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

About Tirukoilur TempleTirukoilur 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.

Tirukoilur Perumal Temple
Tirukoilur Perumal Temple
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.

One Day Trip From Bangalore to Kolar By Bike

If you are planning on One day trip from Bangalore to Kolar – this is the comprehensive guide on travel, food and sightseeing places in Kolar.

(At the bottom is the FAQ section which answers all the your travel queries related to Kolar trip)

Here is the reason why Kolar travel is one of the best one day trip from Bangalore within 100 kms.

One Day trip From Bangalore to Kolar (Distance and Places to Visit)

Kolar (a state in Karnataka) is famous for its Gold Mines also called Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) and are also a perfect destination for one day temple trips and for an adventurous road trip.

Kolar is situated in Bangalore -Tirupati highways, a little before Mulbagal. The  Bangalore to Kolar distance is just 85 km from my home (the distance may vary a little from your start location in Bangalore).

So, Kolar is always in our favorite list on weekend getaways from Bangalore.

Famous Places to Visit in Kolar

In our frequent travels from one day trip from Bangalore to Kolar, we have been to the list of famous places –

  • Kolaramma Temple,
  • Kotilingeshwara Temple (in detail below)
  • Someshwara Temple,
  • Chikka Tirupathi and
  • AntaraGange.

Myself and hubby experienced Kolar for the first time when we went on a temple trip by bike in the year 2016.

Later we have visited Kotilingeswara temple twice with our family in the next year. Since then we have been frequent travelers from Bangalore to Kolar by bike.

Any place less than 100 km (total 200kms both ways) we are good to go for one day trip by bike.

We have had so many adventures since 2016, which you can check under “categories” section.

All were pleasant experiences.

Kotilingeshwara Temple – Famous sightseeing in Kolar

Kotilingeshwara is more of a tourist destination than a spiritual place in Kolar. The name denotes – one crore Lord Shivalinga.

It is also the place for the world’s biggest Shivalinga statue standing 108 feet tall and 35 feet Nandhi idol. You can get more info on the history of the temple here.

We went twice to Kotilingeswara temple. Since it was a family trip, we hired private cab to Kolar, it cost us 3000/- for each round trip.

Did You Know?

Kotilingeshwara temple timings: Entry to the temple is limited to 9 am to 4 pm, exit is closed by 6pm.

You can find lots of shops selling clay lamps, agarbathis, kids toys etc.,

Kotilingeshwara Temple Guidance : Entry fee and Pooja Procedure
  • Park your vehicle, pay parking fee
  • Leave your shoes in the counter, collect a receipt
  • Buy flowers or lamps before entering the temple, as per your wish.
  • Pay entry fee 20/- INR per head, little less for children.
  • Enter the temple, explore the lakhs of lingas on your way to the biggest shiva linga, also you could find other hindu god and goddess idols.
  • Spend time taking pics – taking pics allowed here
  • You could also have lunch in a big hall inside the temple
  • Darshan other idols (Lord Vishnu is special here).
  • Exit the temple, collect your shoes with the token, come back to home

Highway Star – The Best place to eat in Kolar highways

In one of our recent one day trip from Bangalore to Kolar, we found “Highway Star” using google maps.

We were searching for food joints like McDonald’s or Domino’s in Kolar highways.

On that of travel we had late breakfast in Bangalore before we started to Kolar, so we were looking for some quick bite in the late afternoon.

It’s a rare combination that we get to relax in good ambiance when we are out to travel. I could write 100 articles on how many times we had pathetic food in our travel experiences.

Thankfully, we found the best place to eat in Kolar highways.

We have located Highway star in between Kolar and Mulbagal in the Tirupati Highways, situated in vast area with huge vehicle parking space.

We were happy because we found many restaurant choices in one place with a classy ambiance for recreation.

It has all the facilities that any travelers could ask for. It has restroom and shower facilities with wheelchair access, Car wash and repair, Kids play area with rabbits and love birds.

Highway Star is not only the perfect recreation center for travelers, but also for families and college kids to hangout in the weekend.

We enjoyed eating Veg Manchurian with fried rice and Malay veg noodles from a Chinese restaurant.

Also we had french fries and cola from McDonald’s. 

The List of Restaurant names in Highway Star, Kolar

  • Fujian Express – For Chinese food
  • McDonald’s
  • Domino’s Pizza
  • Maaya’s Restaurant -pure veg
  • Nagas Restaurant -Andhra style veg and non-veg
  • Juice Junction – all kinds of juices and smoothies
  • Baskin Robbins -for ice creams

Other restaurants in Kolar Highways are (just opposite to this complex)

  • Vasudev Adigas veg restaurant – just opposite to Highway Star
  • Cafe coffee day – near to Vasudev adigas.

