[Fauji]

Originally Posted by praveenp

I will try the same this time too. If I get one well and good else will have to settle for a private lodge. But the temple administration needs to improve a lot and learn from other temples' management such as Dharmasthala and Sringeri.

Suggest stay in one of the lodges. It makes sense. Temple accommodation is unpredictable and is not great.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Suggest stay in one of the lodges. It makes sense. Temple accommodation is unpredictable and is not great.

http://www.sreeniketanam.com I got this link from an email...I have never stayed there personally... pls see if it helps.

[rajivtelang]

Hi All,

I visited Mantralaya over the weekend. Started on Friday evening at around 4.30 and made a stay at Anantapur for the night. Reached Anantapur ar around 9.30PM. Primarily Bangalore airport traffic was the cause of delay (almost 2 hours to reach the airport). Made a stay at hotel SRS Regency, not a great place but the other hotel Sapthagiri was full and had no other choice.
Next morning started at around 8.30 and reached mantralaya at around 12.30 via Gooty-Adoni-Yemmiganur route. Could easily get accomodation in temple provided facility. Had darshan and prasada. In the evenign attended the ratha.
Next morning had darshan and started back at around 11.30. With a stop at hotel Ravitheja at Gooty and one at Kamat Upachar at Chikkaballapur, reached Bangalore at around 8.30PM on Sunday.
Over all roads are good except at a place near Pattkonda water was clogged under railway bridge and was a bit deep to put small car inside to cross it.

[sada]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Next morning had darshan and started back at around 11.30. With a stop at hotel Ravitheja at Gooty and one at Kamat Upachar at Chikkaballapur, reached Bangalore at around 8.30PM on Sunday.
Over all roads are good except at a place near Pattkonda water was clogged under railway bridge and was a bit deep to put small car inside to cross it.

rajivtelang,
My yearly trip to Mantralaya will be happening within a month, and I would like to know if there is enough water in the river? - our trip would be incomplete without spending a lot of time playing in the river! Also, would like to know if you would recommend Hotel Ravitheja for vegetarian food? Finally, I hope the water clog at Pattikonda would not pose a problem for an Alto - did you by any chance take the Pattikonda bypass? I would like to avoid Pattikonda city as the pedestrians are all over the road

[rajivtelang]

Well, Not so much of water that I could see in the river, but not as bad as in May.
For Veg food Ravitheja hotel is fine (I like the andhra style food) but if you are very strict on even not entering a non veg providing hotel then it is not a place for you. Or else you can try another Ravitheja on NH-7 itself just before Gooty or another one "GHAR" in association with Bharat Petrolium before Gooty.
Regarding water clogging under railway line, one thing to notice, while going to Mantralaya that was not much but while returning it was bad. I drove in a Santro and was bit nervous to enter into it. I saw one indica entering and successfully coming out so dared to do it. You need to check it for Alto as not sure on the rain status there, it will be more if it rains and local villagers do not bother about it at all.
I do take Pattikonda bypass and it is in very good condition. Also that bridge at the end of it has tar roads finally over the river but not much useful. It appears very heavy vehicles were driven even before the tar was dry and set. You will find the road completely broken but better than before without tar.

[sada]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Well, Not so much of water that I could see in the river, but not as bad as in May.
For Veg food Ravitheja hotel is fine (I like the andhra style food) but if you are very strict on even not entering a non veg providing hotel then it is not a place for you. Or else you can try another Ravitheja on NH-7 itself just before Gooty or another one "GHAR" in association with Bharat Petrolium before Gooty.
Regarding water clogging under railway line, one thing to notice, while going to Mantralaya that was not much but while returning it was bad. I drove in a Santro and was bit nervous to enter into it. I saw one indica entering and successfully coming out so dared to do it. You need to check it for Alto as not sure on the rain status there, it will be more if it rains and local villagers do not bother about it at all.
I do take Pattikonda bypass and it is in very good condition. Also that bridge at the end of it has tar roads finally over the river but not much useful. It appears very heavy vehicles were driven even before the tar was dry and set. You will find the road completely broken but better than before without tar.

Thanks a lot for clearing all my doubts, rajivtelang. I will post an update once I return from the trip.

