Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries

narayans80 · 16th May 2011, 14:17

Jeev, here's my update on Trichy-Dindigul 2 weeks back. For Kodai, Madurai is roundabout way, you might 100 odd kms more. IMO its not worth it unless you are clubbing along with Madurai. Take the NH45, only bottleneck might be Trichy city traffic.

EDIT: No idea about the Natham route. Have seen many diversions towards Manapparai, Dindigul during the 2-lane avatar of NH45B. Many of them have disappeared now though.

jeevmenon · 24th May 2011, 14:02

I fill up the tank in Chennai.

1. Whats the next best place to fill up on the way to Kodai?

2. Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy?

Or should I go till Dindigul?

3. Inside the city or on the NH?

4. How do I go from Kodai to Coimbatore?

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps

Route 1 - We did part of this on our way from Munnar to Kovai last Xmas.

Which one is advisable of the 3 routes in the above link?

5. How is the Kodai-Palani ghat road? blackstallion76 did it recently and has just a mention of good in a report I just read. 16th May. More details would be appreciated.

I am only interested in first hand reliable info from folks who have done/experienced the route/sections very recently - max in the past 3-4 months.

Thanks.

narayans80 · 24th May 2011, 14:41

Quote:

2. Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy?

Ulundurpet BP @ 197 km right side(this maybe little early, but this is the biggest one on this route)
BP COCO @ 285 km left side (seems like a new bunk. didnt see any crowd even at 730 pm)

All distances and directions are from Madras going south on NH45.

Palani-Udumalpet section of Route 1 is in mint condition.

All these are 3 week old infos, hope it helps !!

RJ555 · 24th May 2011, 14:48

Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy?

[/quote]

whenever i drive kodai i top the tank on a fuel station on the foot hills, after crossing vathlakundu the right turn goes to hills, this bunk is on the LHS after taking right... quality is also good...

pypkmsrikanth · 24th May 2011, 14:59

If you are filling up in Chennai you can opt to fill again at Trichy. You need to necessarily take the turn off to Jn. (marked near Hotel Grand Gardenia on Google maps) if you are to go via Dindigul so it makes sense for you to fill up either at Yashoda Agencies (BPCL) near the bus stand or IOC Pump on Dindigul Road.

It does not make sense for you to go inside Dindigul town as you would lose a lot of time better to stick to the bye pass and take the turn off to Vathalagundu. In case you do not refill at Trichy I suggest you opt for filling in any pump operated by the "Lorry Owners Association", they are always patronized by the truck drivers who are the best judges in my opinion of the pumps quality & quantity.

With regard to going to Coimbatore from Kodai the best route is to go via Udumalaipettai - Pollachi. But please keep in mind that the progress between Pollachi & Coimbatore is extremely slow. Road conditions are decent except at railway crossings which are in bad shape.

jeevmenon · 25th May 2011, 21:44

Thanks to all three. This helps. @pypkmsrikanth Is the route as showed in the map below? So take right at Hotel Gardenia and left at the circle of St John's Church and after that the IOC bunk at the left. What about the Yashoda-BPCL at the bus-stand? Where will that be? Is it on the left side?

Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries-chennaitodindigul.jpg

At Dindigul we need to take the Theni Road - NH45 to reach Batla? Not to take the NH7 to Kodai Rd. Correct?

Blue Thunder · 26th May 2011, 08:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeevmenon

2. Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy?

...

TVS-operated bunk on Trichy bypass...it comes on the left as you do Chennai-Kodai.

pypkmsrikanth · 26th May 2011, 11:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeevmenon

Thanks to all three. This helps. @pypkmsrikanth Is the route as showed in the map below? So take right at Hotel Gardenia and left at the circle of St John's Church and after that the IOC bunk at the left. What about the Yashoda-BPCL at the bus-stand? Where will that be? Is it on the left side?
At Dindigul we need to take the Theni Road - NH45 to reach Batla? Not to take the NH7 to Kodai Rd. Correct?

To reach Yashoda BPCL you need to go all the way to Jn. Bus Stand. It is just before Bus Stand on the left hand side. Basically you will have to pass the Dindigul Rd. turn off point go to the fuel station refill and then trace your way back to the Dindigul Rd. turn off.

