if it helps, it avoids the Gorantla mess?!

Not sure if this road is traverse-able by car?!?! A local could help break this mystery for me (if you can check this out by asking a local in your upcoming trip, that would be great!)?!

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

Not sure if this road is traverse-able by car?!?! A local could help break this mystery for me (if you can check this out by asking a local in your upcoming trip, that would be great!)?!

Will try doing that but just thinking to take the Adoni-Yemmiganur-Mantralayam route onwards and return via Veldurthi road. Just curious to know what is happening on that side of roads since not take it for 2-3 years now. It is quite messy in terms of traffic inside Gooty. Also near a village Tuggali on this road you need to go through a railway underpass, once again mostly filled with dirty water (unsure if sewage or something else).
There is third road though FYI. Enter Adoni and take a left and continue till Madhavaram. This road goes to Raichur/Panchamukhi. Road from Mantralayam Road railway station joins here. At Madhavarm take a right towards Mantralayam. However you need to pass through messy traffic of Adoni and it is certainly not a good thing to cross a railway line on narrow and dusty roads full with junk vehicles around. This road too is OK in case nothing works

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Will try doing that but just thinking to take the Adoni-Yemmiganur-Mantralayam route onwards and return via Veldurthi road. Just curious to know what is happening on that side of roads since not take it for 2-3 years now. It is quite messy in terms of traffic inside Gooty. Also near a village Tuggali on this road you need to go through a railway underpass, once again mostly filled with dirty water (unsure if sewage or something else).
There is third road though FYI. Enter Adoni and take a left and continue till Madhavaram. This road goes to Raichur/Panchamukhi. Road from Mantralayam Road railway station joins here. At Madhavarm take a right towards Mantralayam. However you need to pass through messy traffic of Adoni and it is certainly not a good thing to cross a railway line on narrow and dusty roads full with junk vehicles around. This road too is OK in case nothing works

Visited Mantralaya over weekend but took the Gooty-Adoni-Yemmiganur route to-fro and found it to be much much improved over years. The (un)famous railway crossing after Gooty has finally the flyover completed and it is saving atleast 30mins on this route. There are some real bad patches here and there and needed to be careful there. Also the Pattikonda bypass is fully tarred and saved further time. Fortunately there was no water clogged in the railway underpass at Tuggali village. Gooty also seems to have all concrete roads giving fast pace in moving on. Post Adoni bypass roads are simply amazing, just unbelievably marvelous. I had made a Friday night's stay at Blue Moon hotel on NH-7 and continued further on Saturday morning. Returned home on Saturday night.
In all now we can resume travel on the original Bangalore Mantralayam road with confidence (at least to avoid the disgusting Gorantla village on Veldurthy route).

[srvm]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Visited Mantralaya over weekend but took the Gooty-Adoni-Yemmiganur route to-fro and found it to be much much improved over years.
.....
In all now we can resume travel on the original Bangalore Mantralayam road with confidence (at least to avoid the disgusting Gorantla village on Veldurthy route).

Thanks Rajiv. I'm planning my maiden trip to Mantralayam by car from Bangalore. I'm a bit confused about the route after Gooty.

Are you suggesting this?:
Bangalore-NH44 up to Gooty-Jonnagiri-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni-Omnagar (NH167)-Madhavaram junction-Take right to Mantralayam.

If yes, then where does Yemmiganur feature in the above route?

[vsathyap]

Originally Posted by srvm

Bangalore-NH44 up to Gooty-Jonnagiri-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni-Omnagar (NH167)-Madhavaram junction-Take right to Mantralayam.

You don't have to go till Adoni. Just before Adoni there is a right turn (next to a huge petrol bunk). This turn also has indications (arrows show a U turn or a C-shaped turn) towards Yemmiganur and Mantralayam. You need to take this route. Please refer to the screenshot I have posted a couple posts above. Mark this route and note that the left turn towards Pattikonda comes up immediately after Bluemoon highway hotel, so be on the lookout for that.

Roads from Adoni onwards are very good but watch for rural bikes turning suddenly, 3 wheeler (shared autos) stopping in the middle of the highway to pick up / drop off people, etc.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by srvm

Thanks Rajiv. I'm planning my maiden trip to Mantralayam by car from Bangalore. I'm a bit confused about the route after Gooty.

Are you suggesting this?:
Bangalore-NH44 up to Gooty-Jonnagiri-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni-Omnagar (NH167)-Madhavaram junction-Take right to Mantralayam.

If yes, then where does Yemmiganur feature in the above route?

As vsathyap mentioned, just follow his map from the post. No need to enter Pattikonda or Adoni. Both have a bypass road. And the road after Adoni bypass is amazingly smooth and wide. Take it all the way till Mantralayam.

[strawhat]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

Mark this route and note that the left turn towards Pattikonda comes up immediately after Bluemoon highway hotel, so be on the lookout for that.

Actually Gooty road begins approx. a km after Kasepalli toll plaza in Kurnool direction.

Originally Posted by srvm

Are you suggesting this?:
Bangalore-NH44 up to Gooty-Jonnagiri-Pattikonda bypass-Aspari-Adoni-Omnagar (NH167)-Madhavaram junction-Take right to Mantralayam.

Here's the route.

[speedmiester]

I am planning a drive to Mantralayam next month.
Any tips on the best route and things to keep in mind.

I am also open to take the Hiriyur, Ballari route if that is better in terms of roads.
Distance is not a concern

[spiler]

Hows the route between Mantralayam and Hospet? I have planned a trip to Hampi next weekend, thinking of going to Mantralayam and then to Hampi on the same day. Any challenges in this route.

[Kosfactor]

Guys need some advice please.

Any hotel recommendations in Mantralayam to stay overnight?

[Rama Kumara]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I am planning a drive to Mantralayam next month.
Any tips on the best route and things to keep in mind.

I am also open to take the Hiriyur, Ballari route if that is better in terms of roads.
Distance is not a concern

Drove down 10 days ago to Mantralaya from South Bangalore (J.P.Nagara)
Take the time-tested and trusted Devanahalli-Chikkaballapura-Penukonda-Anantapura-Gooty road which is Nh44.

From here, Google maps will ask you to deviate towards Pattikonda-Aspari-Adoni road. Do NOT TAKE this road, road conditions are quite abysmal and pain for a low G.C sedan/hatch.

Continue onto Dhone bypass until you get the toll plaza avail at https://goo.gl/maps/xXqtRaNfxJ6paS5U8

From Dhone, you simply follow maps at https://goo.gl/maps/7F2Hb5GReEtrHRUV9
Caution advised from Veldurthy to Kodumur with so many speed-breakers and quite typical village narrow roads. Nothing that a well built sedan/hatch cannot handle!

Roads from Yemmiganur to Mantralaya as elucidated are quite fab, so there's not a need to worry.

hope this helps

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by Rama Kumara

From here, Google maps will ask you to deviate towards Pattikonda-Aspari-Adoni road. Do NOT TAKE this road, road conditions are quite abysmal and pain for a low G.C sedan/hatch.

I agree partially here. I took the road Gooty, Aspari, Adoni on 6-7th of March and found to be OK. I agree there are some bad patches post Pattikonda bypass until Adoni Bypass but quite manageable.

Originally Posted by Rama Kumara

Caution advised from Veldurthy to Kodumur with so many speed-breakers and quite typical village narrow roads. Nothing that a well built sedan/hatch cannot handle!

I used to take this road all those years but the villagers at Gorantla release the sewage water on the road making the whole area messy. I stopped using this road due to that. The depth of sewage water ponds on road becomes unpredictable and could be disastrous for low GC sedans.