So next time when you are travelling to Kolar, you know where to stop for food and relaxation.

Activities You Can Do In Kolar

Of all the places we have been, Antaragange in Kolar was one of the most adventurous as we climbed 100+ steps to worship Lord Siva on the hill. Climate in Kolar was not too hot even in the beginning of summer, February.

Because you can do all the following activities in Kolar in One Day:

  • Go long bike ride /car ride from Bangalore to Kolar gold fields
  • Visit the famous Kotilingeswara Temple, marvel at one of the world’s tallest SivaLinga Statue
  • Go Hiking in Antaragange Hills, take a dip in temple pond
  • Go to ancient temples – Kolaramma temple, Someshwara Temple and Chikka Tirupati
  • Eat Chinese food / Fast food in many food joints in Highway Star located in Bangalore – Tirupati highways
  • Spend time looking at the rabbits and love birds eating icecream near the kids play area in Kolar Highway Star.
High Way Star - Kids Play Area
High Way Star – Kids Play Area

As such you will love the experience of travel by car or by bike, with wide roads and occasional flower fields popping up on either sides.

You could also hire a cab, book a train or bus from Bangalore to Kolar, but we always love to go by road.

FAQs – One day Kolar Trip from Bangalore:

How to reach Kolar from Bangalore?

Bangalore to kolar distance varies based on which location you are planning to start the trip, for me the distance from my home is just 85kms. Until we crossed Whitefield we had to face the hectic traffic, then its stress free ride once you hit the Triupathi highway.

Trains from Bangalore to kolar?

There are train facilities from Bangalore city central , cantonment and Yeswanthpur junction at various timings. Search in google for Bangalore to kolar train timings, train name etc.,

Buses from Bangalore to kolar?

There are numerous buses from Bangalore to Kolar, KSRTC and private buses available at all major junctions. You could check online for the bus stops and timings. Recently when I checked, for bus from Bangalore to Kolar bus ticket fare 67/- per head from majestic, for KSRTC express bus service.

Bangalore to Kolar cabs / ola cabs availability?

You could reach Kolar by train or KSRTC bus or bike or car or private cab. Not sure of Ola cab service to Kolar, both the family trips we have hired private cabs, which had cost us 3k for each round trip.

Places to eat in Kolar?

As mentioned above Highway star is the by far best pit stop with best restaurant choices and washroom facilities with car parking. Opposite to Highway star you could find Vasudev Adigas veg restaurant. If you are not keen to eat in the Kolar highways, you anyways have plenty of restaurant choices once you hit Bangalore.

Places to see in Kolar?

Sightseeing in Kolar is very limited but good choice for one day trip with the famous Kotilingeswara temple, ancient Kolaramma temple, and for adventurous hiking and temple trip, you could go to Antaragange.

Kotilingeshwara temple timings?

Entry fee 20/ – per head to Kotilingeswara temple, entry is closed by 4pm but visitors can stay inside temple until 6 to 6.30 pm.

Hope you have got list of activities to do on one day trip from Bangalore to Kolar.

Are you a regulr bike rider just like us. Then here is the suggestion for you.

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

Shivanasamudra Falls From Bangalore: Gaganachukki Waterfalls, Nearby places

Shivanasamudra falls from BangaloreThis was one of a memorable One day Bike trip from Bangalore in the Year 2016.

This is a travel guide to famous Shivanasamudra falls nearby places by road.

Shivanasamudra Falls: Location and Distance From Bangalore

Bangalore to Shivanasamudra falls distance is 126 kms. There will be short variation in the distances from your starting point location. 

You could take Mysore highways, take a diversion from Malavalli to reach Shivanasamudra falls. Or take Kanakapura – Malavalli road to reach the destination. 

Since we were riding bike in the open sun, we preferred going by Kanakapura – Malavalli road to ride under tree shades. 

If you are travelling from Mysore, Shivanasamudra to Mysore distance is 75kms, the best shortest route being via Somanathapura. 

Clarity on Two Falls and its Location

The Kaveri river falls into twin waterfalls in a small town called Shivanasamudra in Karnataka, near Mandya district, hence the name Shivanasamudra waterfalls or falls.

The actual name of this waterfall in Gaganachukki waterfalls. The common misconception of this twin falls is that the left one is Ganagachukki falls and the right one is Barachukki falls. 

