golden quadrilateral road trip by car

The Golden Quadrilateral, An Epic Ring Route Crossing 13 States of India - RoadTrip

Starting 24th August 2017, we embarked on the quest to cover the ~6000 kms of road b/w the Indian Metropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Mumbai - Udaipur - Delhi - Agra - Varanasi - Kolkata - Bhubaneswar - Vishakhapatnam - Chennai - Mumbai

Special thanks to @riofusiondrink for accompanying us on this journey of a lifetime. ?

Dreams outside the window

Most people lay in their warm beds and comfy sheets, staring out of the window. Their dreams fly around like fireflies, inviting them to open the window, and take a leap. Well, this is us, taking that leap.

A wonder just around the corner As the Gateway was just around the corner, we processed all that was happening. We had reached our first stop - Mumbai. One of the 4 main pillars of the epic that the Golden Quadrilateral circuit is.

Gateway of India

1st leg completed. . Mumbai had never felt so refreshing and welcoming before. We made our way to the GoI, and could feel its beauty even as it stood there, shrouded in the dark. It is, indeed, awe-inspiring and a thing of magnificence. More so in the dark, perhaps.

En route Udaipur 2nd leg begins. Mumbai is truly a mammoth of a city. Even as we scaled empty roads, it took us more than an hour to get out of there. Also, Mumbai bade us farewell with a shower. All said and done - Udaipur, here we come!

Breakfast stop, and meeting an old friend. We were supposed to have our 4th musketeer with us, but had to drop out from the plan on the last day. Tough luck, you! Nevertheless, he got us some Surat special breakfast - "Lucho", and some other names we don't remember. What really matters is that we had a great time (and a hearty breakfast!)

One for the highway and friends. We found the Battery+ to be much better than the other energy drinks we have had, mainly because of its roots -@riofusiondrink. And you can't go wrong with something coming out of that stable. #riofusiondrink is the living proof. Udaipur, here we come (again!)

Oh, the view in this huge mirror!

Photos can't do justice to the beauty this wall of mirrors reflected. Just the blue sky and the endless road, stretching beyond the eye's comprehension. *Puts down the camera, and continues to drive towards Udaipur.*

The Udaipur Palace, and the first proper halt. Udaipur seemed really nice and quaint. After deciding that the bed wasn't the only place we wanted to be at, we went ahead to have this view. Oh, it was worth the wait!

The loner cow (and us en route Delhi). One of the highlights of sprint between Udaipur and Delhi are the very many cows who sit in collective rebellion on the highway. And then, there was this one fellow, just chilling on the sidelines and enjoying the view.

The three faces of the India Gate.. Lucky us that we got to Delhi in good time to see the India Gate! And these faces/phases on top of that. It was a charm, period!

As we let the air around the India Gate clear our heads, it was time. Time to move to the next level. And we did just that. By taking the next right and then the next left, and letting ourselves soak the magnificence of the Sky above the President House. It was a sight to behold.

Bye bye Delhi, and Hello to our first real meal. Delhi was exhausting, to say the least. So when we hit the expressway on our way to Agra, we got the first taste of real food - Aloo k paranthey and paneer pakode. The butter you see on the parantha was the realest deal we had seen so far on this journey.

Waah Taj! Taj Mahal is one of those places that fortunately never bore me. Everytime I visit it, something new meets the eye. Also, it's always better to visit when there aren't many people around. Our timing was pretty good actually.

A road that led somewhere pretty! As we started on our journey to reach Banaras, we spotted another expressway heading out of Agra, towards Lucknow. Lo' and behold! We took the expressway, only to realize that the butter-smooth road and the pleasant vistas weren't really in operation. There were no exits, to begin with. No civilizations (and no dhabas) either. ? But yes, the showers helped. Eye-candy!!

Some essentials for the journey!. It is no secret that for some people, travel is more of a ritual. A gateway to discovering things about life, places, people, and about self. And for the ritual to sustain, you need the fuel - for the machine, and for the man. The machine part we had figured out. Thanks to@riofusiondrink for helping us with our fuel!!

An unexpected visit to an unknown place! First up: this is Bedai, with Aloo ki sabzi. It is a distant cousin of our beloved kachori. ? Now, how many of you have heard of this place called Saifai? Only one of us had some context when we made an unexpected entry into the little village from whence a prominent politician on the Uttar Pradesh scene came (can you guess who?). Hunger and the need to get to Benaras at the earliest brought us here. And boy! This bedai and the milk cake we had here were worth the efforts.

The streets of Banaras :: Part 1 - Getting there Traveling in an auto is a rather humbling experience. Every time I board one, I am reminded of the defining scene from@imtiazaliofficial 's Tamasha. I zone out. And I zone in. We were driven to the market by our Autowala, who then parked his auto at a hotel and guided us to the ghat. (Oh yes! He's the guy in the second shot.) That is a journey we'll be covering in the next few posts.

The Streets of Benaras :: Unseeking God? We, as humans, are often gullible and guilty of following that which claims to bring us closer to God. The dog? Well, it has graver issues to deal with. Finding food, for instance. And the closest the dog feels to God is when food is found right around the first corner.

The Streets of Benaras :: Why do we need friends?. When we started planning the GQ17 trip, there were a lot of people raring to go. On the last day, there was just 3 of us left. The ghats of Banaras would still have been beautiful, if it was just one of us traveling. But I think having a friend walking alongside you makes it a thousandfolds better. Perhaps that's why you need friends. To take what's good, and make it fantastic!

