[Torque123]

Guys, i am supposed to attend a wedding in Chidambaram on December 18th. Planning to leave Bangalore on the early hours of Dec 17th. Will be travelling with family (wifey and daugter who is just 10 months old). So want to make sure the travel would be a pleasure.

The routes that i know of are:-

A) bangalore-Krishnagiri-tiruvanamalai-tirukkoyilur-panruti-chidambaram
B) b'lore-Krishnagiri-tiruvanamalai-tirukkoyilur-Vriddachalam-chidambaram

Please advice which route is the shortest and has the best road conditions. I do not mind taking a route which is more by a few (~20-25 kms) kms if the road conditions are good.

Please let me know if there is any other route to Chidambaram apart from what i have mentioned which has good roads provided its not going to increase the distance a lot.

[ampere]

Panruti option is better compared to Vridhachalam.
TVMalai -Tirukkoilur road is also good.

[thalavoy]

Agree with @ampere. Except that, pray the roads are restored after the heavy flooding that happened last few days.
I had gone to Kumbakonam and the road between Vadalur and Sethiyarthope was cut.
In fact, the ideal and good route would be (after Panruti) Panruti - Vadalur - Kurinjipadi - Buvanagiri - Chidambaram

Another alternative is to go Thiruvannamalai - Thindivanam - Pondicherry - Cuddalore - Chidambaram (about 30kms longer and no smaller towns)

[ampere]

Originally Posted by thalavoy

Agree with @ampere. Except that, pray the roads are restored after the heavy flooding that happened last few days.
I had gone to Kumbakonam and the road between Vadalur and Sethiyarthope was cut.
In fact, the ideal and good route would be (after Panruti) Panruti - Vadalur - Kurinjipadi - Buvanagiri - Chidambaram

Another alternative is to go Thiruvannamalai - Thindivanam - Pondicherry - Cuddalore - Chidambaram (about 30kms longer and no smaller towns)

I would say the first option you mentioned (via Buvanagiri ) is much better. The Pondicherry route slows you down terribly.
This apart from driving on NH66 for a longer distance! Also traffic on Tirukkoyilur is much lesser compared to the one on NH66.

[ravib]

@Torque123,

I want to caution & remind you about 2 things:

1) Which ever route you take, the Krishnagiri-Tiruvannamalai stretch is at its worst possible condition and is going to kill your time.
Since you are traveling with your 10 month old daughter, you got to be really slow due to the number of potholes (some are craters) and hence please plan your time accordingly.

Enough discussions and posts are there in B'lore-Tiruvannamalai & B'lore-Pondy threads. I hope you have gone through them, if not please do so.

2) After the heavy rains in last 10 days in south TN, the coastal roads towards chidambaram would have got damaged badly. I don't expect they will get rectified in next 15+ days, so this is also a point for you to consider.

In any case, feel good that you aren't going in summer time

-Ravi

[ravib]

I just saw in Google maps, there is another possible route (obviously its bit longer).

B'lore - Krishnagiri - Salem - Attur -Vridhachalam - Bhuvanagiri - Chidambaram

We know well B'lore-Salem (200 kms) is too good and can be done in 3.5 hrs easily without breaks.

Experts can tell, how good is NH68 from Salem to Chidambaram (~183 kms) via Vridhachalam. You may want to consider that option as well, if the roads are good. (Total ~400 kms)

This route adds ~50 kms more compared to B'lore-TVMalai route (which is ~350 kms) , but you can guarantee 50% of roads are 4 Laned.

-Ravi

[ampere]

Ravi, NH68 is horrible. Also long planned 4L work has destroyed traffic more than getting it completed! Its been long due, since it was announced, but never has been completed. As a result what I hear is they have dug up the road and its become even more difficult to drive to Attur.

Attur to Vepur (exit on NH45) is good/decent SH as per what Srikanth mentioned (I think so).

[Torque123]

Thanks a bunch for the suggestion ampere, thalavoy and ravi. I am planning to take bangalore-Krishnagiri-tiruvanamalai-tirukkoyilur-panruti- Vadalur - Anaivari - Buvanagiri- chidambaram.

Please tell me what might be the approximate distance if i take this route. Can i assume it will be ~ 375 kms one side? I would also like to break the journey between tirukkoyilur and chidambaram if the baby feels uncomfortable. Please let me know if there are any good hotels to stay overnight in that area.

[ampere]

Some part of Nh66 (Krishnagiri-TV Malai) can be avoided. You can drive on NH46 till Bargur. Get off the Madras Highway and go to Tirupattur.

From there drive to Singarapettai. (You add 15Km more, but I guess I guess SH would be better NH66).


Attached the link:

Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu to Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps

[slakhs]

I did Chidambaram - Cuddalore - Panrutti - Tirukoyilur - TV Malai - Bangalore last month.

TVMalai - T'Koyilur is very good except neat the two towns. In fact a KM in TVMalai was horrible.

T'Koyilur - Panrutti is not good, some good sections with some bad sections andmostly average sections, that too before the rains. I would prefer TV Malai Pondi - Cuddalore route inspite of the traffic.

For Krishgnagiri - TV Malai, going via Barugur - Thirupathur - Singarapettai is a better option but we will still regret the remaining 40 odd Kms from Singarapettai.

Regards
Slakhs

[crazydrives]

Hi friends
Can anybody suggest an itenary to cover Chidambaram,Tanjore etc in 3 days from bangalore. Let me please know the best route that can be taken.

[pareshraheja]

Hi,
Need to do a quick one day official trip from Bangalore - Cuddalore on 16 Sep 2011.
Will be returning the same evening.
Recent users of this section kindly suggest which route to take and how is the current road condition considering the monsoons are on.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by pareshraheja

Hi,
Need to do a quick one day official trip from Bangalore - Cuddalore on 16 Sep 2011.
Will be returning the same evening.
Recent users of this section kindly suggest which route to take and how is the current road condition considering the monsoons are on.

If you go via Tiruvannamalai:

Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Bargur-Tiruvannamalai-Tirukkoilur-Panruti-Cuddalore.
(Road around Tiruvannamalai would be bad).

Bengaluru, Karnataka to Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps

If you take the good roads: (~430 km). I wont advice Tiruvannamalai while coming back. Take the road via Tindivanam/Vandavasi/Arcot and on NH46 (GQ).

Bengaluru, Karnataka to Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu - Google Maps

[pusako]

Guys,

Planning to do a Bangalore to Chidambaram trip soon. Thinking of driving down the Salem --> Attur --> Virudhachalam route. Would anyone know how this stretch is ?

Any alternate routes would also help. Will drive down in a Punto.

Thanks!!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by pusako

Guys,

Planning to do a Bangalore to Chidambaram trip soon. Thinking of driving down the Salem --> Attur --> Virudhachalam route. Would anyone know how this stretch is ?

Any alternate routes would also help. Will drive down in a Punto.

Thanks!!

Try the Karimangalam-Harur route to Tiruvannamalai.

Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Karimangalam-Morappur-Harur-Tiruvannamalai-Tirukkoiyilur-Panruti-Vadalur-Chidambaram


Route: link