Wonder what this is? This is what the signboard reads as you start to head out ot Bangalore city towards Mysore.
Imagine this for a moment. Covering a distance of 120 kms in a little over 3 hrs. sounds interesting? Not quite right? Well.. this is how the Bangalore-Mysore road used to be couple of years back. A plethora of vehicles racing on the narrow 2 way stretch, and ofcourse the road-widening activity, the hold-ups etc. I always used to think twice, thrice before I got myself to drive down that road on weekends.
Then it all happened.
Well, it did not happen in a night, but when it happened, it happened for good. The narrow 2 way stretch gave way to wider, four-lane fast lane. What used to take a painstaking 3-3.5 hrs was considerably reduced. Now, one can cover the distance of 120 kms between the 2 cities in 2 hrs. Hows that ?
I had been thinking of writing this review for a long time now. Not sure of how to go about it. Not that I did not have ideas. On the contrary , I had many ideas but was not able to make a choice.
So here I am , having made my choice, presenting a review of the a ”Road frequently traveled”.
The distance between Chennai and Bangalore is approx. 340 km (GPO to GPO, that’s how distances are measured, right?). There are 2 prominent routes between these 2 cities.
Via Hosur and
Via Chittoor
Route no 2, is supposedly shorter as compared to Route 1. However, its half the width of Route 1. If you had asked me around 3 yrs back, I would have suggested this route rather than the first one. So, what is it that has changed in the last 3 odd years?Here’s the answer.
Route 1 which is a national highway is a part of the Golden Quadilateral that connects the four metro cities. So???
So, the advantage that this got is that the roads are broad and well-maintained.
The journey begins from Hosur road at the Silk board junction in Madiwala,
Bangalore. Till the time you cross electronic city (15 odd kms from Silk Board), the journey is all but fast, thanks to the traffic.
The traffic eases out once the EC junction is crossed. From here till the border of Karnataka/Tamilnadu takes only 20 minutes. Before you realize , you hit the industrial town of
Hosur. From here on , it’s a breeze. The stretch that I love the most is Hosur to Krishnagiri, which is a ghat section (not in the true sense, but relative). Its scenic and the best time to be driving on this stretch is in the early morning when the sun comes up in the horizon. From EC to Krishnagiri, it takes around an hour.( a distance of 70 kms).
Remember this is a toll road and there are 4 toll booths that one needs to cross (pay) to get to Chennai. The first toll is at Krishnagiri. Once you cross Krishnagiri, there is a deviation you need to take for Chennai(Dont worry, there are sign-boards). From here on , it’s the plains and one can just zip across comfortably at high speeds (I remember touching 150 on my Fiesta,later came down to 130 thanks to the stares from my family folks). The best part is that you would not want to take your foot off the gas pedal (accelerator), but at the same time , the landscape is too inviting not to stop. I remember stopping here and there to get a picture or two (some this-happens-only-in-india stuff too)
Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, lies this calm and serene place,Kemmanagundi.
About the place
Kemmanangundi is a great place to get away to at any time of the year - summer, winter and even the monsoons, a season that can be quite spectacular, with waterfalls gushing over and the trees on the hills wearing a sparkly rain-washed look. Driving up to Kemmanagundi, you are greeted by pleasing mountain scenery. The landscape is lush with forests and waterfalls that tumble down the rock face. One can find lots of walking trail through the woods that lead you to untrodden paths and quiet glens, where you can picnic, ramble and commune with nature.
This hill resort in the Baba Budan Hills was once the summer retreat of the Maharaja of Mysore, the Wodeyar King Krishnaraje Wodeyar IV, after whom the hill station is also named the K.R. Hill Station (KRHS).
Also it is believed that this was the place where Baba Budan planted the coffee seeds that he got from Afghanistan. One can find lot of coffee plantations as one drives up from Tarikere to Kemmanagundi.
Its been long time since I wanted to write abt this. Finally I get the chance. This is about a visit to the holy city , which is better known as the “City of Temples” , aka Madurai. The most famous temple which attracts tourist from all over the world is Meenakshi Temple.
Nestled in the southern part of Tamilnadu ,Madurai had been a centre of development activity. Its known for its rich history and also the patronage it received during the rule of the Pandyas and mighty Cholas. It was Cholas, notably Raja Raja Cholan who made a remarkable contribution both in the battle-field as well as in fostering the tamil literature (known as Sanga Tamizh). Most of the temple in Madurai were built during his reign. More detail about the history of this place can be found @ http://www.madurai.com/history.htm
How to get there?
Madurai is well connected by Road, Rail and Air.
Road: It’s a long way(450+ kms) off from Chennai and driving is not a sensible option over a weekend. If you want to try then the route is Chennai-Villupuram-Perambalur-Trichy-Dindigul-Madurai.
If you are travelling from bangalore, the route would be
Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai
Rail: This is the best option and there are quite a few trains through the day and night to get you to Madurai from Chennai. The distance is covered in 8 hrs.
Direct train is available from Bangalore as well. The distance is covered in 12 hrs.
Air: Air deccan and Paramount airways operate flights in and out of Madurai.
Once you are in Madurai, there are a couple of decent hotels that offer rooms at a very reasonable price. For a detailed listing of the hotels, try http://www.madurai.com/hotel.htm
Places to see
The first place people know and will visit in Madurai is the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwarer temple . If its sounds complicated, Meenakshi temple will do just fine. (more…)
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