The Streets of Benaras :: Isn't time the only constant? What do you see? The pandit sitting and waiting for his customer to come? Or the pandit sitting and chanting mantras in front of the clueless man? Wait. There's also a pandit doing his thing in front of the family, while a handful of people stand witness. That should tell you one thing about life - it changes. Today, you are an entertainer, keeping the crowd hooked with your class apart act. Tomorrow, your circumstances could be someone else's entertainment. Time is the only constant. The all-powerful. Respect it. .

The Streets of Benaras :: The Temple we almost missed.. Do you see the temple on the left? Pracheen Shiv Mandir, reads the red on the yellow paint. While everything around us felt normal, seeing this made us realize that Ganga was on a rise. This mandir is usually pretty much accessible, but the way it appeared right then, there were two voices speaking in my ears - "See the water? It's of that color where you won't see shit. Get going.", the first said. "You should probably take the GoPro for a swim.", argued the second. Which voice do you think won?

The Streets of Benaras :: Ganga and her Ghats Ganga is an Indian sweetheart. We worship her, many of us start their day with a dip in her holy abode, and some even take away a fragment of her soul as Ganga-Jal. We give our all to her - our sins, our devotion, our garbage, our prayers, our waste, and everything else imaginable. And Ganga, being true to her sense of being a mother, takes it all. Standing on the ghat of Ganga and locking eyes with her - could you say that you've only given her the good, and nothing bad? Could you?

The Streets of Benaras :: Temple, temple, isn't life so simple?. Forget Banaras - You can go anywhere in the entire Indian subcontinent, and find a temple at every nook and corner. And yet here we are - a flock of silly kids, looking for God in all these places, then moving on empty-handed every single time. What does that tell you about God? Forget God - what does that tell you about us?

The Streets of Benaras :: Those who ask with their arms wide open - will they receive? (This photo always cracks me up. No idea why exactly was this clicked, and what even was the story behind it. So I'll just try and spin some words for it.) Why, are we Gods? Or are we even powerful enough to change lives, much less our own? Begging a higher power to give us at all times, and yet we think twice before we loosen up our hand to let the alms slip into those open and resting palms. We ask for, and yet we do not give. We take, but we do not share. Why do you need all this then, Human? What will you make of it? Where will you take it, after you're gone?

The Streets of Benaras :: Doors we hadn't seen in a while. Wandering in the streets of Banaras, we saw many things which we hadn't seen in a while. House entrances like these are one of those things. While all of us hail from small and modest places, the years spent in metropolitan cities has us losing sight of small details like these. Replaced by loans, traffic, powercuts, potholes, and what not. A good reminder it is. Of home. Of family. Of little things that matter in our lives.

The Streets of Benaras :: Rituals I once saw a TV series in which the lead followed a code set down by his father on how to lead his life. A set of rules he was never to break. They helped him live a secret life of his liking, and get away with doing what he had to do. And the same applies to our lives. There are rules we live by. Ideals. Principles. And till we keep following these rituals and doing things by the book, things keep going as they always have. And then, there are days when going by the book doesn't feel right anymore.

The Streets of Benaras :: Artifacts Our lives are full of stuff. Things that bind us to people, places, relations, times, et cetera. These things are the Artifacts in our lives, meant to remind us every day that the world and life isn't just limited to us. There's more than just I, me, mine. There's us. And there are these things.

The Streets of Benaras :: Does life ever really stop? What do you see? A man frozen in time. A boat stuck in the moment, its weight borne by the mighty Ganga. It's as if time has stopped. But, does time really ever stop? As all the bright days come to an end, as people leave, does life ever freeze over, slave to a moment in time? Perhaps it does. And some people remain there, stuck in that moment.

The Streets of Benaras :: What lies between the journey and the destination? It's an interesting question, isn't it? We run through life, passing by each moment, thing, person at top speed. How many times do we really stop for a moment, take a good look at any of these, and appreciate them for their infinite beauty? The journey comprises of many such moments that we'd miss, if we wouldn't learn to stop and stare.

Meet the team. So, what seems like a title off a professional website for a company, is actually a tribute post to these two. For the journey would've fallen short of being 'epic', if not for these two. Abhishek (R) is passionate about hitting the road every now and then. His enthusiasm is only matched by his mad driving skills, his crazy and enjoyable demeanour, and his stories.

Nothing says Kolkata like these yellow taxis. For the longest time, the mention of Kolkata would bring in our heads the images of Howrah bridge and Yellow taxis. Even though we reached Kolkata in the dead of the night, it actually took us seeing a taxi for the reality to sink in. (Oh, and the approach highway to Kolkata was a true mess)

Another city, Another artifact, Another story.. Every city has stories, doesn't it? The story that goes with Kolkata is that we arrived at 3 in the night. Shit tired, more mentally than physically, and went to sleep by 4. We had to leave by 10 next morning, and we did just that. Kolkata had a nice vibe to it. Oh, and in picture: Victoria Memorial, and a Lion.

Of bridges, taxis and Kolkata. Again, typical taxi, and in background - Howrah Bridge. ? Yes, it was incredibly intimidating to see this mammoth. In that moment, years of anticipation and imagination came alive

Hi Kolkata, Bye Bye Kolkata. Kolkata would be a very beautiful city, and how we would've loved to spend more time there. But there are other places calling. Till then... Kolkata, stay beautiful!

Honorable mention : Orissa The route from Kolkata to Vizag was a tough one (or so we thought). So we decided to take a chill pill, and stay the night in Bhubhaneshwar. And the next day, as we were on our way to Vizag, we found this beauty - Chilika Lake! It was amazing to stand there and see the azure water extend in every direction we looked.

Vizag, a beauty of its own kind. If you happen to meet any one of us anywhere, go ahead and ask which was the most enjoyable location in our entire journey... And without battling an eye-lid, we would say 'Vizag'. We reached here at a respectable time. The moment the BRV rolled onto that hillock, we just got out to smell the fresh air!

