[ukamath]

Hi All,

This thread does give a lot of information on routes, but I am slightly confused and would appreciate help here.

I want to do a quick return trip from Bangalore to Mantralayam next weekend. I would prefer to return on the same day or worst case stay overnight. I have two queries:

1. What is the fastest route to Mantralaya - Dont mind extra driving time and tolls. I am looking at a smoother tarmac against bumpy ones. Have a infant on board, so want to get there and back smooth and fast.

2. Recommendations on good fuel pumps along the way - My car is used to clean diesel (Shell) and don't want it to have a tummy upset :-)

3. In case I need to stay over, any recommendations on clean and nice hotels that I can safely stay over with my family - ideally near the temple.

Thanks much for your help

Best.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by ukamath

1. What is the fastest route to Mantralaya - Dont mind extra driving time and tolls. I am looking at a smoother tarmac against bumpy ones. Have a infant on board, so want to get there and back smooth and fast.

Please read my previous posting. I took the Bangalore-Veldurthy-Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur-Mantralaya Road. This is not shortest road but fastest for sure (around 6-6.5 hours from bangalore, distance around 420km from Marathahalli). You will be on NH-7 for more time compared to other routes. You need to be careful between Laddagiri and Kodumur since road is just single lane in places for some distance. Nothing to worry but just be careful when you need to overtake or give way to oncoming vehicles such as buses. Please use GPS for guidance since the laddagiri exit from NH-7 is easy to miss. Overall road is very good except there is a big road widening work between Yemmiganur and Mantralaya where you will get some bumpy roads intermittently (this part of road can be avoided only if you take Adoni-Madhavaram route to reach Mantralaya, but you need to exit NH-7 at Gooty to reach Adoni and then go through Adoni town to reach Madhavaram, a slow route).

Originally Posted by ukamath

2. Recommendations on good fuel pumps along the way - My car is used to clean diesel (Shell) and don't want it to have a tummy upset :-)

I drive Petrol car and obviously start full tanked. I always fill it up at a BP petrol bunk just before Gooty after Anantapur. This is on left hand side while going towards Mantralaya. I think this is some 10KM before Gooty. Anantapur-Gooty distance is around 50KM and so you can check when you hit this bunk. While returning also there is a BP bunk on opposite side around the same area. Diesel fuel, I have zero clue.

Originally Posted by ukamath

3. In case I need to stay over, any recommendations on clean and nice hotels that I can safely stay over with my family - ideally near the temple.

I always stay in Temple accommodation. They have new complex SVN (owned by temple only) behind the reception centre. During my last stay the authorities recommended that. Being very new, all rooms are nice. If you do not get accommodation above the reception centre please query for SVN and try to get a room (they have some 200 rooms there). There are a few lodges but I do not know the status. I stayed only once few years back but room was extremely small and did not like it. The lodges charge way more than temple accommodations.

I hope I was of some help.

Regards

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Bangalore-Veldurthy-Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur-Mantralaya Road.

Interesting, but even usual Gooty-Adoni route takes about the same time right? Effectively you are going 60 km extra on NH7 to save 20 km of interior roads.

Except for initial few kms from Gooty and unmarked speed breakers (which am sure is there in the other route. as they are omnipresent in on either side of every village crossing in AP ) rest of the route is reasonably wide for 2 buses to pass abreast.

So am curious

The Kodumur-Mantralayam is also shared with the standard Hyderbad-Mantralayam route I guess.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Interesting, but even usual Gooty-Adoni route takes about the same time right? Effectively you are going 60 km extra on NH7 to save 20 km of interior roads.

Not sure about the current status of usual Gooty-Adoni route as of now due to road widening. If the road is bad you will need much more time. Also if you are with kids, you will need a good road. Other road from Adoni-Madhavaram-Mantralaya is also good but you need to spend time in Adoni town.

The route I mentioned is longer but was in good shape throughout during my last trip.

Regards,

[ukamath]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Please read my previous posting. I took the Bangalore-Veldurthy-Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur-Mantralaya Road. This is not shortest road but fastest for sure (around 6-6.5 hours from bangalore, distance around 420km from Marathahalli). You will be on NH-7 for more time compared to other routes.

I hope I was of some help.

Regards

Thank you sir. This helps a lot. I will use the recommended routes.

Thanks again.

[rajivtelang]

Kindly update route status no matter which one you take.

[rajivtelang]

Visited mantralaya on 1st and returned on 3rd. Took the veldurthy kodumur road while going and usual adoni gooty while returning.

Good news is that the adoni yemmiganur route widening work is over except for a few patches between yemmiganur to mantralayam. One can start taking the usual route as before and condition between adoni bypass to mantralayam is excellent.

It took 7 hours in both cases. Veldurthy road distance is 423km and usually takes 6 to 6.5 hours but I drove in night and had to slow down between veldurthy to mantralaya village roads. The usual adoni gooty road clocked 396km and took 7hours as usual due to more time on village roads and the (in)famous railway crossing between gooty and pattikonda.

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Visited mantralaya on 1st and returned on 3rd.