With regard to your query on Dindigul byepass, watch out for the detour towards Theni - Kodai. You will have to get off to the service road take a right under the bridge to join the Theni road.

jeevmenon · 28th May 2011, 11:12

Thanks people. The last reply came in when we reached Kodai

Anyway...

We had started with a full-tank from Chennai. We just had a one time full-tank fill at BP-Mohammed Ibrahim when we left the NH (which became NH45B) at Trichy just before (left-side) we took the underpass right-diversion towards Dindigul. This one time fill was good enough till we reached Coimbatore where we are currently.

Answer to (4): Route 3 is excellent and we think should be the de-facto new route for people from Palani to CBE henceforth. Dharapuram-Palladam-Sulur-CBE perfect!

Answer to (5): One of our top drives - better than Valparai-Athirapally falls - we thought. Fantastic views, curves and bends. 14 hairpins. Great vegetation to the edge of the road.

YaeJay · 29th May 2011, 21:49

Any idea if the Palani Kodai road? is open? Has anyone done that route? I was wondering if I could drive up and down since I have to visit Palani. I have never driven up that road but heard its very scenic. Any information will be appreciated.

ampere · 29th May 2011, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by YaeJay

Any idea if the Palani Kodai road? is open? Has anyone done that route? I was wondering if I could drive up and down since I have to visit Palani. I have never driven up that road but heard its very scenic. Any information will be appreciated.

Check with Navin.Raju. He said its open and he did that recently.

Here is his TL.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...odaikanal.html

Blue Thunder · 29th May 2011, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by YaeJay

Any idea if the Palani Kodai road?...

Latest info about this route is in same page, above

. Please see posts no. 92 and 99. You have your answer.

leylander · 31st May 2011, 15:23

i would also like to confirm this. went 2 weeks back via this route in a tempo traveler with college friends at around mid night in this route. didn't face any difficulties at all.

iridium · 31st May 2011, 15:59

Drove from Palani to Kodai on May 20, 2011. Distance of 60kms.
We started from Palani at 8:10pm and reached Kodai at 9:45pm.
Road is good. If you do it during the day, the view is very good (Have done this during daytime earlier).

Regards
Iridium.

pypkmsrikanth · 8th August 2011, 11:14

Update on Trichy - Dindigul four laning: Except for about 10 kms from Trichy the 4 laning is almost complete including byepass for Manapparai, Vaiyampatti & Vada Madurai. There are about 3/4 diversions which are well marked. Took me exactly 90 minutes from Dindigul Byepass at Theni Turnoff to Trichy Jn. without exceed 90kmph. The stretch is now good enough for night travel as well in my opinion.

By the look of it the 10 kms stretch from Trichy would not be four laned, so we will have to wait for the connectivity between NH45 & NH45B. I am not sure of the status of the same as I did not see any work happening at NH45 side though I did see work happening at NH45B side when I had passed by a couple of months back.

16th May 2011, 14:17	#91
narayans80 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Madras Posts: 3,108 Thanked: 4,508 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Jeev, here's my update on Trichy-Dindigul 2 weeks back. For Kodai, Madurai is roundabout way, you might 100 odd kms more. IMO its not worth it unless you are clubbing along with Madurai. Take the NH45, only bottleneck might be Trichy city traffic. EDIT: No idea about the Natham route. Have seen many diversions towards Manapparai, Dindigul during the 2-lane avatar of NH45B. Many of them have disappeared now though. Last edited by narayans80 : 16th May 2011 at 14:22.
	() Thanks

24th May 2011, 14:02	#92
jeevmenon BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: TN07 Posts: 472 Thanked: 23 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries I fill up the tank in Chennai. 1. Whats the next best place to fill up on the way to Kodai? 2. Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy? Or should I go till Dindigul? 3. Inside the city or on the NH? 4. How do I go from Kodai to Coimbatore? Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps Route 1 - We did part of this on our way from Munnar to Kovai last Xmas. Which one is advisable of the 3 routes in the above link? 5. How is the Kodai-Palani ghat road? blackstallion76 did it recently and has just a mention of good in a report I just read. 16th May. More details would be appreciated. I am only interested in first hand reliable info from folks who have done/experienced the route/sections very recently - max in the past 3-4 months. Thanks.
	() Thanks

