Renu, Author at Travel Duo

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One Day

Renu on August 22, 2019

We have been to Tirunelveli twice so far, including the recent road trip for 5 days from Bangalore. Tirunelveli, capital city of Tirunelveli District, a beautiful city adorned with the Thamirabarani river. Here listed are the places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day from our travel experiences.

Whether you are planning on a luxury trip with family or a holy trip, this guide will be of help to explore the tourist places in tirunelveli district.

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One day

There are not many places to visit inside the Tirunelveli City, except for the ancient Nellaiappar temple. The best tourist place in Tirunelveli district to spend time with family and friends, and to have fun are Manimuthar, Papanasam and Courtallam.

Sightseeing places to see in Tirunelveli districts are given below in detail.

This list is a combination of tourist places like waterfalls and dams, and famous Hindu temples.

The Ancient Nellaiappar Temple – The Most famous tourist place in Tirunelveli

The main tourist attraction in Tirunelveli is the ancient Nellaiappar temple, a famous Lord Siva temple. This temple is one of the pancha sabhai sthalam, a must visit temple for its majestic build on a 14 acres land, with the unusual large mandap for goddess parvati.

It will take a minimum of an hour to cover the entire temple, even more time on important occasions.

Must see / specialties inside this majestic temple:

The big ornamental mandap for Goddess Parvathi
Thamirachabai (Copper) mandap of Lord Natarajar
Lord Ranganatha near to the main sactum of the Lord Siva
Beautiful view of temple pond next to Goddess Parvathi mandap
Kubera Lingam
The temple Elephant

Note: You can find Iruttu Kadai halwa shop just opposite this temple’s main entrance. A small shop, open only in the evening for 2 hrs, popular for its renowned wheat halwa since 1900’s. You can only buy a maximum of 2kgs of halwa per person.

Tiruchendur Beach and Temple

Another historical places in Tirunelveli district is Tiruchendur. With the distance of 53 km towards east of Tirunelveli, Tiruchendur is famous for Lord Murugan (Subhramanya swamy) temple. Devotees take a dip in the beach before going inside the temple. You could also travel to Kanyakumari for beach and sunrise view, since this post is about places to visit in Tirunelveli, I am suggesting Tiruchendur.

Places to Visit in Tirunelveli In One Day — Srivaikundam bridge on the way to Tiruchendur

Manimuthar Dam and Waterfalls, Manjolai Hills, Kalakad Tiger reserve

With the distance of 46 kms towards west of Tirunelveli, Manimuthar dam and forest waterfalls are one of the must see places in Tirunelveli district.

You would need one whole day only to see these 3 places – Manimuthar dams and waterfalls, Majolai estate and Kalakad tiger reserve.

Here are the pics from our drive from Tirunelveli to Manimuthar dam.

famous places in Tirunelveli — Thamirabarani river view near Manimuthar dam

Manimuthar dam - sightseeing places in Tirunelveli — Manimuthar dam

Papanasam Agasthiyar falls

Papanasam is located 60 kms west of Tirunelveli, famous for Agastiyar falls and Lord shiva temple. Agastiyar falls is just 20 mins drive uphill from Lord Shiva temple, a beautiful small waterfalls with a scenic view.

There is no entry fee at the forest check point, but only at the waterfalls checkpoint. Agasthiyar Waterfalls is open for visitors from 9am to 5pm only.

Courtallam Falls and Thenkasi

About 35 kms from Papnasam and about 75 kms from Tirunelveli Via Alwarkurichi road, Courtallam is yet another famous tourist destination in Tirunelveli district.

Usually the tourists take a dip in the holy waterfalls before going to the nearby Kutralanathar temple, a Lord Shiva temple.

Drive 6kms from Courtallam falls to reach Thenkasi, is famous for the Ulagamman temple, one of the temples with the largest Gopurams in Tamilnadu.

Tirunelveli to Courtallam road trip — Courtallam falls

Tenkasi temple pics — Tenkasi Kasi Vishwanathar temple Gopuram View

Sankaran Kovil

Sankarankovil, situated at 56 km away from Tirunelveli City. It was built by Ukkira Pandiyan AC 900. It houses the deity by the name Sankara Narayanan, which is half – Lord Shiva and the other half – Lord Vishnu. (Source – Wikipedia)

You could also visit Srivilliputhur Andal temple, one of the famous 108 divya desam temples, located 45 kms from this Sankaran Kovil.

Srivilliputhur Andal temple – Places to visit from Tirunelveli in one day

These are the top places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day, if you are planning for more than one day, you could combine with Madurai and Kanyakumari.

Where we ate – Restaurants in Tirunelveli

Best Veg Restaurants in Tirunelveli

Well, I have only 2 suggestions if you are looking for vegetarian places to eat in Tirunelveli.

For vegetarian food choices, we went to Hotel Aarya’s where we had all our breakfast during our stay in Tirunelveli. The best part is we just had to cross the road from the hotel where we stayed, and they were open until 11am with both alacote and buffet service. There were limited food choices for breakfast but variety of choices for dinner, including chinese.

Another good restaurant in Tirunelveli is Annapoorna Hotel and Sweets, with variety of organic food menus for tiffin and snacks. We liked their service and cleanliness. Food prices compared to Aarya’s was lesser but the quality was no lesser than them. Also a good place for evening snacks, tea, coffee and juices. You could even get Madurai famous jigarthanda and arabic grape puply juice.

We had snacks and tea here when we traveled to Papnasam, you can find the restaurant link below.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/z28FYBtrCchThWRT9

Read – Places to visit in Papanasam with Distances (Rivers, Waterfalls, Dams and Temples in Papanasam)

Those two are my top choices if you are roaming the tirunelveli city for one day. Feel free to comment below if you have any suggestions.

Best Non Veg Restaurants in Tirunelveli

The only restaurant we have ever been in both our trip was – Hotel Vairamaligai. It is one of the good non-veg restaurants in Tirunelveli with maximum number of reviews in google. We had dinner once here, food quality and quantity was good. We also loved their fast services. Even the parking area was huge given their location in the middle of the hot city. What we didn’t like here was the ambiance and very noisy atmosphere. Otherwise it is worth the try.

Where We Stayed in Tirunelveli

Of the 5 days road trip from Bangalore, we have stayed 3 days in Tirunelveli. We stayed in MNH Hotels, a decent stay with all the amenities in the main city. Also we were happy to get the good deal for the price way below our budget. Even though MNH hotels had inhouse restaurant with both veg and non-veg food choices, even room-services, but we preferred eating outside.

Sum- Up

Tirunelveli is well connected by roads, railways and air connecting the nearest cities. There are not many interesting places to visit in Tirunelveli in one day, so I have listed all the other famous places in Tirunelveli district. If you want to spice up your travel, you could extend your stay in Kanyakumari or Madurai, another interesting travel destinations to look around.

Note – Only in the recent times we started travelling places by Car. Otherwise we are hardcore bike riders, love to ride bike to far places.

The highest distance we traveled was 450 km from Bangalore to Kumbakonam in one day.

In the year end of 2017 and 2018, we took off from work only to ride bike for 11 days and 12 days respectively. Apart from those long bike rides, we have also been on numerous one day and two day bike trips to many places from Bangalore.

For the Love of Food – Gosh!! We Rode Bike for 50 mins to Eat Breakfast Here

Renu on August 11, 2019

On 10th August, Saturday morning, for the love of food, we rode bike for about 50 mins from our home to the Instagram famous place called “Siva Prasad Tiffin Centre”.

Is it really worth that long ride? Let’s find out.