A piece of the past, living in the present. Ever wondered what happens when someone retires? Be it a man... Be it a machine... Yes, while they may no longer be at war with the world outside, there are still questions on the inside. Life never truly ends. It just evolves, from one form to another.

Anchor We all need an anchor. A support that can keep us sane and safe. Someone to make us realize the fact that some times, you just need to take this slow. To be stable. To be home. Tag that 'anchor' of your life.

Rusted. Dusted. And yet, beautiful... What do you see? A dilapidated lamp? A rust facet of a mammoth machine? You are missing out on a lot of things. Because they have stood for things. For trust. For might. For valor. And they shall always be beautiful in their own ways.

Sea of serenity.... One of the highlights of the sea around Vizag is its calm nature. Never has the sea been so inviting, so welcoming.

Some photos don't need a caption. This is one of them... Pure bliss!!

Early morning wave therapy! Who else's getting these feels?

Everyone is on a journey. Most of us are privileged to have lived the kind of lives we were given by our parents - eating good food, traveling in comfort, and experiencing life. There are people who don't have those privileges. Let's be grateful that we've had a less bumpy ride than many others!!

Finding you, every nook and corner. . On our pre-final leg of the journey, things started to settle to great depths.

We knew that we'd have to get back to the office in a few days. This trip shall come to an end, and with it all the fun the three of us had had would be in the past.

And yet, we continued to find sights like these that assured us - "That's okay. Enjoy the moment. Live in it".

Chennai, you gotta wait. We're still at this toll plaza. Again, can't emphasize enough on the different kinds of beauties we saw in our 8 days of driving around. People shudder when traveling is compared to meditation. We think it is a form of meditation. Because when you do it, everything else becomes insignificant. Everything else ceases to matter.

Chennai, the friend you almost don't know or understand. We got to Chennai, rested, dusted off the fatigue, and got back on the road the next morning. And as was the ritual, we visited the one place that was on our list - Marina Beach. And it rained. It was a no brainer - we clicked some photos from inside the car, and drove off. But some day, I hope, we shall visit Chennai. And enjoy till all the clouds of misunderstanding vanish.

Home coming. This puts an end to the long, tiring and yet one of the most satisfying journeys of our lives. Golden Quadrilateral was, finally, conquered.

Plese visit https://www.tripanians.com/ and reach out to us if you are interested in similar trips, we provide exclusively curated Self-Drive RoadTrips.

Domestic Packages

Further Reads

• Hot Threads
• Spare Parts
• Buy Accessories
• Classifieds

Longest Road Trip of India

Unveiling India's Treasures from the eyes of an insightful author

When it comes to friends, bikes, Jeep (any car you have), and a road trip, this is where the fun starts but wait! Where to go? And what is the meaning of road trips?

Well, it means ‘Journey,’ which would be rememberable to all who were on it. When it comes to where to go and how to start?

This article will explore the longest though relatable road trip to you, but one might not be aware of it.

Are we talking about K2K (Kashmir to Kanyakumari)! No, no, it is not the longest one. The most stretched road trip is named ‘The Golden Quadrilateral Highway.’ Sounds nice, isn’t it?

The Golden Quadrilateral Highway is the longest road trip road in India and consists of a road trip starting from any of these four places: Delhi (North), Mumbai (West), Chennai (South), and Kolkata (East). As the numbers presented by the government, it is 5846 KMs. Long (it could belong according to your preferential routes) is divided into four parts.

The Golden Quadrilateral Highway has 4 parts

• The part of Delhi – Kolkata is 1453 KMs. Long,
• The Part of Chennai – Mumbai is 1290 KMs. Long,
• The Part of Kolkata – Chennai is 1684 KMs. Long
• and the part of Mumbai – Delhi is 1419 KMs. Long

To cover a trip through the golden quadrilateral highway, one needs to take the route for Delhi – Kolkata of NH 44 from Delhi to Agra and NH 19 from Agra to Kolkata.

Next is Delhi – Mumbai – Chennai NH 48 and Kolkata – Chennai NH 16.

Numerous cities, places, beautiful views, and memories can easily be made on this long trip, and along with that, you can make a record too.

Yes, you read that right. There are record-holders to this trip. Three friends, Ajay Bagga, Gopal Krishan Sharma, and Karan Vaid, hold the record to complete this trip in the shortest time in 2015.

They started their journey at 4:22 A.M. on Sept. 12, 2015, and covered this trip of Delhi – Kolkata – Chennai – Mumbai – Delhi in the shortest span of 76 Hrs and 19 minutes as on Sept. 15, 2015, with the whole covered distance of 5907.05 KMs.

Wow! That’s amazing, but hey, if you want to enjoy it, don’t focus on breaking this nerve-wracking record as it was done in 2015.

We believe that surely many others tried to get a good score over it, but the distance itself seems challenging to take upon, and thinking of breaking a record might spoil the mood; otherwise, you can try.

Have you noticed something? At what time is the trip taken? Yes, in the autumn season of India .

Not very much cold and not a lot heated up and the big reason behind this is that all of these four places are of the hot and humid region so there is no chance or suggestion to take this trip in between April to August or December to February because then these are the foggiest places.

The only best time to take this trip is the months of September, October, and November.

To enjoy the trip completely and in the best possible way, it will take around two-three weeks at least. It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing; make it special.

Also, Read the Shortest Road trip of India .

Details about the Nation Highway can be taken from the Government of India Official Website .

Best Places to Visit in Himachal India

Most Popular Drinks from India

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Reach out to us incase you see any error in the data or feedback.

© 2024 Indiashine.net

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is for general purposes only. While we strive to keep the information accurate and up to date, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.

