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-   -   Bangalore - Chidambaram : Route Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/97493-bangalore-chidambaram-route-queries.html)

Planning to skip to Chidambaram this friday or maybe even tomorrow.

Google maps is suggesting 3 routes the shortest of these is

1. Puduchery Rd/NH 66 344 km <6hrs

Is the route via Thiruvanamalai, Thirukoyillur, Panruti good? Or do you folks suggest an alternative route with better roads?

Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru, Karnataka - Google Maps


Thanks

Route through NH66 between Krishnagiri and T'malai is in a bad state. You can go through Vellore - Polur - T'malai - Panruti - Chidambaram

I think there is no "good road" option today. If go to Vellore, that would quite a round about.
The shortest to Chidambaram is : Tiruvannamalai-Thirukoilur-Panruti-Neyveli-Chidambaram.

So somehow I think you will need to reduce the impact of Krishnagiri-Tiruvannamalai as Ramanan mentioned.
Only way I can think of is: Krishnagiri-Bargur-Tirupattur-Singarapettai-Chengam-Tiruvannamalai.

(You would still need to do Singarapettai-Chengam-Tiruvannamalai).

Tiruvannamalai-Thirukoilur is a very good road but getting on to this road from Tiruvannamalai (and actually finding this road itself) is a pain.

Thanks guys. I dont want to do the extra roundabout as I want to use that time in some planned activity.

You've mentioned the route beyond Thiruvanamalai is good. The short stretch from Krihnagiri looks manageable. After all I have a gypsy with high GC.

Its kinda late in the day to begin, but think I will head out now after a quick packing.

Now to search for a hotel...

Cheers

Make sure you dont do that stretch at night.

Not safe? I revised my plan to start by 7AM tomorrow.

Not getting any hotel bookings ... :(

Thanks for the tip.

Its not your safety, but safety of the car! Without your knowledge, you will end in potholes on NH66. That is the problem.

Yeah - some pot holes are real bad. Doing this road in broad day light will help in finding these holes & as well on-coming rude/ rash buses & trucks.

Ha! Ha! ok. That bad? I will post a report on the latest road conditions when I return. Maybe there was a miracle since the last time you went ? :D

update - roads krishnagiri to tiruvanamalai is totally abysmal. out of the 107 km in that stretch 80 KM is very very bad. returning thru vellore (from Pondy). hope i dont have to face similar 80km stretch.

Returning from Pondy via Tiruvannamalai and Vellore - heard that Kannamangalam-Vellore stretch also has bad roads, but bearable compared with the T'Malai-K'Giri sector.

Now that I remember, another option can be to drive till Dharmapuri and turn to Tiruvannamalai and reach via Harur.

I think this is good option for reaching Tiruvannamalai and then connect to Thirukkoilur.

This to me seems a good option. Avoids the horrible NH66.
Here is the route link:

Bangalore to Chidambaram via Dharmapuri


EDIT:

As I had written in some post earlier, I had driven to Sathanur dam from Tiruvannamalai, where one has to drive on the Dharmapuri SH before turning for the dam. The road condition looked pretty decent. So I think this road till Dharmapuri would be definitely much better than NH66. If any one knows about this, he/she can update the road status. The distance between Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai is about 120 Km.

Sad to that krishnagiri - Tiruvannamalai is in bad state.. Around a year back, when I did a bike trip from Bangalore to Rameshwaram, I went from Bangalore to Chidambaram via Krishnagiri - Tiruvannamalai - Pondy - Neyvilli. The road was pretty decent. I loved the countryside roads besides the scenic hills between Krishnagiri and Tiruvannamali.

Guys
I am back from the trip. Forget driving at night! Even in the day the real depth of the potholes is not visible, because the trees create a camouflage pattern of shadows on the road. Do not take this road!!

OT - Since I wanted to test the handling of my new Gypsy I took this road above 60kmph constantly the first 30 mins. Moreover after exiting the Highway I was in no mood for a bullock cart slow ride. My car was literally slamming into potholes with alarmingly loud thuds and in the air a few times. Any passenger would have screamed at the top his lungs and requested to be dropped off to follow in a bus. But thankfully I was alone and did not mind the jarring ride. This is really a road that cannot be taken @40kmph easily by any car, however I just let it fly to learn its capabilities. (Now I realize why it needs new shocks in the front - to reduce steering wobble). There is serious risk of loss of control with stock suspension. Soon about 30 mins later the sheer number of potholes tired me out and I slowed down to 40ish. By the time I was nearing Tiruvanamalai, I started feeling more like personally insulted at every bump and thud rather than feel weary or tired. My blood was boiling!! :Frustrati I tell you no road would have been better than the countless pot holes stitched together with bitumen!! Atleast my Gypsy would have shined in its mild off-roading role :D But this was sheer hell not remotely comparable to any kind of leisure off-roading.

Anyways back to the road conditions - it is appalling to see oncoming vehicles veer at you suddenly, as if they are thinking suicide and aiming for a head-on collision - until you realize the next second, they are snaking around pot holes. Same with 2-wheelers going ahead of you, suddenly turning almost perpendicular to you to swerve around pot holes. I had quiet a few heart-in-the-mouth moments until I got used to it!! Not safe at all. There are way too many pot holes to avoid and one cannot gauge their true force of impact on your car until they surprise you. Plan for 30kmph and a 90 min shaky journey on this road if you take this route.

On the way back from Chidambaram, I said no way I am sufferring that road again, and decided the Salem-Dharmapur-Krishnagiri route. Unfortunately at Vriddhachalam I took a wrong turn and headed via an almost equally bad road 3/4th the way up to Attur on NH68 (a straight westerly short cut to Attur rather than head north to meet NH68 at the junction of NH45). So I had to suffer another one hour of bone jarring ride even though I had set out to avoid it. The potholes here as as plentiful but not as deep as the NH66 ones.

From Salem the road is super however.

Thanks for the tip about the Dharmapuri route. Will try that next time.

Will attach some pics of general interest in a while.


--Ragul

You will need to get into Dharmapuri town (on to your left while coming from Bangalore) and ask the road to Harur or Tiruvannamalai. Though I have not done that stretch, but I feel it would be worth it.

NH68 is the evil twin of NH66 (as if 66 was less evil!). The route via Attur is pathetic. On top it I remember @Jeev Menon mention about it being 4 Laned. In the name of 4 Laning all they have done is dug up that road.