[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by MX6

You are welcome. We thank you for the travelogue you put up.
It was nice to see the sunrise photos. Unfortunately the cloud cover marred the glorious sunrise. Nowadays it's difficult to catch a perfect sunrise/ sunset (with no clouds, just the sun and water).
And don't worry about less responses. Just that there's been too much travelogues posted by too many members. 3 days I'm away and when I logged in I see 16 unread travelogues!
I'm pretty sure that when someone plans a trip to Kodai/ KK etc, first thing they'll do is dig up your travelogue and start leaving comments.

I also agree on the point, that people can start using your post as a infobase. I must confess that i still have not completed reading the full travelogue, am only reading in parts..

I am planning on a trip to Kodai on April 2nd to 5th and already have queried Pramod on the road conditions, weather etc.

[neo45007]

Excellent photos & info.

Cheers !

[gajadonga]

Last week I had been to a place called Nambiyur near Gobichetipalayam.As suggested by MX6 the road from Chithode to Sathyamangalam is good road.As I was coming from Banglore towards Gobi at Chithode the approach road from the highway towards Gobi is not ready and so I had to go into Chithode town and the cross over to Gobi road.

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by dreamdiesel

On the same West Perumal Maistry street there is Sabari's Vegetarian Restaurant. Very good veg food. The meals served during lunch is very good. Highly recommended. Not sure about dinner.

Nice pictures pramod. Did you get confused about where you left your footwear at the temple?? We had a hard time looking for the entrace where we had left our footwear as the temple complex is pretty huge and can be confusing.

We are planning to drive to Kodai & Madurai very shortly & this will be my first visit to the Hill station & temple.

I want some advice as to :

1) If i am not staying in Madurai, where can i park my car when i go to visit the temple ? ( couple of hours i suppose)
2) Will it be possible to enter by one gate in the temple and come out of the same gate. So that the footwear problem can be sorted out.
3) Dream diesel, you have mentioned Sabari's restaurant. Is this place accessible by car & is it near to the temple ?

We intend leaving Kodai after breakfast and visit the Madurai temple and then proceed for lunch. We plan to leave for B'lore after lunch, so that we can reach by here before late night.

The above should be possible na ? What do you think ? any suggestions / opinions are welcome.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

We are planning to drive to Kodai & Madurai very shortly & this will be my first visit to the Hill station & temple.

I want some advice as to :

1) If i am not staying in Madurai, where can i park my car when i go to visit the temple ? ( couple of hours i suppose)
2) Will it be possible to enter by one gate in the temple and come out of the same gate. So that the footwear problem can be sorted out.
3) Dream diesel, you have mentioned Sabari's restaurant. Is this place accessible by car & is it near to the temple ?

We intend leaving Kodai after breakfast and visit the Madurai temple and then proceed for lunch. We plan to leave for B'lore after lunch, so that we can reach by here before late night.

The above should be possible na ? What do you think ? any suggestions / opinions are welcome.

1. You can always park the car in the railway station car parking. It's a nominal fee. Then take a rickshaw from there to the temple. Very close by. The charge should be 30 - 35 rs.
2. Ask the rickshaw to take you to fund office (of hindu fund office). That's the closest place from where it's 10 mins walk to the temple. Don't leave your footwear with the people who wait to sell you puja items. They'll surround you. Ignore and walk to the free govt authorised chappal stand. Note which tower you go in by. If it is fund office then you are on West Chithirai street. The tower is Melagopuram (west tower).
Note this. Enter in, and while walking out, ask for Melagopuram and walk out. For first timers, the vastness of the temple can be confusing. But once you are familiar, you can navigate with eyes closed. I can't explain the topography of the temple. But you let me in, I walk like a clockwork precision in and out and never get lost!
3. I'd suggest Modern Cafe for lunch once you are out of the temple. It's 10 mins walk from Melagopuram again. There's nothing to beat the quality of Modern cafe. A fat bellied cop outside melagopuram urges people to go and eat there. He states that it's like his sasural (mamiyar veedu / Mother in laws place). His belly stands testimony!

