[ampere]

Originally Posted by ravib

If i may add, while coming from Chennai, i suggest instead of crossing Ulunderpet and go all the way till V.Koot road to take left in NH532 and the drive further to reach Vridhachalam by pass,

Ravi, That's Veppur. V Koot Road is on Salem-Ulundurpet 4-lane. I already suggested the Veppur option.

My cousin drove via Anaikarai 2 days ago and still the traffic is allowed in both ways. So not a problem.

Even then I would prefer the Chidambaram-Sirkazhi option to Mayavaram. Too much traffic and not many open roads which is so the case with Sirkazhi/Karaikal.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by ampere

Ravi, That's Veppur. V Koot Road is on Salem-Ulundurpet 4-lane. I already suggested the Veppur option.



Even then I would prefer the Chidambaram-Sirkazhi option to Mayavaram. Too much traffic and not many open roads which is so the case with Sirkazhi/Karaikal.

Gotcha. My bad, i misread it. Yea, you are right, It makes sense to drive till Veppur in NH45 and take left to Vridhachalam by pass in 20 kms. Makes perfect sense !

-Ravi

[LandCruiser]

Originally Posted by ampere

The above in my opinion is best option, even though longer in distance.

Thanks Ampere. Good suggestion. Surely will try. Is the Cuddalore Chidambaram road so bad? In all the suggested route is 376 kms taking 7 hrs travel time compared to Cuddalore route which is 330 kms taking almost similar time.

I will be traveling with kids so want the journey to be less tiring. Preference is to reach Thirunallar before 11am so that I have time to visit the temple before 1pm.

Planning to rent a AT car instead of driving my manual Vento for this long distance.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by LandCruiser

Thanks Ampere. Good suggestion. Surely will try. Is the Cuddalore Chidambaram road so bad?

If not bad, surely fatigue inducing. Full of 2-lane and traffic. Plus traffic around Cuddalore is way too high.

I will be traveling with kids so want the journey to be less tiring. Preference is to reach Thirunallar before 11am so that I have time to visit the temple before 1pm.

All the more a reason to take the proposed route!

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by ampere

If not bad, surely fatigue inducing. Full of 2-lane and traffic. Plus traffic around Cuddalore is way too high.

I second that
Was travelling on this road by bike last Monday, and this small stretch really sapped energy, and I had to stop and rest under a tree and clear my mind before continuing. I think the unorganized traffic and the broken tarmac together drain energy like this.

[srikanthns]

I am trying to come to Kumbakonam from Trivandrum somewhere in First week of February. I plan to stay at our Guest house at Kavalkinaru, after Aralvaymozhi, 100km from Trivandrum and start afresh from there in Morning. Advice us please.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by srikanthns

I am trying to come to Kumbakonam from Trivandrum somewhere in First week of February. I plan to stay at our Guest house at Kavalkinaru, after Aralvaymozhi, 100km from Trivandrum and start afresh from there in Morning. Advice us please.

- 4-Lane till Tanjore via Madurai/Trichy.
- Last 50km till Kumbakonam on a 2-Lane.

[LandCruiser]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Any good eateries on this route for refreshments and also recommendations for stay overnight around Karaikal/Sirkazhi?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by LandCruiser

Thanks for all the suggestions. Any good eateries on this route for refreshments and also recommendations for stay overnight around Karaikal/Sirkazhi?

Look at Chidambaram for stay. They have more options in case you are open come to Chidambaram. As a bonus visit the temple too!

[srikanthns]

Originally Posted by ampere

- 4-Lane till Tanjore via Madurai/Trichy.
- Last 50km till Kumbakonam on a 2-Lane.

Since from Kavalkinaru, it will be a 300 plus km journey, is it better to stay at Kumbakonam or Tanjore? I plan to visit Oppiliappan temple and Suryanar koil, Thirunallar and Chakrapani temple in Kumbakonam itself.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by srikanthns

Since from Kavalkinaru, it will be a 300 plus km journey, is it better to stay at Kumbakonam or Tanjore? I plan to visit Oppiliappan temple and Suryanar koil, Thirunallar and Chakrapani temple in Kumbakonam itself.

If thats the case, Kumbakonam is perfect. (Sorry I got confused assuming you will be on your way back to Chennai! Hence suggested Chidambaram. Yes by all means Kumbakonam is ideal to break. Look at PLA Residency or Rayas or Sara Regency. All are good places.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by ampere

If thats the case, Kumbakonam is perfect. (Sorry I got confused assuming you will be on your way back to Chennai! Hence suggested Chidambaram. Yes by all means Kumbakonam is ideal to break. Look at PLA Residency or Rayas or Sara Regency. All are good places.

Rayas was pretty basic room wise and had a major problem with mosquitoes when we stayed there.

I haven't stayed at PLA residency but their PLA Krishna Inn property at Trichy is top class, and with some of the best food I've ever tasted.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by hserus

Rayas was pretty basic room wise and had a major problem with mosquitoes when we stayed there.

I haven't stayed at PLA residency but their PLA Krishna Inn property at Trichy is top class, and with some of the best food I've ever tasted.

My pick is Sara Regency. Very easy to get in and get out. I have stayed there couple of times. A bit on the higher side, but worth it. I hear that Rayas Grand is now also available (not sure about it).

[LandCruiser]

Made my trip to Thirunallar on 07-Jan.

Quick summary:

I picked the longer route via Chennai - Veppur - Vridhachalam - Chidambaram - Sirkazhi - Thirunallar. Most of the route was good except a 20km stretch between Vridhachalam and Sethiyathope. The road is being expanded here so currently it is in difficult conditions to drive, mostly filled with dirt and rock due to the ongoing work.

Roads from Sirkazhi to Karaikal are smooth but narrow and with lot of bends.

There was not much of crowed in the temple during this time of the year. It was easy to visit. On Saturdays the temple is open the whole day unlike week days when it is closed at 1pm and reopened after 4pm. This is important information for anyone that wants to travel here as you do not need to rush.

Trave time : Chennai to Thirunallar 7:30 hrs (from 5am to 12:30) including a detour to Vaitheeswaran Koil and temple visit (reduce 45 mins for stopping here)

Return time: Thirunallar to Chennai (via Cuddalore, Pondicherry) including a dinner break for 45 mins at Cuddalore Adyar Ananda Bhavan, 7 hrs (4:30 pm to 11:30 pm).

As we finished temple visit by 2pm, just visited Karaikal for lunch and a visit to the beach. Decided against staying and returned as I thought better to take rest at home the entire Sunday after returning home.

[venki.bala]

I travelled to Kumbakonam and I took the following route:

Chennai - Veppur - Vridachalam Bypass - Jayam Kondam - Andimadam - Gangai konda cholapuram - Meensuriti - Anaikarai - Kumbakonam.

This is the best route as of now with just a small stretch after jayamkondam bad. started from chennai at 12.30 PM and reached Govindapuram near Kumbakonam @ 6 PM with 2 stops @ Vikravandi and Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple. Numerous options for lunch till Veppur. After that facilities are very minimal. Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple is astounding.

Few more updates:
Kumbakonam - Mannargudi: Road is in decent condition till Alangudi after that is little bad.

Mannargudi - Thiruthuraipoondi: Horrible condition with lots of potholes.

Mannargudi - Muthupettai: Road is good. facilities none.

Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai: Road is good.