• Golden Quadrilateral Road Trip In A Mahindra XUV500

The Golden Quadrilateral route of India is prevalent and makes for an epic road trip journey. This route connects India's four metro cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. It would be best if you had some old friends, an SUV with rugged characteristics and a boot full of essential goods for the journey, and you are all set to embark on the road trip. This is what Nikhil Kalra, our teammate did and embarked on a 6500 km journey with his old friends. If you are craving mile-munching and offroading, you have to have a capable SUV, and they had one, Mahindra XUV500 shod with Perilli all-terrain tyres. Let's begin with the trip now!

In December 2019, the Golden Quadrilateral road trip was started from Delhi towards Udaipur, a distance of 662 km galloped in one day. After staying at the Whereabout Hostel and eating Rawat Kachori in Jaipur, on day 2, the next stop was Daman, and the route was via Baroda. A total distance of 600 km finished in one day again. And if you are passing by Vadodara, the Statue Of Unity is a must-visit since it is the tallest statue in the world.

Also, read Volkswagen T-Roc R India Launch Under consideration! How Different Is It From The T-Roc?

After staying at Casa De Damao in Daman and filling their bellies with butter chicken, the next pit stop was Hubli via Bombay, a total distance of 733 km covered on day 3. They enjoyed the scenic views of the Gateway of India and Marine drive with some remarkable images. After reaching Hubli, they covered another 165 km to visit Humpi, the Virupaksha Temple and Golden Chariot.

5th day of the journey came with a night stop at Chennai, 700 km away from Hampi, via Bangalore. Benne Masala Dosa of Karnataka is a must-have, and Marina beach is a must-visit from Nikhil's recommended list. On day 6, the next pitstop was Vizag which was 800 km from Chennai. INS Kursura is a diesel-electric submarine in Vishakhapatnam, and it is on public display and a must-visit for some valuable insights.

Day 7, Vizag to Puri, which was 450 km away, was covered in one day. Day 8, Puri to Kolkata, which is 500 km. Victoria Memorial, Kali Temple and Howrah Bridge are the must-visit on this route. Kolkata is the last checkpoint of the Golden Quadrilateral, and now it was time to hit the road towards Delhi again. Kolkata-Varanasi-Delhi combined travel is 1375 km, and it takes more than one day to cover the distance. The intermediate stop between Kolkata and Delhi was Varanasi, and it is a temple-rich city with the river Ganga. From Varanasi to Delhi it is a distance of 700 km. They enjoyed the smooth Lucknow-Agra expressway and ended the trip at the India gate, an incredible sight and an essential landmark in Delhi.

Also, read 2020 MG 360M vs Maruti Suzuki Ertiga vs Maruti XL6; The Battle Of People Movers!

A trip of 11 days, 6500 km and spectacular views with countless memories. A total of 107 toll booths were crossed that cost Rs 8,500, and it was not time-consuming, thanks to the Fastag. The trip was possible owing to the rugged and reliable Mahindra XUV500, which didn't cause any problems throughout the journey. Roadtrips are the best we say, and such road trips are counted in life goals. If you want to share your road trip with us, leave a comment below with your Email ID.

Also Check These Cars

Mahindra Car in India

• Popular cars
• Upcoming cars

Auto News in India

• Buyer Guide

Upcoming Cars

Popular Car Brands

Modal title

The data is protected. Access granted for premium members only. For more details, please e-mail your queries to [email protected]

The Golden Quadrilateral Turns At 25, Know All About India's Highways Adventure

Ever wondered about those vast highways connecting India's major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai? Join us on a journey to discover the marvel of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) – a 5,846-kilometer-long highway network shaping the way we travel!

Imagine a gigantic square with Delhi in the north, Kolkata in the east, Mumbai in the west, and Chennai in the south – that's the Golden Quadrilateral. This extensive network links major cities and hubs, making it the largest highway project in India.

Connecting the Dots (1999-2012)

The Golden Quadrilateral, initiated in 1999, aimed to reduce travel time between cities. It connects not only the four major metros but also hubs like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Surat. The project was completed on 7th January 2012, after overcoming delays in land acquisition and contractor disputes.

Fun Fact: Did you know there are additional projects like the North–South and East–West corridors, extending connectivity from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and Silchar to Porbandar?

Building the Highway Dream

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) took charge of this colossal project. Safety features like guardrails and high-visibility signs were emphasized. The Mumbai–Pune Expressway, part of the GQ, became India's first controlled-access toll road.

Fun Fact: Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) played a significant role in developing the GQ project.

Unraveling History and Costs

The Golden Quadrilateral aimed to create faster transport networks between cities, reducing agricultural spoilage and promoting economic growth. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone in 1999, with an initial completion target of 2006.

Budget Breakdown (1999-2012)

Initially estimated at ₹600 billion, the GQ was completed under budget. By January 2012, the Indian government had spent ₹308.58 billion, showcasing efficient project management.

Update Alert:  Plans were announced in September 2009 to convert existing four-lane highways into six-lane ones, prioritizing sections of NH 2, NH 4, NH 5, and NH 8.

Route and Progress

National Highways form the backbone of the Golden Quadrilateral, with specific routes for each leg. Let's take a quick road trip through the connected cities.

Delhi–Kolkata: NH 44 and NH 19

Delhi, Faridabad, Palwal, Vrindavan, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Kanpur, Fatehpur district, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chandauli, Mohania, Kudra, Sasaram, Dehri, Aurangabad (Bihar), Sherghati, Dobhi Chauparan, Barhi, Bagodar, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, Bardhaman and Kolkata.

Kolkata–Chennai: NH 16

Kolkata, Kharagpur, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur (Brahmapur), Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole, Kavali, Nellore and Chennai.