For the Love of Food – Ride to The Best Budget Breakfast Combo In Bangalore

If you are a food lover, who loves to eat idly, dosas, vada, semiya upma (shavige bath in karnataka), poori masala etc., for breakfast then this place is just for you. If you are a food lover, am sure you may have guessed this place just by seeing the pic. And you definitely wouldn’t need an intro for this place, yes?.

Well, I am food lover too, and I get to know the best places to eat wherever we travel by following food bloggers in social media and youtube.

Any places we travel to, I plan to accommodate best reviewed restaurants in our travel itinerary.

(Here is an example of one such trip where had best mutton biryani in Vellore in our 2 days road trip).

Sometimes we plan our pit stops and take a little extra time to enjoy the local famous cuisines mentioned by the food bloggers.

So for the love of food – a good tasty food, we wouldn’t mind giving that little extra effort in our busy schedules.

That is how we went to one such place called “Siva prasad tiffin centre” famously tagged by many food lovers in Instagram. It is located in Gavipuram Extension, Kempegowda Nagar, Bengaluru.

Find the location – https://goo.gl/maps/z3MCXDfhtSFsjMiC7

About this Tiffin Centre:

A small eatery shop, no greater than any street food shops in bangalore, became famous for its quality breakfast choices, especially for this combo.

We rode bike about 50 mins to reach the destination from our home, on saturday morning around 10.30 am.

Google maps directed us to a small eatery, with a very friendly billing person on the counter, I reckon the owner of this shop.

Contrary to the much popularity on Instagram, we found only a couple of people eating near the eatery. Since no provisions to sit and eat, it was more like a street food experience.

Thankfully, the breakfast combo was available even well past their serving timings.

So, here comes the combo of veg breakfast – a good scoop of each of the following items:

Kesari bath – sweet rava kesari to begin with
Kara bath – Rava upma with lots of green chillies and coconut, kinda sweet too
Avalakki bath – Poha upma
Uthin Vada – Urad dal vada
Bisi Bele bath – Sambar Rice
Coconut chutney to go with all the above items

Since we reached late, instead of usual veg methi pulao we accepted sambar rice which was getting prepared for lunch.

The quantity was more than sufficient for 1 person and the coconut chutney makes a nice side dish for all the varieties.

I would rate 3.5 / 5 Stars for the overall taste, quality, cleanliness and presentation on a clean banana leaf.

List of Other Foods with good ratings in Siva Prasad Tiffin Centre

Not just the combo, I am giving the list of other food items which has got good ratings and reviews in social media and google.

Tatte idli with vada, chutney and sambar
Mangalore buns
Special dosas only on sundays
Poori and Sahu
Ragi mudde (ragi balls)

Conclusion – We loved the food, It was worth the ride

For a small eatery with clean ambiance, the food quality was above par. We got to taste many breakfast items in one plate for just 60 rupees. So it was worth the ride for just this one time for the love of food and temptations built by Instagram. But we would not be going back again and again that far. Just a one time experience.

If you ask me, is there any place I would travel very far again and again for the taste of food, then my answer is yes.

Yes, I will go very far, that too across the state, to taste the best vegetarian – south Indian breakfast items in a place called “Shri Krishna Inn”. This vegetarian restaurant is by far the best place to eat in Bangalore – Salem highways.

In these many years we traveled by bike and car across the Bangalore – Hosur, we never missed even once to eat here. We love all their food items, and the best quality one could ask for. Because we are not fans of much hyped – overly priced food items like Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Sree Saravana Bhavan, etc.,

And almost in all my travel articles, I mention the best places to eat, to benefit the readers.

So, Shri Krishna Bhavan – this where you can see hundreds of bikers stop at very early morning on sundays. We love their food, ambiance, nearby Mcdonald’s for coffee, gas station etc., everything.

If you are interested to see what I am talking about, click here to see clicked during our road trip to Vellore.

And our second favorite is in Bangalore – Tirupathi highways, where we went bike trip exclusively for eating the best chinese sizzlers (kolar trip link here).

Back to our breakfast story, after we finished the breakfast combo, on the we stopped at Hatti Kaapi for one of the best coffee house in Bangalore.

Finally we traveled back home with tummy full and a happy mood.

Yoga Pulp Juice Review – The Colorful, Less Sugary Packaged Fruit Juice With Alovera

Renu on August 1, 2019

I am writing this Yoga Pulp juice review after consuming it on and off for 3 months now.

I purchased almost all the flavors in the nearby supermarket and we both loved it.

More than me, my husband liked this drink very much, you know. It is very light when consumed and does not tingle the tongue due to its less sugar content. Also it has small crunchy alovera pieces in it, doesn’t taste funny when chewed, and almost invisible to the naked eye.

Comes in attractive packaging and colours, brand name “yoga pulp juice” promotes healthy living concept with the caption “Health is an inside job”.

This small wonder comes in many flavors and combinations with aloevera, for examples litchi and aloevera, kiwi and aloevera, strawberry and aloevera etc.,

Note – at the end I have given link to check these calories in Myfitness Pal

Yoga Pulp Juice Review

Yoga pulp juice claims to be healthy with catchy brand name and captions, with attractive colours and now available in all the urban super markets. It comes in small 200 ml cute plastic packages, as a “ready to serve” drink. Also available in 1 litre packages. Here is the yoga pulp juice review for all the 7 flavors.

Pros of Yoga Pulp Juice-

Attractive flavors combination.
Small travel friendly bottles.
Pocket friendly prices.
Good to carry to the gym for a quick energy supply.
Cute for kids lunch bag.
Sneaking some goodness (like aloevera) into children’s diet of all ages.
Comparatively healthy alternative : Less sugar drink compared to the all other sugar overloaded fruit juices and aerated drinks.

Cons of Yoga Pulp Juice-

Packaged in a plastic bottle – unsafe for human consumption, could be poisonous and cancer causing due to long storage in plastic containers.
Colorful and addictive: With attractive colors from attractive colouring agents and flavouring agents, makes us get addicted easily.
Contains Class II Preservatives: Preservatives are the chemicals used in improving the shelf life of the product.
All nutrients are removed during juicing process – without any exception, all these “healthy” packaged drinks undergo various procedures where all the healthy vitamins and minerals are lost.
Packaged drinks are not good for daily consumption – Unlike the fresh juices, packaged juices if consumed daily will bring many health issues – like heart diseases, obesity, diabetes etc.,
High in Trans fats and refined carbs – both of them are not good for our health.

Who else in the Market Just like Yoga Pulp Jucie?

If you think marketing “a healthy fruit juices with alovera in it” is a unique selling point of Yoga pulp juice, then there is someone else in the market with the same USP.

There is a twin sister in the market with the same USP, same attractive colors, targeting the same health market segment, called “Alo Frut”. They even have Mango and Orange flavours fused with Alovera Juice. It caption says, “Healthy Hai… isme alovera hai”. In translation it says, “it is healthy.. This has alovera”.

So, these two brands positioned themselves as a healthy drink with alovera in it. But is that all necessary to make a healthy living?

I think not.

Final Review of Yoga Pulp Juice

Delicious and convenient drink, with healthy alovera chunks floating in the drink but overall not at all healthy when consumed daily.
Not a healthier substitute for fresh juices, but a good alternative for aerated drinks
Not a good choice for weight watchers and diabetic people

So, the only goodness I find in this “less sugary attractive drink” is the alovera chucks.

Am I going to buy this drink for small amount of alovera in it?

No sir, thank you.

I have my own alovera plants at home. We make fresh juices whenever we want it. I even make fusion juices sometimes with mint, lime and chia seeds.

