Visiting pointReturn | point Return

Here are some notes for those wishing to visit pointReturn.

The project is about 100kM south of Chennai city in south India. It is in a remote village called Jamin Endathur.

Being a project worked by few hands we cannot welcome visitors at all times. You first need to call 9445560811 [K Sriram] or 9840035860 [D V Sridharan] and plan the visit. Most likely, we would suggest between 2 and 5pm, Monday till Friday.

Following are the directions to get there by own transport and bus.Pull up this map and refer to it while reading the directions. [PDF version of map].

§-By own transport from Chennai via Madurantakam
§-By own transport from Chennai via Kathankadai on East Coast Road [ECR]
§-By own transport from Pondicherry via Ellai Amman Kovil on East Coast Road
§-By bus from Chennai via Madurantakam
§-By bus from Chennai via Koovathur on East Coast Road
§-By bus from Pondicherry via Koovathur on East Coast Road

By own transport from Chennai via Madurantakam Map Top

Take the NH45, also known as the GST Road. Drive past the Airport, Tambaram, Chengalpattu etc. Madurantakam [1 in the map] is about 69kM away. Approaching Madurantakam, leave the highway and enter the town. There are adequate signs.

Drive through the crowded town, asking for Chithamur road. You will exit at the southern end of town and soon pass a gated railway track.

Keep looking out for Mudukarai[2]. You need to turn left at the T-juntion where Mudukarai is located. Ask a few times. It is about 5kM from Madurantakam bus stand. Turn left and drive on for 6kM looking/asking for Jamin Endathur. There’s a small sign but it’s easy to miss it.

At the entrance to Jamin Endathur[3] village ask for Anna Nagar and ‘Kaathadi Pannai’, which is Tamil for Windmill Farm, as the pointReturn site is referred to. Anna Nagar is about 4 km from Jamin Endathur entrance; it’s a hamlet of about twenty huts around a overhead water tank. Ask again in one of the huts for directions to Kaathadi Thottam. You will be directed to a good dirt road. It’s 0.75 kM long and leads to the pointReturn site

By own transport from Chennai via Kathankadai on East Coast Road Map Top

Take the East Coast Road [ECR] and drive towards Mamallapuram, aka Mahabalipuram. Drive on to Kadalur crossing, 24kM from Mamallapuram. You need to turn right into Kathankadai[4][Kadalur is the village by the sea on the road to your left.] . Ask. Roadsigns refer only to Kadalur.

Drive 22km past Nerkunapattu, Pavunjur town and Velikkadu. Ask for and arrive the T-junction pointing to Jamin Endathur to your left.

By own transport from Pondicherry via Ellai Amman Kovil on East Coast Road Map TopDrive to Ellai Amman Kovil[5], 53kM from Pondicherry. It’s the point on the East Coast Road from where a road branches off to Cheyyur. It’s easy to miss; so keep asking for the ‘road to Cheyyur’. Ellai Amman Kovil is about 15kM from Marakkanam, a prominent town on the drive from Pondicherry.

Turn left into the road to Cheyyur, and drive on 14kM to the tiny Kattudevadur[6]; very easy to miss unless you ask a few times.

Turn right and drive about 7kM to Annanagar, passing the village of Netrambakkam. Anna Nagar is a hamlet of about twenty huts around a overhead water tank. Ask in one of the huts for directions to Kaathadi Thottam. You will be directed to a good dirt road. It’s 0.75 kM long and leads to the pointReturn site.

By bus from Chennai via Madurantakam Map Top

Travelling by public transport to pointReturn is a 3 step process.

a- Travel to Madurantakam town bus stand

b- Bus to Jamin Endathur

c-Endathur bus-stop to pointReturn

a- Buses going directly to Madurantakam[1] town are slow. Instead take fast buses on NH-45 [aka GST Road] headed to southern destinations. They by-pass Madurantakam town but will drop you off at the Madurantakam by-pass bus stop. These buses are [from Koyambedu central bus stand] 83, 83A, 81V, 81G, 81E and 121 and [from Broadway bus stand] 521. Getting down at the Madurantakam by-pass bus stop, descend steps and walk to the town bus stand about 1/2kM away.

b- There are frequent buses running between Madurantakam town bus stand and Koovathur[7]. All these stop at Jamin Endathur. Between 10am and noon services are fewer. Public buses are 5, 85 and 188. Private buses are run by these companies: Kandeepan, Mahaveer and Parvadha. Tell the conductor to prompt you.

c- On alighting at Jamin Endathur, you will invariably find an auto-rickshaw or two at the bus stop. These are run by locals. If not ring the following numbers. [auto-rick owners’ names are within brackets]. 97517-55026 [Nachika Murugan], 97865-36654[Ramesh], 97879-09453[Guru]. The fare in Oct,08 is Rs.50 to the poinReturn site but could rise with time. Ask to be taken to Kaathadi Pannai; this is Tamil for ‘Windmill Farm’ which is how pointReturn is referred to.

First head for Annanagar about 4km away. It is a hamlet of about 20 huts around a water tower. Ask to be shown the road to Kaathadi Pannai. You will be pointed to a dirt road, about 750m long that leads to the gate of pointReturn.

By bus from Chennai via Koovathur on East Coast Road Map Top

Travelling by public transport to pointReturn is a 3 step process.

a- Travel to Koovathur [7] on the ECR

b- Bus to Jamin Endathur

c-Endathur bus-stop to pointReturn

a- All buses to Pondicherry running on the East Coast Road [ECR] stop at Koovathur[7]. Several start from Koyambedu and a few from Broadway.

b- There are frequent buses running between Koovathur and Madurantakam town bus stand[1]. All these stop at Jamin Endathur. Between 10am and noon services are fewer. Public buses are 5, 85 and 188. Private buses are run by these companies: Kandeepan, Mahaveer and Parvadha. Tell the conductor to prompt you.

By bus from Pondicherry via Koovathur on East Coast. Road Map Top

Travelling by public transport to pointReturn is a 3 step process.

a- Travel to Koovathur [7] on the ECR

b- Bus to Jamin Endathur

c-Endathur bus-stop to pointReturn

a- All buses to Chennai from Pondicherry running on the East Coast Road [ECR] stop at Koovathur[7]. Several start from Koyambedu and a few from Broadway.