The fact is, Barachukki falls, which has been naturally split a few kilometers south- west of the Barachukki falls. 

So now that it is clear that the name of Shivanasamudra waterfalls is Gananachukki waterfalls, lets see how to reach by road.

Travel Guide to Reach Gaganachukki Waterfalls by Road

We started on 24th December 2016 morning to Shivanasamudra falls on our motorbike, taking the Kanakapura Malavalli road

Alert to the fellow travelers – there were no good restaurants in the Kanakapura road until Shivanasamudra falls. 

Now that the Kanakapura route is gaining popularity, you could see few restaurants here and there. Feel free to check for their restaurant ratings before you decide to dine-in.

But in the year 2016, not that long ago, we could not find a single eatery except for a small shop selling poori sabji, near Mandya. Definitely I would not suggest, so not giving google map link fellas :).

It was definitely not a good start for a beautiful morning ride, yet without any complaints we had that breakfast. Soon we headed towards the destination.

By the time we reached the Shivanasamudram, it was almost noon, and we did not want to play in the falls as we had plans to darshan Ranganathaswamy temple before it closes. 

We spent 5 mins excursions on the river view, eating home bought snacks and hurriedly clicked some pics before we left for the temple.

Sri RanganathaSwamy temple – On the River bank

It is one of the popular Lord Vishnu temples, known as Madya ranga or Mohana ranga, associated with Ranganathar in Srirangapatna and Trichy.

This bike trip was an attempt to visit these 3 Ranga temples in the three consecutive Ekadasi days.

That was the reason we hurried from the Shivanasamudra falls to darshan Lord Ranganathar.

The temple was moderately crowded and we were able to have a peaceful darshan and spend some time before we left to Bangalore.

There is also another ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, called Someswara temple. We decided to visit this temple on our next visit to Sivanasamudram.

Lord Vishnu temple image in Shivanasaudra waterfalls trip
Madhya Ranga In Shivanasamudra. Credit Wikipedia.

Shivanasamudra Nearby Places – Where to Go from Here

Apart from the couple of temples and this twin river, there is nothing much to spend time near Shivanasamudram.

If you want to extend your trip, I have a few suggestions for you to explore Shivanasamudra falls nearby places.

  1. Talakadu – famous for Kaveri river (beach) and sand soaked 5 temples
  2. Hogenakkal Waterfalls
  3. Somanathapura – For Hoysala architecture
  4. Melkote – Cave temple on the hill
  5. Mysore – For Palace, Museum, Zoo, Botanical garden.

While coming back from Shivanasamudra falls, we took Mysore highways Via Malavalli, to find a good restaurant as we were starving from Morning.

Now there are good choices in Malavalli – Kanakapura road, no need to worry about anything. 

You could absolutely enjoy your trip to Shivanasamudra falls from Bangalore, via both Kanakapura and Mysore Highways. 

How Our love for Bike Rides started in 2016?

This is how we started to love bike ride from the year 2016.

Never did we thought that we would become passionate bike riders since then.

Chilling at Rasta Cafe

Bike rides – Starting of our Wonderful Journey

It all started when me and my husband Rajesh went for a casual ride to a cafe, enjoyed hanging out there for sometime..

We were married in September 2015 in our native Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.

Since ours was an arranged marriage, As much as we enjoyed the weekend hot dates in awesome restaurants in Bangalore, we were equally bored of the rest of time watching TV and cooking that special weekend meals at home..

We then started to go out on almost all the weekends, at least for a cup of coffee to a nearby coffee shop or to spend a day at resorts in Kanakapura road.

Initial days, we went on bike rides to spend time in Go-karting and snacking in cafe’s in Kanakapura road and Mysore road.

Soon we started to search for weekend getaways in and around Bangalore. I then research on the places two days ahead of journey and also have Plan B just in case we changed our mind.

So this is how we started our bike rides purely for bonding and recreation.

Our First One-day Trip Bike Ride from Bangalore to Srirangapatna, on 26th Aug 2016.

We started our very first bike trip from Bangalore, our home, to Srirangapatna (near Mysore) and nearby places.

Here is the pic of Kaveri River, taken on the way to Srirangapatna, our very first Bike ride destination.

Bike rides images, One day trip from Bangalore
Kaveri River near Ranganathar Temple, Mysore

While we were there, we went to the famous Ranganathar Temple and Nimishamba Temple.

Less we knew at that time, life would present us beautiful moments to cherish forever..

to be continued… (Love for Bike rides).