Chennai–Mumbai: NH 48

Chennai, Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Vellore, Pallikonda, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Krishnagiri, Hosur, Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Sira, Chitradurga, Davangere, Ranebennur, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Kolhapur, Karad, Satara, Pune, Panvel and Mumbai.

Mumbai–Delhi: NH 48

Mumbai, Silvassa, Vapi, Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, Ankleshwar, Vadodara, Anand, Nadiad, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Jaipur, Gurgaon and Delhi.

Journey Across States

The Golden Quadrilateral traverses 12 states and a union territory, transforming Indian travel.

State-by-State Expedition

• Andhra Pradesh (AP): 1,014 km
• Uttar Pradesh (UP): 756 km
• Rajasthan: 725 km
• Karnataka: 623 km
• Maharashtra: 487 km
• Gujarat: 485 km
• Odisha: 440 km
• West Bengal: 406 km
• Tamil Nadu: 342 km
• Bihar: 204 km
• Jharkhand: 192 km
• Haryana: 152 km
• Delhi: 25 km

The Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways Construction

The construction of the Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways network commenced in 2001 and concluded in 2012. Initially estimated at Rs 600 billion, the project's completion cost was Rs 308 billion – nearly half of the estimated cost.

Funding the Dream

The project's funding included Rs 200 billion from petrol and diesel taxes, Rs 200 billion through external assistance, Rs 100 billion from market borrowings, and Rs 40 billion from private sector participation. This vast project was implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) between the NHAI and contractors, who collected toll taxes along the highways for a specified concession period.

Additional Projects Under the NHDP

Under the second phase of the NHDP, the government embarked on the North-South-East-West Corridor (NS-EW). This ongoing project involves developing 7,300 km of four- to six-lane highways linking Srinagar, Kanyakumari, Kochi, Porbandar, and Silchar.

North-South Corridor (4,000 km)

Connecting Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu).

East-West Corridor (4,000 km)

Linking Silchar (Assam) and Porbandar (Gujarat).

Construction Timeline

• 1999: The Golden Quadrilateral project was conceptualized. PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone on January 6, 1999.
• 2001: Construction of the Golden Quadrilateral project began.
• 2009: The conversion of existing four-lane highways into six-lane highways was announced.
• 2012: The Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways network is officially completed.
• 2013: The Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways became operational in July 2013.

The Golden Quadrilateral has transformed how we navigate India. It's not just roads; it's a lifeline connecting the nation's heart.

From Chaos to Convenience

Navigating bustling cities like Delhi and Mumbai is now more convenient. Picture the Golden Quadrilateral as India's expressway, weaving together the diverse tapestry of the nation.

In India's vast roadway tapestry, the Golden Quadrilateral stands tall. This highway project has reshaped travel and become an integral part of India's growth story.

Next time you hit the road, remember that the path you tread might be a part of the incredible Golden Quadrilateral. Whether a daily commuter or an occasional traveler, the GQ ensures your journey is swift and seamless.

Vinod Shah is a Transport Journalist, Urban Planner and Communication Expert. He possesses over 15 years of experience in Editorial, Media and Corporate Communication in the Urban Transport sector.

Also Read -->

Leave Your Comment!

Recent comments.

• The Golden Quadrilateral Trip

Hi friends, I just want to share my experience with the Golden Quadrilateral. I left Delhi on 23 October, 2010 with my wife and 7 years old son in Toyota Camry at around 6 AM. Passing through Gurgaon, Manesar, Jaipur Bypass, I took a left turn after Kishangarh. After crossing Chittaurgarh and Udaipur, I reached Dungarpur at around 7 PM and there I stayed in the Dungarpur Palace which is a fantastic place to stay. However, there is no TV in the room. But you will get a big bathroom and you can take your drinks and food on pool side. It was around 800 km from Delhi to Dungarpur.

Then next morning (24 Oct), we saw the Mahal and had breakfast. At around 9.30 am, I left Dungarpur. However, after crossing  Ahmedabad and vadodara I got trapped in the truck lane near Surat. Luckily with help from one driver, I was able to manage and get back to the highway. Then I reached Thane and from the highway I took a left turn for one tribal block called Jawahar block in the Thane district. I stayed there for the night. The distance from Dungarpur to Jawahar block is around 660 km.

The next morning (25 Oct), I left Jawahar block around 12.30 pm and after crossing Panvel, I was on the Yaswant Rao Chawan expressway that connects to Pune. After crossing Pune, Kolhapur, and Satara, I reached Belgaum at around 10 pm. The distance from Jawahar block to Belgaum was around 650 km. At Belgaum, I had good food and relaxed and then turned in for the night. I started my day on 26 Oct with some shopping. This is the district which is being claimed by Maharashtra also because there are substantial numbers of Marathi-speaking people who live there. At around 11.30 am I left Belguam and crossing through Dharwad, Haveri, Davangere, I reached Bangalore which is just short of 500 km from Belgaum. It took me 7 hrs to cover this track. There were hardly any dhabas and petrol pumps on this stretch. On both the sides of the road, you will find nice agricultural land. And at one or two places, I found railway crossings as well. 80% of the track is completed and the rest is still under construction.

After reaching Bangalore, I took a left cut on NH 4. Around 2 hrs were wasted on the periphery of Bangalore because NH 4 was still under construction. And to make things worse, it was raining too. However, after crossing Kolar, Chittor, I was back again on Golden Quadrilateral around 80 km before Chennai. Once in Chennai, I reached my hotel at Poonapally through Porur and through some other places which I am not able to recall. At poonapally, I stayed at the Hotel Velocity. I reached there at around 2 am.