On other days I like to drink seasonal fruit juices. My hubby’s all time favorite is Carrot juice. I make carrot juices with flax seeds and ginger in it, a rich in fiber drink, good for daily consumption and great for bowl movements.

Healthy balanced food — My Home Kitchen_Travelduo images

Healthy Alovera juices — Alovera Plant to make fresh fusion juices at home_Travelduo Images

I may buy yoga pulp juice rarely for convenience and for long travel purpose, otherwise it doesn’t makes sense to buy them for daily consumption.

Note: For the weight watchers, you can click this My fitness pal link to see the calories in the Yoga pulp juice.

Two Day Trip From Bangalore to Vellore and Kanchipuram (Best 2 Day Trip by Car)

Renu on July 27, 2019

We went on Two day trip from Bangalore by Car to Vellore and Kanchipuram. This was our first road trip to Vellore. Otherwise, we have been to Kanchipuram once in 2017 and once in 2018.

Foremost, The ultimate destination of this trip was to go Kanchipuram for Lord Athi Varadar Darshan.

We chose to stay in Vellore because of 2 reasons. First, no good restaurants in Kancheepuram, and Second, we have never been to Vellore before.

Day 1 of Our Two Day Trip From Bangalore to Vellore and Kanchipuram

(a). Starting From Bangalore, Eating Breakfast In Soolagiri, Reaching Vellore

We were bike riders all these years. We recently started going by car to places, especially from the second quarter of 2019.

I’m loving car driving for the comfort and luxury. But it is no match for the thrill and fun in riding the motorbike.

Rajesh too feels the same.

By 5.30 AM, on 21st July, we were all set to go with packed bags and swollen eyes.

Why Krishna Inn in Bangalore Highways is Our favorite?

We stopped for breakfast in our all time favorite restaurant in Bangalore – Salem Highways. Krishna Inn, at Shoolagiri, the best South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant in Bangalore highways.

It is a bliss to eat Pongal with Udin Vada (urad dal) with freshly ground coconut chutney and freshly made sambar.

Another specialty of this restaurant is that its favorite pit-stop for all the motorbike riders.

It has become a ritual for those riders to stop here before they head on to the destination. Rajesh engaged a conversation with one of the riders to know whether they are part of some riders community group, where they are heading to. We came to know that those people are not part of any such community, its just happening for few years now. Some are super-bikes, some are thunder-birds, some are regular bikes. Most of them are individual riders with full gear on, cool to watch them parade as early as 7.30 AM, that too on sunday.

We watched them for half an hour over coffee from McDonalds.

best place to eat in bangalore salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant — Best Place to Eat in Bangalore Salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant

two day trip near bangalore, best place to eat in bangalore salem highways — The place where bikers meet in Bangalore – Salem highways to eat the best taste and quality south indian breakfast

Two day trip from bangalore by car, best place to eat in bangalore salem highways — Best Place to Eat in Bangalore Salem highways, Shoolagiri Krishna Inn restaurant menu list

bikers meet in Bangalore highways restaurant called Krishna Inn — Bikers meet in Bangalore highways restaurant called Krishna Inn

bikers meet in bangalore salem highways, at Krishna Inn restaurant — Bikers parked infront of McDonalds

Now it is my turn to drive the car. We took the Bangalore to Chennai Highway, arrived Vellore 11 AM.

Just before we stopped at Sai Sangeeth in Bangalore – Chennai highways, best place for toilet, bad choice for food and shopping.

saisangeeth restaurant in Bangalore chennai highways

We reached a little earlier than planned because it was a smooth, non-stop carefree ride in the National Highways.

(b). Visited Jalakandeswarar Temple in Vellore Fort

We went straight to Jalakandeswarar temple inside Vellore fort. Parked the vehicle (fee 20/-) nearby temple, went inside walking in the piping hot sun. Spent about 45 mins, had good darshan, spent time in the ornamental mandap right before we left the place.

The specialty of this temple is that it is built in the middle of the water tank of about 8000 sq.ft. (from wikipedia).

two day trip from bangalore to Vellore, Vellore Jalakandeswarar temple main gopuram view_travelduo images — Vellore Jalakandeswarar temple main gopuram view_travelduo images

(c). Check-in At the Hotel Khanna Fiesta

After a brief time in temple, we came to our pre-booked hotel, The Khanna Fiesta.

We took a rest for sometime, before we headed to Kanchipuram for Athi Varadar Darshan.

We knew it would be crowded from what we saw in the media, so we didn’t allow us to enjoy the luxury, but for a short period.

(d). Lord Athi Varadar Darshan In Kanchipuram

Soon after lunch from the same hotel, we reached Kanchipuram by 4pm.

Vellore to Kanchipuram distance is 70 Kms, again the road was good, lucky us.

Ater a walk of 8 kms in a slow moving que, it took us 3.5hrs to darshan Lord Athi Varadar in the sayana kolam (sleeping posture).

We returned the same evening to Vellore to our room with the rumbling stomach around 9.30pm with hardly any energy left from driving and walking alternatively. Had dinner at the hotel, thanks to the ground floor veg restaurant kept open at that time.

Day 2 at Vellore – Golden Temple, Shopping and Return to Bangalore

(a). Room Check-out, Wasting 2 hrs In Vellore Golden Temple at Sripuram

We had almost missed the complimentary breakfast sleeping in until 10 AM. Soon after breakfast we had to check-out, hit the road to return home. Since we had already planned to visit the Golden Temple, we headed straight there.

The facts you need to know about Vellore Golden temple

The temple is located at the Sripuram village, about 8kms from the centre city Vellore
You have bus and auto facilities to reach here
Things like bags, shoes, mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside.
There is a paid counter to keep all of them safe (we kept all in the car)
After submitting all your belongings, keep the best attitude with you all the time
You enter the temple gate directly if you have 100/- ticket, otherwise go walk for 2 kms to reach this point. Abishegam tickets extra.
After personal screening at the temple gate, you will be allowed inside.
You would be walking for more than 1km from the security gate to darshan goddess Lakshmi, a small idol made of 10 kg of gold. (There are wheelchair access at this point available for disabled and elderly people). Everything is money here. I did not buy anything here, I did like anything particularly.
That’s not it. The main attraction of this place is something else. That is a very big fantasy golden mandap of goddess Sri Lakshmi Narayani which is 1500 kg gold, adorning the majestic idol of goddess.
Vsit Lord Balaji on the way back to the same gate, comparatively much shorter distance while coming out.

(b). Eating Mutton Biryani In one of the famous Non-veg hotel in Vellore

After coming out of the temple, we headed to have lunch in the same hotel Kanna fiesta. On the way we stopped for a short period in Pachayappa’s silk for some shopping experience. Not liked anything particularly. We changed our mind, had lunch in one of the most famous non-veg restaurants before we headed to Bangalore. This non-veg restaurant suggestion from one of the youtube page I follow, here is the link of the hotel review on youtube page.

And sharing some pics from our experience.

The specialty of this Hotel Jyothie is, they serve biryani with lots of pieces in it. We ordered half mutton biryani each and 1 natti chicken fry to go with it, it was sufficient for us. Biryani and fry was moderately spicy with good taste.

It is a small mess with limited seating capacity located right next to the Vellore bus stand.

Sharing the price list in the pic below.

two days trip to Vellore from Bangalore, best place to eat non veg in vellore — Mutton Briyani And Natti Koli Fry, Hotel Jyothie Vellore

two days trip to Vellore from Bangalore — Jyothie briyani menu and price, best Non veg restaurant in Vellore

(c). Best Snacks and Tea on Chennai – Bangalore Highways

Next stop after lunch was “Coffee Bistro” on Chennai Bangalore Highways.