24th May 2011, 14:48	#94
RJ555 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 102 Thanked: 32 Times View My Garage	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Are there new bunks on the NH close to Trichy? [/quote] whenever i drive kodai i top the tank on a fuel station on the foot hills, after crossing vathlakundu the right turn goes to hills, this bunk is on the LHS after taking right... quality is also good...
	(2) Thanks

24th May 2011, 14:59	#95
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 283 Times View My Garage	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries If you are filling up in Chennai you can opt to fill again at Trichy. You need to necessarily take the turn off to Jn. (marked near Hotel Grand Gardenia on Google maps) if you are to go via Dindigul so it makes sense for you to fill up either at Yashoda Agencies (BPCL) near the bus stand or IOC Pump on Dindigul Road. It does not make sense for you to go inside Dindigul town as you would lose a lot of time better to stick to the bye pass and take the turn off to Vathalagundu. In case you do not refill at Trichy I suggest you opt for filling in any pump operated by the "Lorry Owners Association", they are always patronized by the truck drivers who are the best judges in my opinion of the pumps quality & quantity. With regard to going to Coimbatore from Kodai the best route is to go via Udumalaipettai - Pollachi. But please keep in mind that the progress between Pollachi & Coimbatore is extremely slow. Road conditions are decent except at railway crossings which are in bad shape.
	(1) Thanks

25th May 2011, 21:44	#96
jeevmenon BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: TN07 Posts: 472 Thanked: 23 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Thanks to all three. This helps. @pypkmsrikanth Is the route as showed in the map below? So take right at Hotel Gardenia and left at the circle of St John's Church and after that the IOC bunk at the left. What about the Yashoda-BPCL at the bus-stand? Where will that be? Is it on the left side? At Dindigul we need to take the Theni Road - NH45 to reach Batla? Not to take the NH7 to Kodai Rd. Correct?
	() Thanks

28th May 2011, 11:12	#99
jeevmenon BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: TN07 Posts: 472 Thanked: 23 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Thanks people. The last reply came in when we reached Kodai Anyway... We had started with a full-tank from Chennai. We just had a one time full-tank fill at BP-Mohammed Ibrahim when we left the NH (which became NH45B) at Trichy just before (left-side) we took the underpass right-diversion towards Dindigul. This one time fill was good enough till we reached Coimbatore where we are currently. Answer to (4): Route 3 is excellent and we think should be the de-facto new route for people from Palani to CBE henceforth. Dharapuram-Palladam-Sulur-CBE perfect! Answer to (5): One of our top drives - better than Valparai-Athirapally falls - we thought. Fantastic views, curves and bends. 14 hairpins. Great vegetation to the edge of the road. Last edited by jeevmenon : 28th May 2011 at 11:31.
	(1) Thanks

29th May 2011, 21:49	#100
YaeJay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: . Posts: 489 Thanked: 131 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Any idea if the Palani Kodai road? is open? Has anyone done that route? I was wondering if I could drive up and down since I have to visit Palani. I have never driven up that road but heard its very scenic. Any information will be appreciated.
	() Thanks

31st May 2011, 15:23	#103
leylander BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Tiruchirappalli Posts: 37 Thanked: 7 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries i would also like to confirm this. went 2 weeks back via this route in a tempo traveler with college friends at around mid night in this route. didn't face any difficulties at all.
	() Thanks

31st May 2011, 15:59	#104
iridium BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 101 Thanked: 10 Times	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Drove from Palani to Kodai on May 20, 2011. Distance of 60kms. We started from Palani at 8:10pm and reached Kodai at 9:45pm. Road is good. If you do it during the day, the view is very good (Have done this during daytime earlier). Regards Iridium.
	(1) Thanks

8th August 2011, 11:14	#105
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 283 Times View My Garage	re: Chennai - Kodaikanal : Route Queries Update on Trichy - Dindigul four laning: Except for about 10 kms from Trichy the 4 laning is almost complete including byepass for Manapparai, Vaiyampatti & Vada Madurai. There are about 3/4 diversions which are well marked. Took me exactly 90 minutes from Dindigul Byepass at Theni Turnoff to Trichy Jn. without exceed 90kmph. The stretch is now good enough for night travel as well in my opinion. By the look of it the 10 kms stretch from Trichy would not be four laned, so we will have to wait for the connectivity between NH45 & NH45B. I am not sure of the status of the same as I did not see any work happening at NH45 side though I did see work happening at NH45B side when I had passed by a couple of months back.
	(1) Thanks