The next morning (27 Oct), I left the city at around 12.30 pm and by 3 pm I was back on NH 5 which connects to Kolkata. I had made up my mind to drive straight to Kolkata which was 1685 km from the highway but didn’t tell my wife of the plan. The road was good in Andhra Pradesh and after crossing Nellore, I reached Vijayawada at around 9.30 pm. We had a light dinner and then drove the whole night.

By 2 am, I had crossed the place from where Kakinada was 70 km. At 5 am, we had tea at Vishakhapatnam and took some rest in one of Reliance’s petrol pumps in our car itself. Then at around 7 am, we resumed our journey. by 11 am, we crossed Ichapuram which is the border town between Andhra and Orissa. Then we entered Orissa where the road wasn’t good for some distance with frequent breakers. At around 2 pm, we had lunch at Bhubaneswar. We were out of the city by 3 pm again. After crossing Bhadrak and Balasore, we tried to take rest at Kharagpur but the moment we entered the city we realized that the stretch was very scary.

We got back again on the highway and planned to stay at Kolkata instead. At around 11.30 pm, we reached Kolkata. Before this, I had never travelled to Kolkata by road and more so in the night. However, we asked a traffic policeman for the way to dharmtala. Luckily, a gentleman offered to take us to a good hotel in Park Street. It was already 1 am and we had some chow mien.

The next morning we left the hotel at around 11 am (29 Oct) and after one hour, we were  on NH 2. Delhi was now 1450 kms away. The road up to Burdman was excellent, in fact better than any other stretch in our entire trip. But after that some part of it is still under construction and resulted in loss of some time. After crossing Asansol and Dhanbad, we reached Dhobi at around 6 pm. Some of my relatives stay in Gaya which is 30 km from Dhobi. They were surprised at the speed at which we were travelling. We crossed Aurangabad, Sasaram, Varanasi and Allahabad bypass and the allahabad bye pass is 80 km in length.

At around 2 am, we reached a point that is 50 km before Kanpur. Here, we took rest in the car itself for 4 hrs at a BPCL petrol pump. We were back on the road at 6.30 am. After crossing Kanpur, Itawa, and Agra, we took tea near Vrindavan and then wasted some time in the city traffic at Palwal and Faridabad. And finally at around 3 pm, we were back in Delhi.

It took us 177 hrs from 23 October to 30 October to complete the journey and out of these I drove for 96 hrs if i would have taken the new track which is part of golden quadilateral which goes through hosur and krishnagiri then i would have saved atleast 4 more hrs. My wife recorded the scenic beauty in a handy cam while I was driving. We spent around 25 thousand Rupees on petrol and I got an average of more than 12 km in a Toyota Camry. The company claims 11 km per litre on a highway. The speed was between 90 to 100 km for the entire stretch except for Allahabad bypass where I drove at 170 km/hr for some distance just to check the speed and at this speed you will feel completely relax in this car. The petrol from reliance is pure and accurate but you will hardly find a Reliance petrol pump anywhere except in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. For any specific details about the road condition or anything else, please feel free to contact me. I love driving and can drive non-stop for 1500 km without getting tired.I shall be putting the videos of the tour in due course.

• Latest Posts

hi frds i m sunil kumar ranjan presently posted at chandigarh in staff selection commission, a govt recruiting organization as deputy regional director. i have done my masters in geography from jnu, new delhi. i m pisces by birth and my life path number according to numerology is 5. i love travelling and i have drove the complete golden quadilateral and many times to gaya, rourkela, jamshedpur and bilashpur and many hill stations. driving is my passion.

• Trip to Gaya from New Delhi within 14 hrs

27 Comments

Wow seems Mr. Ranjan is very passionate about driving. It’s a good walk through for all other traveler who wants to cover any side of the quadrangle. The information have been more informative if it would have covered the staying options like illustrated for Dungarpur Palace but anyway nice blog..All d best n happy traveling.

Sanjeev Mehta

thanks sanjeev for your encouraging comments.you are right i should have been given more information on accomodation but u know i had planned my trip just two days ago and wanted to cover the distance in shortest possible time but if you have nay query then pl let me know i will try to answer it regarding accomodation and on other issue also.

Mr. Ranjan , Welcome to Ghumakkar.

Good interesting trip. But such a long trip , it ended so soon. Missed the pics badly . Hope to read many such stories from you.

Thanks Mr. sahil i have recordedthe various features of the trip in my handy cam and soon i will put it for all of you and sure from next time i will stop and take snaps also.This trip was basically to cover the distance in short period. regards s k ranjan

Sunilji It was thrilling to read the travelogue. You could have taken up a cause for the trip as well, say for women and child rights..etc. Neverthless great adventure soul ! best wishes.

Arbindji from next time i will definitely do such things to create awareness and recently i have bought one royal enfield bullet classic 500 cc and made all arrangements in terms of purchasing biking gear,tent,sleep bag for ladakh trip in which i m planning to go upto changthang region where u get see the animal which gives the raw material for paschmina shawl

Wow!! This is serious driving. Am surprised that your wife and kid didn’t insist on breaks for shopping/ sight seeing.

Thanks Mr anil you know my wife and kid both enjoy going by car so they kept themself busy in watching the scenic beauty, beautifull roads and people from various states.Next time i m planning for delhi to kanyakumari and back along the coast of kerala and to catch NH 3 from nasik in that it will be bit relax .

Its unbelievable!!! Travelling such a long-long distance within this small span of time and through our great indian unruly traffic. Amazing. Keep on travelling and keep onsharing your experiences. Hope to see some photographs too next time.