We had no clue what a cool place it was until we stopped and tried their freshly made pakoras and bajjis.

We sat under the neem tree, had snacks with tea, enjoying the view.

I strongly suggest this place for pit-stop with clean toilet facilities in Vaniyambadi, On Chennai – Bangalore Highways. Click the link for the location.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6bNrkptzCxDzAUSh6

This coffee shop is right next to the Vegetarian Restaurant “Sai Akshyam” , you cannot miss it.

A clean eatery with vehicle parking and a great view, the – best place I suggest.

We spent about good 45 mins before we continued our road trip.

best place to eat in bangalore chennai highways — Neem tree view in Coffee Bistro – Best Pit stop for freshly made bajji and pakoras.

Best place for snacks and tea, with toilet facility in bangalore chennai highways — Neem tree view in Coffee Bistro – Best Pit stop for freshly made bajji and pakoras.

When we have been to trekking to talakona – the highest waterfalls in Andhra Pradesh, we had no hotels around that area. Though the waterfalls and trekking made the trip cherish-able only if I exclude the trouble we had finding good eateries around Talakona.

So good food equals good trip. Always.

Clearly this was a best trip.

Overall Road trip Experience From Bangalore to Vellore

The return journey was also smooth and comfortable. We reached home around 9.30 pm, had cooked dinner at home before we retired for the day.

The highlight of this two day trip from Bangalore to Vellore is –

Lord Athi Varadar darshan in Kanchipuram, a moment of glory in our humble history
The silky smooth, non-stop, carefree drive from Bangalore to the Vellore and Kanchi city
Good food choices in the Vellore city and on the Bangalore highways.

Compared to Kanchipuram, Vellore is a sophisticated city with tall buildings, apartments, good transport and railways connectivity, and many good restaurant choices.

We fell in love with the Vellore immediately, we also planned to make a second trip in the same year soon.

Soon we will be making another Two day trip from Bangalore to Vellore.

Go Karting in Bangalore – GRIPS in Kanakapura road

Renu on July 26, 2019

If you are looking for the best place for Go Karting In Bangalore – I would suggest a place called GRIPS in Kanakapura main road. Well, we have been a couple of times before we go on for a cup of coffee in Rasta cafe.

Grips – Go Karting and Bowling is located on the Kanakapura Main road Bangalore, about 22kms distance from our home.

On any unplanned weekend, we would start from home after breakfast in best veg restaurant near me – Krishna Kuteera, have set dosa or poori or veg pulao before we head on to Kanakapura road.

After 22 kms of bike ride, around 10.30 am we will be in GRIPS – Go Karting and Bowling.

Here is the google map link of the Go karting bangalore location https://goo.gl/maps/7echDiMFFiktB5ts8

Go Karting in Bangalore – Timing and Packages

Grips is open from 10 am to 6pm on all days (You can confirm on website before you go, but it is open on weekends for sure

There is no entry fee for the visitors, but here are the charges for Go Karting

For 6 Laps:

160 cc – 250 rupees

220 cc – 350 rupees

270 cc – 500 rupees

I have always gone for 160 cc ride. Sometimes it’s fun to ride along the kids who are fearless and adventurous sport. In 2017 it was 200 rupees, now they have increased the price.

We have never been for bowling, we prefer to go Bannerughata Meenakshi mall or Gopalan mall for bowling, which are the nearest best places for us.

And for the beginners – there is always a demo you can ask for, you can sit beside the driver and see how it is done.

And even if you don’t know how to drive a car, it is not a big a deal to ride in Go Kart.

Now for a good cuppa coffee – we head on to Rasta Cafe in Bangalore – Mysore road, next to Bidadi.

Rasta Cafe – Eat, Relax, Drink and Play

A 24/7 cafe located in majestic 3 acres in Bangalore – Mysore highways. It’s the best place for one day trip in bangalore for couples or friends. Also the best hangout cafe after a long bike ride for with good parking and toilet facilities.

Find the location here https://goo.gl/maps/2LFvHz42MgzKnjyq5

We are not a big fan of any food here, and any food ordered takes a minimum of 1 hr to reach our table.

You could play the pool table until your food arrives, or simply watch the tv and relax. We just go around for a walk around the trees, around the parking area clicking some pics and have coffee before we return home.

Read – How to Make Best Black Coffee at Home

I have very few pics to share here, you could find some best pics in the internet.

Bangalore Highways - One day trip from Bangalore pics — Ride to Kanakapura Road – Bangalore Highways

Go karting Bangalore — Go karting and bowling in Kanakapura Road, Bangalore

Rasta cafe bangalore images — Rasta Cafe 24/7 best hangout place for bike riders

Rasta Cafe food menu list — Garlic bread and Nachos in Rasta Cafe, Bangalore highways

I wouldn’t say GRIPS is the best Go Karting place in Bangalore because you cannot expect any international standards like “Meco Kartopia” in Hennur – Balagur road. But it is a good choice for people looking for Go-Karting option in Kanakapura road, Bangalore.

Overall Go- Karting and coffee in Rasta cafe is a good combination if you are in game for a one day trip nearby Bangalore.

You Know Athi Varadar Perumal Raise Once in 40 yrs Only? – We did Darshan on 21 July 2019

Renu on July 25, 2019

Athi varadar perumal darshan road trip to Vellore, Kanchipuram

Athi Varadar – Lord Vishnu made of Fig tree, has raised from the temple pond on July 1st 2019 after 40 long years.

Athi Varada Perumal, 9 feet tall fig wooden idol is kept immersed in “Kanchipuram Varadaraja temple” Pushkarini (the temple’s pond) for 350 yrs, he raises out of pond once in 40 yrs.

Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple’s pond water was cleared to bring out the idol and placed in the temple mandapam for 48 days for devotees darshan.

There were footfall of lakhs of devotees every single day since day 1, to darshan Lord in the Sayana Kolam / Ranganathar Kolam (Lying posture). News is that the Lord will be placed in Nindra Kolam (Sri Venkatesa Perumal Kolam) in the last 10 days.

We were blessed to see him on Sunday 21st July 2019 in Sayana kolam, around 7pm, after waiting in que for 3.30 hrs, walked about 8kms from car parking to darshan.

We had planned for 2 days road trip from Bangalore to Vellore. On the first day we traveled from Bangalore, stayed in Vellore, traveled to Kanchipuram from Vellore for Athi Varadar Darshan. On the second day we visited Vellore Golden temple before we left to Bangalore.

Image Courtesy – Social Media

For Athi Varadar Darshan: How We Reached Kanchipuram From Bangalore

Bangalore to Vellore

We started on 21st July Sunday Morning by 5.45 am from our home by car. We had breakfast at our all time favourite Krishna Inn in Shoolagiri (Right next to McDonald’s in Bangalore to Salem highways).
Reached Vellore by 11am, had wonderful darshan in Vellore Shiva Temple – Jalakandeswarar Temple located inside the Vellore Fort.
We checked in at the hotel Khanna Fiesta around 12 noon, took a much needed break from long drive before we got ready to leave to Kanchipuram.
Then had a light lunch in the ground floor khanna Veg restaurant, before we started our travel to Kanchipuram.