[pramod]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

I want some advice as to :

1) If i am not staying in Madurai, where can i park my car when i go to visit the temple ? ( couple of hours i suppose)

If you are taking a lodge/hotel, its better to leave the car in the hotel and take an Auto for 20Rs to the temple.

2) Will it be possible to enter by one gate in the temple and come out of the same gate. So that the footwear problem can be sorted out.
It is possible and thats what most people do. And there is a Tamil Nadu tourism run Chappal/Shoes counter who provide you with a Token once you leave ur footwear with them. Its a proper system. No worries on this front.

3) Dream diesel, you have mentioned Sabari's restaurant. Is this place accessible by car & is it near to the temple ?

We intend leaving Kodai after breakfast and visit the Madurai temple and then proceed for lunch. We plan to leave for B'lore after lunch, so that we can reach by here before late night.

Kodai to Madurai is 117 Kms and would take close to 2.5 Hrs.
Please keep in mind that, the temple closes at 11.30 AM. And also it is going to be roasting hot at that time. Better arrive at Madurai for lunch, rest for a while, arrive at temple at 4 PM, spend a good 3-4 hours at and around the temple vicinity and finally have dinner at any hotel of ur choice and end the day with some cotton sarees shopping for ur better half, at any of the innumerable Madurai cotton handloom shops around.

The above should be possible na ? What do you think ? any suggestions / opinions are welcome.

Let me know what you think.

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by pramod

Let me know what you think.

I was thinking Kodai to Madurai is around 55-60 kms and should take about an hour and half, so had planned like that.

We wanted to do Madurai temple without actually staying in Madurai. Now
with your inputs, that seems difficult. We wanted to check out of kodai after breakfast, visit Madurai temple and then leave for BLR.

The above program feels a little overcrowded. Have to think and discuss the same with my folks also and then do a re-think.

Thanks Pramod for the valuable info provided..

[ampere]

Originally Posted by MX6

1. You can always park the car in the railway station car parking. It's a nominal fee. Then take a rickshaw from there to the temple. Very close by. The charge should be 30 - 35 rs.

3. I'd suggest Modern Cafe for lunch once you are out of the temple. It's 10 mins walk from Melagopuram again. There's nothing to beat the quality of Modern cafe. A fat bellied cop outside melagopuram urges people to go and eat there. He states that it's like his sasural (mamiyar veedu / Mother in laws place). His belly stands testimony!

Modern is really good. Modern and Aarthy were two places, where I ended up most of the times. There is one more place which is famous. I used to call it Mami's Mess. These are messes run different people for working guys, who want home food. Though not for tourist, become these places may not be easy to spot.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

I was thinking Kodai to Madurai is around 55-60 kms and should take about an hour and half, so had planned like that.

We wanted to do Madurai temple without actually staying in Madurai. Now
with your inputs, that seems difficult. We wanted to check out of kodai after breakfast, visit Madurai temple and then leave for BLR.

The above program feels a little overcrowded. Have to think and discuss the same with my folks also and then do a re-think.

Thanks Pramod for the valuable info provided..

What's the point in waiting in Kodai for Breakfast. Start off from there after morning tea.
If you leave Kodai by 7 am, you reach Batlagundu by 8:30 for breakfast.
Drive over to Madurai railway station by 10 - 10:30 am, park your car there and proceed to temple immediately.
Take the 100 or 15 rs coupon for quicker darshan.

Seems you've missed my post just above pramod's.

[mpksuhas]

Pramod and MX6 thanks a lot for your reply regarding route. Will take the sathyamangalam route as you were saying I guess. Planning the trip for April 2 long weekend. Will update regarding latest road condition once back from that.