Thanks Mr ashok, i will definitely takes snap in my all forthcoming trip and for your information i have gone to rourkela in orissa it is 1500 km from delhi twice by car itself, once to jamshedpur and atleast 10 times to gaya(bihar) and hill stations like lansdowne,dhanaulti,chakrata,dalhousie,palampur,chamba,dharmshala, kasauli, katra and many times to kanpur and lucknow. during march this year i went to gay and while returing from allahabad i went through reva,shahdol,amarkantak, bilashpur then rourkela, the whole track from reva was almost hilly area. Now also on 30 june i m again gng to gaya in that trip i will take snaps.

Thank you sir, i have read your write up on char dham yatra and i have told to many of my frds about your courage and love for adventure , i really salute you for gng alone to such difficult terrain. I m also planning to go hopefully next yr ,your great inspiration for all of us.

Thanks. Your wife is a real companion of you, changing herself to your interests, your son would be a great Motorist.

Dear Ranjan, Very well written post. Lack of photographs reduces the charm of story to some extent. Waiting for your next post with pictures.

Thanks, Mukesh http://www.mukeshbhal1.wordpress.com

Thanks Mr mukesh, from next time i will definitely take snaps to make the story more readable and enjoyable

Welcome aboard Mr. Ranjan. Guess, this country needs many more of enthusiastic government officers. I avoid night driving unless absolutely necessary. Your run from Chennai to Kolkata was very adventurous. Wishing you good times and hope to read more of you.

Here is a link of another GQ story which is on the other end of spectrum – Please read and comment when you are free. – https://www.ghumakkar.com/2010/09/03/going-nowhere-3/ . It is by Anil Mishra who was also working with Govt of India, just like you are currently.

That was hard drive around India, can you please let us know the details on places of Stay and also more on the stretch in Orrissa.

Wow!! Simply amazing trip! We are also planning a GQ in Nov 2011… wanted to have a rough idea of how things are en route…. your travellouge is truly inspiring…

sir i am happy to hear your trip details .We are planning the same for GQ this year and north -south corridor next year with safari dicor 2.2vtt. I will surely require your help . if i can any time talk to you pl leave the ph no on my mail id hoping to get in touch

YATIN DESHMUKH

Wow! That was one super fast description of a super fast trip! Congratulations sir and many wishes for your next trip :)

I’m planning to do this trip during March 2012 with my mother who shares my quest for travel :) I have heard many people doing the GQ in MUVs like Scorpio and Safari, but I was always doubtful of whether it would be possible in my Fiat Linea and your summary gives me some strength that we can do it in sedans too :)

We’ve planned to do it clockwise, i.e., Chennai – Mumbai – Delhi – Kolkata – Chennai. I’d be grateful if you could suggest some places of interest that you came across, along the GQ route. We have planned to do the trip leisurely by taking some 10 – 15 days. So we can even spend a whole day in good locations.

Thank you very much in advance :-)

Jelliffe.J, Chennai.

This is just awesome. What you have achieved is quite commendable. I plan to do Golden Quadilateral in 2012 and today is the first day when I thought of doing some research on this and yours was the first post that turned up. Great job!!!!! I hope to cover the same spreadover a period of 12-15 days and some time for seeing some of the places around on the route.

I am happy to read your experience.I very often travel by road with my Swift Desire.During last few months i have travelled from Porbandar in Gujarat to Patna in Bihar, Patna in Bihar to Thimpu in Bhutan ,Patna to Vijayawada in AP. I am 55 years old and my wife at 50.Both of us drive alone.Though the strech in Bihar and Jharkhand is not good road driving is pleasurable.

We love to share our experience.

Golden quaderilateral (GQ) can start golden age for India

(GQ) GOLDEN QUADRILATERAL Project will promote prosperity of our country India, kudos to the ruling government.

Dear Ranjan

Fantastic Trip, but can you pls share YouTube link here, for the videos captured during that journey. Thanks.

This is a great attempt and congratulations for you your wife and child foCompleting successfully.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

Sign me up for the newsletter!

More Stories

Our First Rafting Experience at Rishikesh

5 guys named Vishal Sharma (The Transporter), Saumya Rakesh (The initiator), Amit Singhal (The Google Map), Vikash Anand (The Golu Bhaiya) and Anupam Dixit…

Exploring Golden Quadrilateral Across 13 States: Mumbai Youth On How He Went The Extra Mile For 15-Day Solo Road Trip

Reported By : Rohini Swamy

Edited By: Manjiri Joshi

Last Updated: February 25, 2024, 18:26 IST

Bengaluru, India

Nishmanya Bahadur called the travel along Ahmedabad, the stretch between Bhubaneshwar and Guntur, the Yamuna expressway from Delhi to Agra, and the expressway between Agra and Lucknow, the best parts of his trip. (News18)

Nishmanya Bahadur, 26, a YouTuber from Mumbai, said he was able to give people a glimpse into the country’s evolving road infrastructure through his ‘Atal Yatra’ across the Golden Quadrilateral – a network of highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata

Across 13 states and 6,000 kilometres, Nishmanya Bahadur embarked on a 15-day driving trip to showcase India’s Golden Quadrilateral – a network of highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata — on February 12. The 26-year-old YouTuber from Mumbai is now on the last leg of his solo road trip, which he calls a tribute to the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream of uniting India through roads from North to South and West to East.

Sharing his experience of driving across the quadrilateral, Nishmanya said he was able to give people a glimpse into the country’s evolving road infrastructure through his ‘Atal Yatra’, which started from Mumbai’s Nariman Point. “The trip pays tribute to the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, but also makes a point of letting people know that they could embark on solo road trips, a concept that has not yet taken off in our country and is overdue," he said.