Drive to Kancheepuram – Athi Varadar Darshan

We reached Kanchipuram before 4pm, parked our vehicle 1 km away from the Sri Varadaraja temple East gopuram. Left our footwears in the nearest shop, headed towards the gopuram entrance. We somehow had hope of getting special entrance for a fee, but we were told that there are no paid entrance, except for general que for all the devotees.
Joined the general que at 4.05 pm, walked among the flood of devotees, with the free biscuit pack and mini water bottle provided by the government service. There were lots of people running among the crowd testing our patience.
And some were pushing and elbowing the people for a quick getaway, some lost temper and got into fist fights. But we stood in queue calmly to save energy for a long walk.
We reached the darshan mandap in 3.5 hrs time, had wonderful darshan of Lord Athi Varadar in the Sayana Kolam.
There was also a special que from the temple entrance for family with elders and kids. Also there was a special que for devotees with VIP tickets, god knows how we couldn’t get one. For all of them it only took 45 mins to reach Darshan mandap.
There was a live telecast of the pooja being performed to the Lord AthiVaradar. It kept the audience engaged for those long hrs of painful queue.
There was also a team of doctors camp for first – aid just in case.

Returning back to Vellore – The Reason for stay in Vellore

After Lord Athi Varadar darshan, we got back energy all the energy we lost standing /slow walking in the que. We came out of the temple (don’t know exactly which side of temple), walked for about 3 kms to reach the east gopuram to collect our shoes. Then again walked for about 1km to reach our vehicle parking.

We have book marked the vehicle parking area in google maps, so it was no trouble getting to the vehicle in the pitch dark.

Started the car and headed straight to Vellore, reached the stay by 9.30, with the rumbling stomach. Soon after reaching the hotel, we had dinner in the in-house Veg restaurant Called Khanna Veg Restaurant.

We didn’t want to eat in Kancheepuram from our previous trip experience. Wonder where people eat in this most visited pilgrimage place with footfall of lakhs of devotees all year round.

This was one of the reason for not choosing to book room in Kancheepuram, but even if we had tried we would not have got it in these 48 days.

Kanchipuram town is world wide famous for its unique traditional silk sarees. Kanchipuram is house for hundreds of handlooms for authentic and exquisite silk sarees manufacturing and retail sales.

Well, in both the visits in the past we have bought silk sarees from a famous shop. This time we didn’t plan for any shopping, our only intention was to get at least the glimpse of Lord Athi Varadar.

We were more than blessed to visit him on 21st july 2019, Sunday 7pm, a moment of glory with Lord Athi Varada Perumal.

“Food Street” VV Puram (Must try Shop 2 in the List )

Renu on July 17, 2019

This is the our story of visiting Food street VV puram in Bangalore and stuffing our faces with all possible favourite street foods.

I usually don’t prefer eating any street food, usually I prepare my own snacks at home (shared couple of pics here). You know, I’m glad we went street food hunting on that day, because I gained life time experience.

Why we have decided to Visit Food Street VV Puram

It is Saturday, 06th of July 2019. We have decided to spend the Saturday at home as we have big plans for the next day.

We woke up late, after fixing a simple breakfast for us, we spent time lazing around at home, watching TV, arranging wardrobe and books in cupboard.

Weather is too good outside as we can see it is drizzling in our open garden in the noon itself.

When it is raining, when I am alone at home, sometimes I just gaze at the rain on my open garden sitting in the balcony with a cup of tea or coffee. When we are together, I immediately make pakoras with this ready mix bajji powder – which my hubby loves it any time in a day.

Or Masala Maggie, or Veg Momos whichever I feel like making, depends on the mood and availability of the resources

We then sit on the balcony, eat pakoras or bajjis savour it with fresh coconut chutney, followed by a hot cup of tea or coffee.

But today, we are in a mood to go out to eat some real flavorsome food, street food preferably.

Here are some mobile phone images of snacks made at my home. And you can see my garden pic too, will upload more pics in the future.

So, this is how we spent beautiful raining evening in nothing but eating in one of Bangalore’s famous food streets.

What We Ate in the Famous Food Street Bangalore

If you are wondering where to eat best street food in Bangalore, I would suggest VV Puram Thendi Beedi (Food Street) to stuff your faces and fulfill your cravings for the junkie. It was absolute bliss eating all our favourites at one place especially in the rainy evening in Bengaluru.

After around 35 mins of bike ride, thanks to less traffic on Saturday afternoon, we have reached 1 hr earlier than it normally would take.

As usual with the help of Google maps, we reached the destination given the address “VB bakery, Sajjan Rao Circle, VV Puram, Bangalore”

We parked in front of VB bakery at the start of the food street, that is where the actual food street starts.

Since this is not shopping street, the streets are wide, enough place for the food lovers to stride up and down the street. All 2 and 4 Wheeler too can move freely in the street.

You could reach the other end of the street in under 30 sec, but one cannot eat all the foods in just one visit. If you are going with group of friends, then it is possible to try out all the famous dishes here in this colorful food street.

So we parked our vehicle, decided that we will come back to VB bakery for hot coffee or tea as a final touch just before leaving the food street.

Stop 1 – Chaat item, Masala Maggi and Potato Twister at Bangarapet Chat Express

Next to VB bakery, there is this organic sugar cane shop. Well we don’t want glass full of juice for a starter, nor it is a good idea to fill the tummy with water when we have planned for a feat. So, skipping the sugar cane juice shop, halted at the immediate next shop with the name board “Om Sri Vinayaga – Bangarapet Chat express”.

For Bangaloreans, the “Bangarapet chat” literally translates to “yummy, mouth-watering, delicious, scrumptious paani puri and chaat items”

Like any Chaat loving Indian would start, we too started with Masala Puri, followed by Veg masala Maggie, finished it with hot n spicy, mayonnaise sprinkled Potato twister.

The best quality food one can ask for (best quality in junk food, not guilty at all 🙂 )

We skipped eating pani puri, again for the same reason – we do not want to fill our appetite with any form of liquid food 😉

(Masala puri – 40/-, Masala maggie – 35/-, Potato twister – 60/-)

Bangarpet chaat shop – Masal puri in VV puram food street

Stop 2 – Chilli Bajji, Paruppu Vada and Bonda at Shree Swami Bajji Centre

We then headed towards the other end of the street, looking for another colourful, appealing, delicious, heavenly savoury to fill the rest of the stomach and taste buds.

definitely, we were not interested in any of those chinese foods or big buffet of dosas or lemon seva. (Another famous south indian dish – spring hoppers fried with onions and chillies, flavoured with lemon juice).

We stopped at the display of variety of bajji and bonda in front of “Shree Swami Bajji Centre”.

It looked heavenly and appealing, one minute we were confused about which one to go far.

We then bought my all time favourite Chilli bajji and his all time favourite Paruppu vada /daal vada and aloo bonda. (Total price 20/-)

Chilli bajji was decorated with lemon flavoured onions and chillies, paruppu vada was fresh and authentic.
I was literally longing to eat tasty chilli bajji since the time I ate one in our Yercaud Bike trip.

Chilli bajji and bonda in Food street VV puram

Stop 3 – Soft Mini Idlies and Dosa

By the time we finished eating in the bajji shop it was almost 6pm. We then had idlis and plain dosa at Rajesh’s favourite shop, which opens only by 6pm. Didn’t know the shop name, it is immediately next the bajji centre I mentioned above.

Thanks to the extremely soft mini idlis and Dosa with coconut chutney and Kara chutney – we decided to call it a day.

But then – my hubby couldn’t resist the display of Lemon seva, since we barely even able to walk, we decided to take lemon seva home parcel.

Stop 4 – Honey cake and Mini samosa From VB bakery

What’s the point of going to food street without visiting the old, authentic, famous – the one only VB bakery known for many freshly baked foods.

So, we bought Honey cake and mini samosas – fresh from the oven – take away for eating at home.