[ark_rover]

This weekend, I travelled till Gooty / Gunatakal to attend a family function. Though this post may not be complete information till Mantralayam, I thought I will go ahead and share this as the route I took is almost half way through to Mantralayam.

I started at 2pm and it took almost 5 hours to reach Gooty from Bangalore south
Route: via Chikkaballapur - Penukonda - Anantapur - Gooty.
The traffic conditions till the BIAL (new airport) was high and too many diversions due to flyover constructions. After that the BIAL the stretch is very good till Gooty and very less traffic on NH.

Regarding Telangana/Seemandhra agitations, I did not see any major roadblocks or issues, though my travel was mostly during the evenings.

On return we started at 2pm and there were no roadblocks due to the protests. It was peaceful all through to Bangalore.

[prasad14]

Hi,

With roadblocks in Andhra, I need help in figuring out alternate routes to Mantralaya. I saw two routes:

1. Bangalore-Sira-Hiriyur-Bellary-Shiraguppa-Kosigi-Mantralaya
2. Bangalore-Hospet-Manvi-Raichur-Mantralaya

How are the road conditions off NH? Any other alternatives?

Prasad

[sada]

Hi,

I would, in all probability, be leaving to Mantralayam on Nov 29th morning with wife and two kids. In view of the protests going on in Andhra, should I take any alternative route or can I go ahead with the regular "B'lore-Ananthpur-Gooty-Adoni-Yemiganur-Mantralayam" route? Though I prefer an early morning start, would it be advisable to travel during post-lunch hours inside Andhra because I am of the opinion that protests/road blocks usually happen during the pre-lunch hours, particularly after breakfast and before lunch! Awaiting your most valuable inputs/suggestions!

Best Regards,

Raj

[deehunk]

Recently my friend got fixed in a hit and run case near Aspari, it was alleged that a grey color car had knocked down a girl around 4pm, the police were checking the vehicles near Aspari. My friend left Mantralayam at 3.30pm and reached Aspari around 5.45pm and was standing in the queue as the checking was in progress, the eye-witness as claimed by Police pointed at my friend's vehicle as the suspect vehicle. He was taken to Aspari police station, in-spite of all things he tried to convince that he was being framed in the case by eye-witness an FIR was filed. He with his wife, child and aged parents were forced to sit in the Police station for 2 days. A lawyer then came to the police station from victim side for a compromise, my friend was let to go after he "paid", he says entire thing was staged. A police inspector in Bangalore known to my friend told him all this things are being done to claim a compensation of INR 2-3 lakhs from the comprehensive insurance no matter who was the culprit, they will not withdraw the case, it has turned out to be exactly same, a case has been filed and poor fellow my friend is fighting a case in Alur. Be very cautious while traveling on this route.

[praveenp]

Originally Posted by deehunk

A police inspector in Bangalore known to my friend told him all this things are being done to claim a compensation of INR 2-3 lakhs from the comprehensive insurance no matter who was the culprit, they will not withdraw the case, it has turned out to be exactly same, a case has been filed and poor fellow my friend is fighting a case in Alur. Be very cautious while traveling on this route.

This is very scary. What all people do to get quick bucks! I was planning a trip to Mantralaya during second week of December. Need to be careful. Thanks for sharing.

Hope your friend gets justice. I am sure Guru Raghavendra Swamy will help your friend and his family sail through this difficult phase.

[sada]

Originally Posted by deehunk

Recently my friend got fixed in a hit and run case near Aspari, it was alleged that a grey color car had knocked down a girl around 4pm, the police were checking the vehicles near Aspari. My friend left Mantralayam at 3.30pm and reached Aspari around 5.45pm and was standing in the queue as the checking was in progress, the eye-witness as claimed by Police pointed at my friend's vehicle as the suspect vehicle. He was taken to Aspari police station, in-spite of all things he tried to convince that he was being framed in the case by eye-witness an FIR was filed. He with his wife, child and aged parents were forced to sit in the Police station for 2 days. A lawyer then came to the police station from victim side for a compromise, my friend was let to go after he "paid", he says entire thing was staged. A police inspector in Bangalore known to my friend told him all this things are being done to claim a compensation of INR 2-3 lakhs from the comprehensive insurance no matter who was the culprit, they will not withdraw the case, it has turned out to be exactly same, a case has been filed and poor fellow my friend is fighting a case in Alur. Be very cautious while traveling on this route.

