Bangalore to Tiruvannamalai

At a glance

Distance by road	About 200 km
Typical drive	4.5–5 hours
Usual route	Bengaluru → Hosur → Krishnagiri → Chengam → Tiruvannamalai
Bus	Government and private buses
Train	Via Katpadi Junction (Vellore), then road or a local train
Nearest big airport	Bengaluru Kempegowda (BLR), about 220 km

By car or taxi

Leave Bengaluru on the Hosur Road into Tamil Nadu and continue to Krishnagiri. From there, the road runs east via Chengam. The final hour crosses farmland with Arunachala visible ahead, and the road enters town on the western side of the hill, close to the Girivalam path.

• Start early to beat the city traffic.
• On Pournami and festival days, expect traffic controls in Tiruvannamalai and parking on the edge of town.
• Arriving from the west, you’re close to the ashrams on Chengam Road, so stay there if you’re focused on Ramanasramam and the hill paths. See where to stay.

By bus

Government and private buses run between Bengaluru and Tiruvannamalai; book Tamil Nadu government services on the TNSTC site. Overnight buses let you arrive in time for an early darshan. Extra services run around Pournami and Karthigai Deepam.

By train

The dependable route is a train to Katpadi Junction (Vellore) on the Bengaluru–Chennai line. From there it’s about 90 km by road, or take a train on the Katpadi–Villupuram line that stops at Tiruvannamalai (TNM). Check current services on the National Train Enquiry System.

Making a weekend of it

Many Bengaluru visitors arrive on a Saturday, do Girivalam that night and take darshan early on Sunday. See the two-day itinerary, and time your trip with the Pournami calendar.