They have a wide variety of rusks, samosas, puffs, different flavoured cakes, birthday cakes, plum cakes, pumpkin cakes, vanilla tea cakes, breads, buns, biscuits etc.,

Honey cake take away from VB Bakery Food street VV puram

Stop 5 – Coffee at Brahmin’s

There are no coffee, tea available in VB bakery, so we came out of Food street looking for any coffee shops.

We saw “Brahmins tiffin” neat to the Sajjan Rao circle, one can not miss before going to the food street. Also there is a hindu temple opposite to the restaurant, adjacent to the circle park. By this time, it has already started drizzling, we enjoyed our coffee enjoying the street view.

Sum Up – Best Street Food for Feast in Bangalore

We spent one and a half hours, only ordering and eating food in Food street a.k.a Thindi beedi in VV Puram, Bangalore.

We have had some experiences eating famous street food in MG road, Shivaji nagar and Koramangala, because those are our favourite places in bangalore for shopping and eating. Sadly no pics to share in my gallery.

We are yet to explore other famous street food places in bangalore – Frazer town, Malleswaram, HSR layout, Vijay Nagar, etc.,

Our recent favourite hangouts for snack is Hari Super sandwich in jayanagar for Sandwiches and chaat, and for Non veg is newly opened Thalappakatti restaurant in HSR Layout, Bangalore.

Now, VV puram food street also added to our favourite eating out street food place.

Note: About the Food street Timing and Parking: –

Food street was already busy with people by the time 5pm when we were there and we were lucky enough to get the 2-wheeler parking inside the food street. Food street started buzzing around 6pm, so there was visually no place to park as it was totally packed. Or you could park somewhere near Sajjan Rao circle and walk to the food street.

Road trip From Bangalore to Nandi Hills: A Beautiful Temple You Don’t Want to Miss

Renu on July 17, 2019

In all our Road trip from Bangalore to Nandi Hills, We never miss to visit this ancient, beautiful temple named Boga Nandeshwara Temple with a breathtaking pond.

Many visit Nandhi hills to watch sunset.

Many go on one day trip from Bangalore to Nandi hills for adventurous trip, for trekking with groups.

Not all of them know about this ancient temple which is picture worthy from all the angles. The majestic pond is this temple’s highlight. One must visit this temple to witness the beauty and vast history behind its architecture.

Road trip From Bangalore to Nandi Hills

About Nandi Hills Temple

Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple is located at the foot of Nandi Hills Bangalore, approximately 15kms away. Not to confuse this temple with Yoga Nandeeshwara temple a.k.a Nandi Temple located on top of the hills. But there is a connection between these two temples which many of us don’t know.

These two temples together depict the different forms of Lord Shiva. From Childhood to adult married form depicted in Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple. Whereas final phase of “renunciation” is depicted in Yoga Nandeeshwara temple at the hilltop.

Since it represents a departure from the married life, there are no festivals celebrated in Yoga Nandeeshwara temple.

Note: This Nandi Hills temple is not the same “Nandi temple” in Mysore.

In Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple you can see childhood form as “Arunachaleswara” shrine located on the south, youth form located on the north. (Both are beautiful majestic Shiva Lingas with individual Nandhi guarding them).

In Between “Arunachaleswarar” shrine and “Bogha Nandeeshwara” shrine is the “Uma Maheswara” shrine where Lord Shiva is married to Goddess Parvati, sitting on their Vehicle Nandhi. You will be amazed looking at the ornamental pillars which are small but breathtakingly beautiful. Scroll down to see the pics below.

Temple Pond – Pushkarni Details

Also there is a Kalynai / Pushkarni (temple pond) adjacent to the temple, a very beautiful pond which attracts hundreds of visitors for its exotic design, artistic appearance and its cultural heritage. It is also called Shringi Theertha, Myth says that it was created by Nandi and it is also the source of South Pinakini (South Pennar) River.

Google Map Link of Nandi Hills temple – https://goo.gl/maps/B8H5bD394o1JENTi8

Pushkarni or Temple Pond in Bogha Nandeeshwara Temple

(Note: this pond pic is from internet search since it is beautifully captured than my mobile phone)

Update (14th July 2019) – Since last year we click pics from the Canon EOS 800 D DSLR camera we bought in 2018 for our long bike trip. Also we carried our personal phones whenever we couldn’t take out the DSLR or no space in luggage. Rajesh carried One Plus A6010, and whereas I carried Samsung galaxy S7. Got to tell you my Samsung pics were no good compared to the clarity of One plus. Decided that when I upgrade my phone, I would definitely go for the One plus only.

Road Trip From Bangalore to Nandi Hills – How To Reach

Nandi Hills Bangalore is the most preferred choice for one day bike trip destination by bikers.

It is such a beautiful sight to watch many bikers parading in small or big groups to Nandi hills.

With approximately 70 kms distance from Bangalore to Nandi hills, you have smooth NH 48 roads for seamless drive for the entire 2 hrs of drive. You might experience a slow traffic until Kempegowda Airport on weekdays, especially on Saturdays. Sundays are the most peaceful days.

The distance from Bangalore airport to Nandi Hills is 47 kms distance, which is the most greenery roads.

There are also bus facilities from Bangalore to Nandi hills, and from Nandi hills to Bogha Nandeeswara temple.

Thanks to “Archaeological survey of India”, this famous Nandi Hills Temple is well maintained all the times.

Riding to Nandi hills temple is always a pleasant experience. Once on the way to Nandi hills temple we spent time around the rose plantation, clicked some pics before we reached there.

Read – Kolar is another best place for one day road trip from Bangalore.

If you like to go trekking to far places from Bangalore, you could go either go Coorg or Talakona forest and waterfalls or Yercaud.

10 Things to do around Nandi Hills

After a couple of bike ride to Boga Nandeeshwara temple, we went one step ahead and visited multiple places far apart from this temple in one day.

On 5th November 2016, We went on One day bike trip to the very famous Lepakshi Temple (Anantapur District, Andra Pradesh) after visiting Boga Nandeeshwara temple. I suggest travelling to Lepakshi Temple, which is one of the best one day trips from Bangalore within 150 kms.

That day alone we rode bike for 300 kms on up and down journey. One of the memorable adventurous bike trips ever because we have traveled up and down two different states in one day. Good news is Lepakshi temple is just 76 kms away from the Nandi hills.

On 21st jan 2017, we went on One day bike trip to visit Sri Ranganathar Temple (Rangastala) and Boga Nandeeswarar Temple (Nandi Hills) in Chikkaballapur District followed by Ghati Subramanya Temple in Doddabellapur District. We rode 286 Kms on that day alone. Another memorable bike ride experiences.

Read – How to Travel to Hampi by Train From Bangalore.

Here are the 10 things to do Around Nandi Hills Bangalore

Watching sunset and going on a trek are the most common things people would do in Nandi hills, here are the other things you could do.

Ride to Bangalore to Bogha Nandeeshwara temple, spend time around temple and in the temple pond.
Go Watch Sunset in Nandi Hills top after visiting Yoga Nandeeshwara temple at the hilltop
Go trekking in Nandi Hills (join any organised groups for trekking to Nandi Hills with food and water provided)
Visit Sri Ranganathar Swamy temple in Rangastala, 11 kms away from Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple
Trekking in Avalabetta Hill, 46 kms away from Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple
Visit Lepakshi Temple in Anantapur district, Andra State, 76 Kms away from the Nandi Hills
Go visit Ghati Subramanya temple, 29 kms away from Nandi Hills
Go watch traditional dance at Nrityagram located 50 kms away from Nandi hills towards Nelamangala.
Visit Grover Zampa Vineyards, spend a day at grapes plantation in the Devanahalli road.
Or stay in Discovery Village resort in Nandi Hills, enjoy the weather, sunrise and sunset for 2 days, nothing but chill with the family or friends.

