Annamalaiyar Temple – Connectivity
Thiruvannamalai the world renowned abode of Lord Shiva
is ideally located with ample access options by air, train and road.
The Puducherry – Krishnagiri national
highway, NH 66 and the Villupuram – Mangalore National highway NH
234 pass through Thiruvannamalai. The town has eight
arterial roads that connect it to other towns. The Thiruvannamalai
municipality maintains a total length of 75.26 km (46.76 mi). The
town has 9.068 km (5.635 mi) concrete roads, 50.056 km
(31.103 mi) BT roads, 7.339 km (4.560 mi) of WBM roads and
8.797 km (5.466 mi) earthen roads. A total of 452 roads are
maintained by the State Highways Department.
Thiruvannamalai is served by the town bus service
operated by the TNSTC, which provides connectivity within the town and the
suburbs. There are private operated mini-bus services that cater to the local
transport needs of the town. The main bus stand covers an area of 2 acres
(8,100 m2) and is located in the heart of the town. There are regular
inter-city bus services to Thiruvannamalai. The TNSTC operates daily services
connecting various cities to Thiruvannamalai.
The Corporation operates a computerized reservation
centre in the bus stand of the town. The SETC operates long distance buses connecting the town
to important cities like Chennai, Puducherry and Bengaluru. The major intercity bus routes from the town are to
cities and towns like Chennai, Bengaluru, Villupuram, Puducherry, Tirukoilur, Avalurpet, Kanji, Chengam, Sathanur, Sankarapuram and Manalurpet.
Bus services are available in plenty from Chennai,
Tirupathi, Salem, and Madurai and from other important cities in Tamil Nadu.
Thiruvannamalai railway station is located in the rail
head from Katpadi to Villupuram and falls under the Tiruchchirappalli division of the Southern Railway.
The Madurai-Tirupati bi-weekly expresses connects Thiruvannamalai to
the cities of Madurai and Tirupati in either directions. There are also
passenger trains running either side from Katpadi to Villupuram.
The nearest access via air travel to Thiruvannamalai can
be through Chennai. Chennai is the nearest airport and it lies around 185
kilometres away by road. People coming from top metros in India namely Mumbai,
Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Hyderabad can take the air travel via Chennai.
By road from Chennai the travel time is around 3.5 hours. The travel by car or by public transport is quite comfortable. The fare by taxi may cost around Rs 2500.
By road from Chennai the travel time is around 3.5 hours. The travel by car or by public transport is quite comfortable. The fare by taxi may cost around Rs 2500.
The bus station and the railway station at Thiruvannamalai
are within walking distance from the temple of Lord Shiva.