OMG, this is really scary! deehunk, thanks a lot for the alert. I don't know whether to go ahead with the trip hoping that everything would be fine or to drop it and go by bus/train some other time. I have not brought this incident to the notice of my family as they would definitely not want to take any chances. My opinion that it would be safe to travel during post lunch hours is not true anymore.

deehunk, I hope you don't mind clearing a few of my doubts so that I will be able to decide whether to go ahead with the trip or drop it. One, are the cops are also involved in this "being framed"? Two, from a queue of many vehicles, on what basis was your friend's car targetted? was it because of the colour of the car or was it because it was a KA registered car or was it a high-end car (meaning rich) or any other reason which your friend thinks could be the reason for targetting him? Three, could it be that the hit-and-run part is true and your friend has been targetted for somebody else's mistake just because the actual offender could not be caught?

Thanks once again,
Best Regards,
Raj

[deehunk]

Hi Sada, I have clarified your doubts below, the eye witness claimed that the car involved in the accident was grey color and a lady was sitting at the front next to the driver and it was very similar to the i20. Imagine it takes almost 2 hours to reach Aspari from Mantralaya, my friend vacated his room at 3.30pm and noway he can cross Alur, reach Aspari by 4pm and get involved in the accident. He argued a lot with the inspector to prove his innocence, tried to contact the higher-ups in AP Police through his friends in Bangalore, the inspector got pissed off and snatched away all the mobile phones. The deceased girl suffered minor injuries, it is true that the actual offender escaped and my friend was caught just because of the claimed resemblance by the eye witness. His friends reached this place next day, by that time Police had filed a FIR and asked them to fight the case in the court, he was let off after the "payment". He works in a MNC in Bangalore and has to attend the court proceedings till the matter gets resolved. He has all evidence to prove he is not guilty but we know the speed of justice in this country, so only God can save him. I suggest you stick to national highway till Kurnool and then take a diversion to Mantralaya instead of this usual route.

[sada]

Originally Posted by deehunk

Hi Sada, I have clarified your doubts below, the eye witness claimed that the car involved in the accident was grey color and a lady was sitting at the front next to the driver and it was very similar to the i20. Imagine it takes almost 2 hours to reach Aspari from Mantralaya, my friend vacated his room at 3.30pm and noway he can cross Alur, reach Aspari by 4pm and get involved in the accident. He argued a lot with the inspector to prove his innocence, tried to contact the higher-ups in AP Police through his friends in Bangalore, the inspector got pissed off and snatched away all the mobile phones. The deceased girl suffered minor injuries, it is true that the actual offender escaped and my friend was caught just because of the claimed resemblance by the eye witness. His friends reached this place next day, by that time Police had filed a FIR and asked them to fight the case in the court, he was let off after the "payment". He works in a MNC in Bangalore and has to attend the court proceedings till the matter gets resolved. He has all evidence to prove he is not guilty but we know the speed of justice in this country, so only God can save him. I suggest you stick to national highway till Kurnool and then take a diversion to Mantralaya instead of this usual route.

Thanks again, deehunk. It is a great relief with you suggesting the Kurnool route. The trip is on now Hope the road condition is good. You have mentioned that "The deceased girl suffered minor injuries"; you mean the girl died in spite of only minor injuries or was it a typo! Also, I would be more than happy if anybody has the update on road condition and the distance to Mantralayam via Kurnool, and the route that has to be taken.

Thanks and Best Regards,
Raj

[lapsi]

Originally Posted by deehunk

Recently my friend got fixed in a hit and run case near Aspari...

Your friend can file a Writ Petition in the High Court to get the FIR and the resultant case quashed. He needs to get a good lawyer and proceed in the matter.

When he files in the High Court, he can apply to stay the case in the lower Court so that he does not have to go there anymore. His lawyer will know what to do.

Originally Posted by deehunk

The deceased girl suffered minor injuries...

Can you please clarify this statement?