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by MX6

What's the point in waiting in Kodai for Breakfast. Start off from there after morning tea.
If you leave Kodai by 7 am, you reach Batlagundu by 8:30 for breakfast.
Drive over to Madurai railway station by 10 - 10:30 am, park your car there and proceed to temple immediately.
Take the 100 or 15 rs coupon for quicker darshan.

Seems you've missed my post just above pramod's.

Yes, sorry MX6, i totally missed your post. Thanks so much for all the info provided to me.

I was thinking on the same lines as to leave Kodai early and try to have breakfast at Madurai before visiting the temple. Have a quick darshan, finish lunch and start to BLR. Only thing is we will have to do the drive from Madurai to BLR in the blazing afternoon sun.

I will keep in mind the Modern cafe and look out for the policeman. Any good hotels you have in mind in Batlagundu for breakfast ?

thanks again for all the info..

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by pramod

MX6 --> Thanks.. Will post that snap again with a rotation.

raghu, ramsagar, mjyothi, sriswe, -- Thanks!

smartcat --> When used to brake and then proceed for most of the journey , keeping in mind the long journey we had ahead. But while travelling back from Madurai to Bangalore, the traffic was too much from Salem to Bangalore, where i HAD to get down the road on the left edge and overtake.

anekho, srikanthpotluri --> Check the times i logged while travelling to Kodai. The road is great all the way to Kodai/Madurai.
Salem doesnt have bypass. The NH7 goes thru city. Hence it is a bottleneck for sure.
Near, Karur, 1 flyover is incomplete. Hence u will lose 5 to 10 min in Karur town.

Bangalore - 5.30 AM -- 00
Hosur NICE junction - 6.00 AM -- 22.4
Hosur - 6.20 AM -- 39
Krishnagiri -- 7.25 -- 93.2 ( with 25 min break at A2B)
Salem -- 8:50 AM -- 210

Namakkal -- 9.25 AM -- 265
Karur Bypass -- 9.55 AM -- 300
Off NH7 to Kodai -- 10.47AM -- 376
Right turn from NH45 to SH156 -- 11:58 -- 420 (with 15 min Tea break)
Kodaikanal -- 1.30 PM -- 475 (break at 2 waterfalls)

You have mentioned that Salem doesn't have a bypass, so, then we need to ask the localites for the turnoff / directions for Namakkal ?? Are there any markers / signboards / directions marking the turnoff ?

I am not conversant in speaking Tamil, hence the apprehension. In BTW Krishnagiri, Namakkal does have bypass roads right ?

[pramod]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

You have mentioned that Salem doesn't have a bypass, so, then we need to ask the localites for the turnoff / directions for Namakkal ?? Are there any markers / signboards / directions marking the turnoff ?

Rajesh -- I had misunderstood the Bypass to be the highway going through the city, as it was very crowded.
Salem does have Bypass and you need to keep conitnuing to drive on the same 4 lane road. No diversions watsoever.
You will come across 3 big intersections (circles) when you enter the Salem bypass. After crossing all the 3 intersections, you will drive out of the salem limits, towards Namakkal.
There is no confusion whatsoever on the whole stretch till Kanyakumari

[ampere]

Originally Posted by pramod

Rajesh -- I had misunderstood the Bypass to be the highway going through the city, as it was very crowded.
Salem does have Bypass and you need to keep conitnuing to drive on the same 4 lane road. No diversions watsoever.
You will come across 3 big intersections (circles) when you enter the Salem bypass. After crossing all the 3 intersections, you will drive out of the salem limits, towards Namakkal.
There is no confusion whatsoever on the whole stretch till Kanyakumari

You will see the NH47 diversion. NH7 will continue along the same road.

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

I am not conversant in speaking Tamil, hence the apprehension. In BTW Krishnagiri, Namakkal does have bypass roads right ?

Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Salem have bypass roads. There are very good signages to guide all along the NH 7 - no need to ask anybody for directions.