Hello.
I am visiting the temple this weekend with family including my one year old son. I am bit worried about the availability of the accommodation, since it's a long weekend. Could you please suggest on the acco. If at all I could book the same in advance, it would be great. Any contacts on this would be of great help.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

Hello.
I am visiting the temple this weekend with family including my one year old son. I am bit worried about the availability of the accommodation, since it's a long weekend. Could you please suggest on the acco. If at all I could book the same in advance, it would be great. Any contacts on this would be of great help.

I am not sure if you can book in advance in temple accomodation. But I feel there need not be any issue since the new SVN complex has 200 rooms. All other temple accomodations are already there. Just to be safe if you reach on first day of long weekend there need not be any issue.
But if you want you can stay in the lodges there. They may charge way more. I stayed only once since was unware of the ease by which temple accomodations are available. To be specific there is one Udupi Residency where I had stayed 8 years ago. Please search on net for phone numbers and call them. Only thing you may need to do is to call them once before you start even if you book it a few days before. They may allocate the room to somebody. Cannot say plus there are many more lodges there. Please search the phone and call them.

[Avinash_R]

Planning to visit Mantralayam next Thursday.

Will take the Bangalore-Veldurthy-Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur-Mantralaya Road. My question is will a same day return be feasible?

I plan to leave at around 2 am on Thursday, reach Mantralayam, finish pooja and come back to bangalore while stopping for lunch in between. Taking my own petrol car for transportation.

Does this seem feasible? This will be my family's first visit to Mantralayam so not sure how much time the temple visit will take.

Any other things that I need to watch out for? Do I have to wear dhoti compulsory or formal/ jeans will do?

[praveenp]

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Does this seem feasible? This will be my family's first visit to Mantralayam so not sure how much time the temple visit will take.

Any other things that I need to watch out for? Do I have to wear dhoti compulsory or formal/ jeans will do?

If you are going on Thursday or Weekend, temple might be bit crowded. On all other days you should have darshan within 30 minutes.

If you plan to go for any Seva and also if the Seva is above Rs.500 (if am not wrong), they will let you right in front of the Brindavana. In such case dhoti is mandatory. But my advice is if you are comfortable wearing a dhoti then go for it.

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by praveenp

If you are going on Thursday or Weekend, temple might be bit crowded. On all other days you should have darshan within 30 minutes.

If you plan to go for any Seva and also if the Seva is above Rs.500 (if am not wrong), they will let you right in front of the Brindavana. In such case dhoti is mandatory. But my advice is if you are comfortable wearing a dhoti then go for it.

We are actually going on Friday. Thanks for the info Pradeep. Will update the thread after the Darshan.

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

We are actually going on Friday. Thanks for the info Pradeep. Will update the thread after the Darshan.

To do 800 Kms on a single day would probably be tiresome. This includes approximately 220 km of single road driving. Even if you manage to drive this distance, the co-passengers will be tired for sure.
Yes. Do carry dhoti with you. If lucky, you will be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum.

Since it's your family's first visit, why don't you make this trip a 2 day affair. There will be festivities inside the temple premises every evening, which you can witness.

Just to add- The Gooty-Pattikonda-Aspari-Adoni- Yemmiganur route is good as well. I have been to Mantralaya in this route about a month ago.
Watch out for the toll booth for the 2-lane road being constructed between Yemmiganur and Mantralaya.

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

To do 800 Kms on a single day would probably be tiresome. This includes approximately 220 km of single road driving. Even if you manage to drive this distance, the co-passengers will be tired for sure.
Yes. Do carry dhoti with you. If lucky, you will be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum.

Since it's your family's first visit, why don't you make this trip a 2 day affair. There will be festivities inside the temple premises every evening, which you can witness.

Appreciate the suggestion but we have a function on Saturday in bangalore that we have to attend. Am getting an off from work on Friday hence the urge to go and return on the same day. But you do make a valid case of the co-passengers getting tired. Am considering renting room for a couple of hrs to allow my parents some rest before starting back for the return journey.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Appreciate the suggestion but we have a function on Saturday in bangalore that we have to attend. Am getting an off from work on Friday hence the urge to go and return on the same day. But you do make a valid case of the co-passengers getting tired. Am considering renting room for a couple of hrs to allow my parents some rest before starting back for the return journey.

My recommendation is (in case you MUST return on the same day), start as early as possible, drive safely and it will take 6-6.5 hours to reach Mantralaya. Do have the afternoon prasada served by temple. After that you can start at your own time since even if you start at 2PM you can easily reach back by 9PM with a single break in between.

One point to consider though, Hyderabad highway has hardly any places to stop for food and bio breaks as well. So make sure you reach around Gooty at around 7-8AM so that some of the hotels around might be open by that time. This is especially true when you have people along with you.

If you can spend more time at Mantralaya, visit on Friday and return on Sunday since on Friday you can get the temple accommodation relatively easily.

Disadvantages of taking the usual Gooty-Adoni-Yemmiganur road:
1. The road is slow since goes through villages, one railway crossing that usually consumes 20-30 min (if lucky you may pass quickly).
2. Badly broken road under a railway track at village Tuggali (this is not a very serious concern but that area is always filled with very dirty water and is quite deep to pass through, I hate it the most)

Advantages of Veldurthi-Laddagiri-Kodumur-Yemmiganur road:
1. Fast road (it is very narrow at places) but relatively less villages and you spend more time on NH-7. Longer route though.

Recommended route is Veldurthy.

Regards,