Bangalore to Madurai Taxi

On the national spine

Unlike many outstation routes from Bangalore that wind through forests and ghats, this is a highway drive in the true sense. Once you are past Hosur, the road is wide and divided almost all the way, with bypasses around the major towns. That makes timings reliable, and it means you can choose your departure time to suit yourself rather than a checkpost.

Milestones on the way

• Hosur and Krishnagiri: border crossing into Tamil Nadu and the first good breakfast stop.
• Thoppur ghat and Salem: a short ghat section before Salem, the halfway city.
• Namakkal: home of a large standing Anjaneyar idol in an open-air temple, and a centre of the poultry and trucking industries.
• Karur: a textile town on the Amaravathi river.
• Dindigul: a hill fort above the town, and the turn-off for Kodaikanal and Palani.
• Madurai: entering from the north past Mattuthavani.

Day or night?

Daytime trips

Leave Bangalore between 4 and 6 am, have breakfast near Krishnagiri, lunch around Salem or Namakkal, and reach Madurai in the late afternoon. This gives you an evening for the temple, when the corridors are lit and the atmosphere is special.

Overnight trips

Leave Bangalore late at night and arrive in Madurai by early morning, ready for an early darshan. We assign a well-rested driver and plan a halfway break. This plan is popular with pilgrims who want to cover Madurai and Rameswaram on a long weekend.

A detour to Kodaikanal

From Dindigul or Batlagundu, the ghat road climbs to Kodaikanal in about two to three hours. Some travellers go up to Kodaikanal first and descend to Madurai a day or two later, turning the trip into a hill and temple holiday. The ghat has many bends, so mention it at booking; drivers experienced on the Kodaikanal road will be assigned.

Madurai as a base for the south

Madurai is the hub for southern Tamil Nadu, and many of our Bangalore travellers continue from here:

• Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, across the Pamban bridge to the east, for the Ramanathaswamy temple.
• Kanyakumari, for sunrise at the meeting of the seas and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
• Thiruchendur, a seaside Murugan temple on the Gulf of Mannar.
• Chettinad, around Karaikudi, for grand mansions and the famous cuisine.
• Srivilliputhur, home of the Andal temple whose gopuram is the symbol of the Tamil Nadu government.

A round trip with the same driver keeps it simple; the driver's allowance for overnight stays is built into round-trip pricing.

A temple city that runs late

Madurai is often called the city that never sleeps. Street food stalls stay busy late into the night, and the area around the temple remains lively well after dark. For first-time visitors, the evening palliyarai ceremony at the Meenakshi temple, when the deity is carried to the bedchamber, is a moving experience. The Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal and the Gandhi Memorial Museum are worth a morning. Jigarthanda, a chilled milk drink with almond gum and ice cream, is the local treat to try on a hot afternoon.

Interstate permit and highway tolls

The cab needs a Tamil Nadu permit, arranged by us before departure. NH 44 has a number of toll plazas between Hosur and Madurai. Both are normally listed separately from the base fare; fuel and the driver allowance are included.

Choosing the right car

For two travellers, a Dzire or Etios is comfortable on this smooth highway. For families, particularly those continuing to Rameswaram or Kanyakumari, an Innova Crysta makes the many hours far more pleasant, with better seats and more room to stretch on the long straight stretches past Salem and Karur. For temple groups and family reunions, a Tempo Traveller 12+1, Force Urbania 16+1 or a mini bus is available.