Road trip from bangalore to Nandi Hills — One day Bike trip from Bangalore to Nandi Hills images

Bangalore to Nandi hills — Nandi Hills temple – Bogha Nandeeshwara Temple images

nandi hills bike trip temple images — Nandi Hills temple – Bogha Nandeeshwara Temple images

Nandi hills bike trip images — Boga Nandeeshwara temple main entrance

Nandi hills bangalore images — Boga Nandeeshwara temple – Inside entrance to main sanctum

Nandi hills - Boga Nandeeshwara temple images — Nandi hills – Boga Nandeeshwara temple images

One day Bike trip from Bangalore to Nandi Hills images

Bogha Nandeeshwara Temple Nandi Hills Karnataka

As I mentioned earlier, road trip from Bangalore to Nandi hills is always a pleasant experience for us riding among agri fields.

One day trip or a short trip, Nandi Hills Temple is one of the best nearby places in Bangalore to visit on weekends.

Best Bluetooth Earphones Under 2000 rupees – We Used Regularly MotorBike Rides

Renu on July 16, 2019

We are long motorbike riders for a couple of years now. Would like to share my experience of the best bluetooth earphones under 2000 rupees which we have been using for quite some time now.

Why I love this “The Best Bluetooth Earphone” boAt Rockerz 255

We research and buy things which makes our journey beautiful and tension free. That is how we bought (well, my hubby gifted me) boAT Rockerz 255 Sports Bluetooth Wireless Earphone.

Since then this earphones has become part of our travel and life. 6 hrs of battery usage and excellent functionality making it as the best purchase.

Here is why I like this Bluetooth earphones under 2000 rupees for a long motorbike travel.

Cancel out noise – the most important feature for Travel

The one and only reason I have used earphones in all my life is to cancel out noise from the environment. I am extremely sensitive to external noises while I’m trying to focus on my studies or writing assignments and during sleep. I would not have survived 10 years of my hostel life without a pair of headphones.

I would for sure need earphones even when I am leisurely travelling and reading. So this earphone does the job perfectly cancelling out all the noises when we are riding a bike in highways. Not just cancelling out noise, listening to songs gives us the extra kick to ride bike non-stop to our destinations.

Long Battery Life – Listen to our favorite songs non-stop while on the go

We don’t hit the road without checking for the Bluetooth earphones in our travel accessories kit. There is no fun riding bike in the long boring highways without music blaring in our ears.

We do have a collection of songs in our gaana app especially for our road trips. Put on Boat earphone, connect to phone via Bluetooth, wear a helmet, wear driving gloves – we are all set to go mate!

Attend calls while driving

This is for my hubby who gets office calls on Saturdays. This is the best Bluetooth earphone during travel, to listen to music and also to attend calls. We can listen to songs non-stop for up to 6 hrs. For us it usually lasted the whole weekend trip. If we run out of battery, we charge it for 10 mins whenever we stop for a pit stop.

Hassle free Easy Handling and comfortable fit

Unlike the long cord earphones which often gets tangled and messy, this Boat earphone is super comfortable with short cord. It fits comfortably on ears underneath the rider helmet. And it is perfect enough length to reach out to adjust the volume and attend calls.

Best Investment on Bluetooth Earphones Under 2000 rupees

This was one of the best investments we made for our bike trips after the purchase of Bike saddle bag and a tank bag. Never regretting it till date. We spend more time researching and reading the reviews carefully before buying any product.

Also we wait patiently for the best discount on super value days from Amazon. And this product was one of the best buys we made.

Disclaimer : price may vary if you are not buying on super value days or seasonal /festival sale days).

Read – How to buy things from Amazon.in smartly.

Multi-Purpose Use

Not only for travelling or relaxing, I carry them to my office and gym. The product name itself says “boAt Rockerz 255 Sports Bluetooth Wireless Earphone with Immersive Stereo Sound”. Hence its a best buy to cancel out noise in the gym or travel or sometimes to office.

Sweat Resistant Certified best for gym

You know, it always gets sweaty underneath the helmet when riding bike for a long time. This sweat proof earphone is non-greasy from sweat, super comfortable for repeated long use. And easy to wipe and sanitize.

Not just for travel, I use the same Boat earphone for the office and gym. I listen to my own tracks in gym. Needless to say it is super comfortable for gym purpose plus it is sweat resistant for long durability.

And, I always make sure to wipe my earphones clean with the hand sanitizer and you should too. Thats the reason, I always keep hand sanitizer and face wipes handy during travel in my sling bag.

The best bluetooth earphones for bike ride, the best earphones for hassle free bike riding — Our MotorRide with Tank bag and Saddle bags – Tank bag to keep all the travel accessories for hassle free bike ride

So far this is the best bluetooth earphones under 2000 I have expereinced.

Click here to buy boAt Rockerz 255 in Amazon.in now.

Tirukoilur Temple: Famous For – Ulagalantha Perumal Temple and Veeratteswarar Sivan Temple

Renu on July 9, 2019

About Tirukoilur Temple – Tirukoilur is famous for 2 Hindu Temples. They are Lord Vishnu temple named Ulagalantha Perumal and Lord Shiva Temple named Veeratteswarar.

Tirukoilur is very small town with good road and bus facilities for travel with decent restaurant options. Bangalore to Tirukoilur distance is 237 Kms (Tiruvannamalai to Tirukoilur is 37 Kms), whereas Chennai to Tirukoilur distance is 205 kms.

From our frequent trip to Tirukoilur temple from the year 2015, we have enough information to share to the readers.

Hope this guide is useful to the the readers looking for Tirukoilur temple darshan timings, entry ticket, specialty about the temple, best place to eat etc.,

Tirukoilur Temple: Specialty and Darshan Timing

The famous Lord Vishnu Tirukoilur temple is called Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, also called as Thiruvikrama Perumal Temple.

The Specialty of Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Tirukoyilur

One of the 108 Divya Desams
Thiruvikrama Perumal Holds Chakkaram in the right hand instead of the usual left and conch (sangu) in the left hand instead of the usual right hand.
This is temple is one of the “Pancha Krishna Kshetram”. You could see Lord Krishna shrine on your right as soon as you enter the temple. It is also said that we pray to Lord Krishna first before we enter the main sanctum.
The extreme divine beauty of Lord Vishnu with one his left leg on the ground and right leg on the sky. Inside the sanctum you could see Ambal kneeled at his feet on his right side. There is another Ulagalantha Perumal Temple in Kancheepuram, but this idol’s beauty is beyond comparison.

Facts You Need to Know about Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Timings, Ticket fare and Darshan

After so many times of visiting Perumal temple, we know clearly what time we needed to be there for immediate Darshan.

Be wise to visit the temple only at the “Darshan timings”: The temple name board says temple opening timing is from 6.30 am to 12 noon and 4.00 pm to 8.30pm. Notice that it is the temple open time not the darshan timing.
We have not been to this temple as early as 6.30 am. But usually we enter temple by 11.45am, so we are first to darshan Lord Perumal soon after “uchi kala pooja” at 12 noon. Soon after this darshan, the temple closes.
And in the evening, if you reach the temple by 4.30, you are allowed to enter the temple but not the point beyond Kodi Kambam. There will be some guy sitting at this point restricting the entry of devotees until the evening pooja is complete.
Then devotees are allowed for evening darshan around 6.30 pm. So if you are early then you will be waiting until the pooja is complete.
Since this is a famous temple and Just an hr away from Aathi Annamalaiyar Temple – it is always crowded on all auspicious days. It is best to take 10 rupees special darshan ticket (more on auspicious days) when crowded.
You need to allocate 1 hr to 2 hrs for visiting this temple on crowded auspicious days. Otherwise 30 min sufficient on normal days like Sundays.
There is a point where the general que and the ticket que meets just before the main sanctum. This is where you can find “urchavar” idol on the right hand side – where you can do “archanai” (pooja ). Check in ticket counter for archanai tickets beforehand.
From this point devotees are allowed in batch of 10 -15 people inside main sanctum for Ulagalantha Perumal darisanam. You then exit the temple and head to Ambal Sanniti. Some people first pray to Ambal before visiting the main idol (not sure of the actual procedure). There are no special tickets to Ambal sanniti, you will be waiting in the general que however crowded it is.
Other deities in this temple are always remain locked (but sure can see them) except during brief pooja timings. Like Sri Lakshmi Varagan, Sri Lakshmi Narasiman, Sri Lakshmi Narayan, Sri Ramar sannithi etc.,
Lord Hanuman shrine is open on most of the peak timings.
You can make a donation or contribution to the temple welfare at the counter near the entrance.
There is good parking facility for 2-wheeler near both the gopurams of the Tirukoilur temple. But since there are lots of small shops, flower market and bus stand in the vicinity it is quite difficult for the 4 wheeler parking.

Other Tourist Places to Visit in and Around Tirukoilur Temples

In Tirukoilur: Veeratteswarar temple and Athulyanatheswarar Temple
Then Pennai River Bridge / Ponnaiyar river
Thiru Annamalaiyar temple, Tiruvannamalai town – from tirukoilur distance of 35kms
Aadi Thiruvarangam Temple – located 10 kms away from Tirukoilur on the way towards Tiruvannamalai town.
Villupuram
Pondicherry
Chennai

Above are the list of tourist spot near Tirukoilur, both short and long distances. Feel free to use google maps as a guide.

How We Reach Tirukoilur From Bangalore

Tirukoilur temples are well connected by roads from Bangalore, Chennai, Pondicherry, Krishnagiri etc.,

We take Krishnagiri – Chengam route to reach Tiruvannamalai from Bangalore.

Road trip: Bangalore To Tiruvannamalai

We start our bike trip from Bangalore on any Saturday morning around 7 to 8am. Stop to eat breakfast in Shoolagiri Krishna Inn right next to McDonald’s, the best restaurant in Bangalore -Salem highways.

We always stop at the same restaurant in all our bike trips, because we love the quality of food here. Also there is a McDonald’s and CCD for good morning coffee and neat toilet facilities.

Then we ride bike leisurely to Tiruvannamalai, reach around late noon after having lunch at Apoorva’s 50kms before Tiruvannamalai town.

Check in at the hotel, freshen up, ride to Annamalaiyar temple around 5pm for Darshan, then return back room around 8pm. Sometimes if we were not too tired we would stay back for the “Thiru oonjal sevai” darshan, just before the temple closes.

Road Trip: Tiruvannamalai to Tirukoilur

Following day, after long good night’s sleep we head to Tirukoilur temple, taking Tiruvannamalai to Pondicherry road.

We love to see the blossoms in the agri field and riding bike among the countryside is our all time favorite.

If we are on a time constraint, we skip visiting Adi thiruvarangam and Veeratteswarar temples. We head straight to noon darshan in Tirukoilur Perumal temple, followed by eating good quality South Indian meals at Hotel Aarya’s for just 60 rupees (located just opposite to the bus stand where all the buses exit).

You can also find some NV eateries – we never stepped there, our all time favourite is Veg restaurant Aarya’s. Must try “chukku kaapi” here. All kinds of South Indian breakfast items, lunch meals, chapati and parotta and in the evening chinese foods available here. So no worries fellas.

Next to Hotel Arya’s you can find medical shop and ATMs – just in case.

We love so much coming to Tirukoilur for Perumal temple, so we never missed coming here even on our 11-days long bike trip in the year 2017 and 2018.

This Is Where We Stay Usually

We usually stay in Sparsa Resort or Hotel Himalaya or Shree Sai residency in Tiruvannamalai. Eventhough little expensive on special days, I would rate Sparsa 5/5 for the room, food and ambiance. Shree sai is worth for the price with the inhouse Veg restaurant. Food and service is good here. We prefer Hotel Himalaya only when we run out of options.

There used to be a french style bakery in Tiruvannamalai for good quality baked goods and for coffee.

Our bad that they are closed since 2019. 🙁

We came to know about this bakery when we stayed once (just once, we will never ever go back here) in Bose compound. Since then we were frequent visitors to this bakery in all our Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai bike trips.

Also there is little shopping area near and around Tiruvannamalai temple for clothes, jewels etc., And plenty of restaurants for veg, nonveg food and snacks choices.

Here sharing some pics from our trip Bangalore – Tiruvannamalai – Tirukoilur trip.

Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Tirukoyilur Darshan timings — Tirukoilur Perumal Temple Darshan Timing

Bike trip from Tiruvannamalai To Bangalore — Tiruvannamalai Temple Darshan

Tirukoilur temple Pondycherry road — Bike trip from Bangalore to Pondycherry road, Tirukoilur

Scenaries in Pondycherry road — Bike trip from Bangalore to Puducherry road, Tirukoilur

Bakers street french bakery in Tiruvannamalai — French Bakery In Tiruvannamalai – Our Bike From Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai Photography

French Bakery in Tiruvannmalai — Bakers Street French Bakery In Tiruvannamalai – Our Bike From Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai

Bakers Street French Bakery In Tiruvannamalai - Our Bike From Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai — Our Favourite Shop for Coffee – Cappacino, Espresso and Croissant in French Bakery Tiruvannamalai

Note

Just in case if you are wondering how we travel in bike such far distance with the luggages, here is the pic. This is how we pack our stuffs in the saddlebags to ride carefree. We also have a fuel tank bag for keeping mobile phone chargers, power banks, hand sanitizer, coolers, DSLR and scarfs to protect from pollution and dust.

Bike trip from Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai and Tirukoilur — Travel Duo Bike with Saddle bags and Tank Bag

We love visiting to Ulagalantha Perumal Temple whenever we go on road trip to Tiruvannamalai. Feel free to comment your experience in the comment box below.

Update September 2020

Now we bought #AllNewCreta in 2020, here is where we went our first long drive.

FAQs

How to reach Tirukoilur From Chennai

If you are planning to come from Chennai to Tirukoilur, you can either travel by road or bus or train. There are frequent buses from Chennai, Katpadi, Vilupuram and Puducherry. If you are taking train train from Chennai, then take any train from Chennai to Katpadi, then take Puducherry express (train No. 11005, leaves at 2.50 noon), reach Tirukoilur by 5pm. Take a local bus or auto to Ulagalantha Perumal Temple or to Veeratteawarar temple to attend evening pooja at either of the temples.

Bus station is located very close to Ulagalantha Perumal temple, where as Veeratteswarar Sivan Temple is located on Theni Pennai river shore. It is about 5 min ride from Perumal temple by bike.

How to reach Tirukoilur From Bangalore

Whenever we plan 2-day trip from Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai, we always plan such a way to visit Tirukoilur temples.

We start on Saturday morning from Bangalore to reach Tiruvannamali in the evening and visit Tirukoilur temples the next day before returning back to Bangalore.

Again there are plenty of bus facilities from Bangalore central bus station and any major bus stops in the Bangalore city and also from Hosur to reach Tirukoilur via Tiruvannamalai. If you are taking any private volvo bus or KSRTC or TNSTC, board buses to Pondicherry, so you can get down at Tirukoilur.