He added that his intention was also to highlight that while there are concerns among people about driving on long stretches, road conditions, road safety and the possibility of getting deals on food and shelter, it should be seen as an enjoyable chance to discover India’s beauty and culture. “People traditionally want to travel in groups. But I would like to tell them to come out of their comfort zone. If I could travel 6,000 km all on my own, anybody can undertake any sections of the quadrilateral, and the parts of India that you can explore are mind-blowing," Nishmanya said.

THE MOTIVATION & EXPERIENCE

Driving a top-end Tata Harrier, he scheduled his trip from Mumbai, passing through Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Ajmer, New Delhi to Kanpur via Yamuna Expressway, followed by Bodh Gaya, entering into Kolkata, then Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Guntur, Chennai, Bengaluru, and back in Mumbai via Belagavi.

Speaking about what drove him to take up this challenge, Nishmanya said that he had two major motivations. One was to take up a major road trip across the country and build his YouTube channel where he is a travel host.

“I came upon the golden quadrilateral as Mumbai was my fixed point, and the project covered Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, which suited my idea perfectly. The timing was also perfect for me as it has been 25 years since the Golden Quadrilateral project has come into existence. There could have been no better way than telling the world of India’s brilliant infrastructure than driving through it and recording the experience," he said.

Nishmanya said that his experience was good, and in most parts of the country, the government has delivered what was promised. “Most roads were ready. There are some sections that are tough to navigate due to construction work. It was not completely smooth, but in most places, I saw that the roads, like four- and six-lane, were laid as promised. The sections around Jaipur and Delhi, a lot of roadworks happening there. Another notable area that tended to delay my drive was in Bihar, when I was driving between Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. That section had the most amount of roadworks with several diversions," he said.

THE BEST PARTS

The best part of his drive, the moto enthusiast said, was when he travelled along Ahmedabad, the stretch between Bhubaneshwar and Guntur, the Yamuna expressway from Delhi to Agra, and the expressway between Agra and Lucknow.

“These stretches were seamless, and one can breeze through and enjoy the road trip," he said.

Firming his mind that he wanted to cover around 500 km a day, Nishmanya would drive close to 12-14 hours daily to achieve his target. When asked whether the drive got monotonous, he agreed. “There were stretches that it got monotonous, and I began losing a little bit of focus. Stopping the vehicle, walking around, or listening to podcasts and audiobooks kept me engaged along the way," he said.

Bahadur says his expedition seeks to emphasize the economic importance of infrastructure projects like the Golden Quadrilateral, its expansive network of highways that drive economic activities and promote regional development while bringing people of India a lot closer.

The driving expedition is slated to conclude in Mumbai on February 26.

• news18 specials

Change City

Pick from popular cities, a city quartet: road trip.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Honda City, we take all four generations of the car on an epic road trip around the Golden Quadrilateral. Join us behind the wheel.

Published On Mar 06, 2018 10:57:00 AM

56,164 Views

There aren’t too many places to eat along the GQ. So when you spot a dhaba and it is around lunchtime, you should stop.

The first and the latest generation of Honda City with Jaipur’s Jal Mahal in the background.

A modern road used by everyone and everything – so be careful.

 I ’m in an impromptu drag race against a 19-year-old Honda City and I’m losing. A hint of smoke from that car’s tailpipe tells me the engine has crossed 5,500rpm and found its second wind. I can almost see the grin on Hormazd’s face as that happens.

A short run and a couple of gears later, we slow down and resume adult behaviour. This is only the customary four generations of Honda City photo shoot in Noida – the cars have a 6,000km road trip ahead of them.

Why are we going on a 6,000km road trip? Well, it has been 20 years since the Honda City first showed up on Indian roads. 20 years since a sea change happened to how we look at cars and what we expect from them. In these 20 years, we also started getting the roads to drive these cars on; and the first one of those roads was the Golden Quadrilateral.

The planning for this mother road, which links the four big metropolitan cities in India, was completed in 1999 – a year after the Honda City came to India. Construction of the road started in 2001, but then it took another eleven years to complete. In that time, Honda reinvented the City many times. From starting out as a simple, low-slung family car powered by the first 100hp motor in the country, the City went from first-generation swan to second-generation ugly duckling, and back to swan for the third generation. All of this happened while the government was still looking for funds and facing problems with land acquisition to complete a six-year project that ended up taking many more. Oh well, nothing new there.

To celebrate two decades of Citys, we are going to drive four generations of the Honda City along the length of the Golden Quadrilateral. For us, this is both, a documentary and a trip down memory lane. It is a documentary of the state the Golden Quadrilateral is in all its time of existence. The trip down memory lane? That’s just an excuse for a road trip.

Capital to financial capital You forget how low old cars are; and so, when I drop into generation one’s seats, I let myself drop a couple of milliseconds early. The seat is lower than where I expect it to be. So a clumsy fall and a small wince later, I swing my legs in, slide the analogue, ‘browned-from-wear’ key into the starter and give it a twist. This 80,000km-run, 1999 City EXi has no trouble starting. MH-01-Y-9111 is Parsi-owned and according to its owner, is used twice a week to get his aged relatives to Bombay Gymkhana and back home. Asking it to do a cross-country run at this age seems absurd, until you actually drive it. It runs like it left the showroom recently – the dampers have spring in them, the engine still has the energy of a teenager and in no way does it feel like it left the production line nearly two decades ago.

 Anyway, you realise how much a modern car pampers you only when you step back a couple of decades. I have no clue how anyone ever reversed a car without a reverse camera or, at the very least, parking sensors. I also soon realise that all the connectivity I have is through the steering wheel, the pedals and the seat of my pants. There are no distractions in here – the simple dials light up in the same shade of tungsten yellow as the analogue dials of a 1990’s hi-fis (remember those?), voice commands come in the form of you singing ‘Another day in Paradise’, and you actually have to rotate a dial to vaguely set the air conditioning somewhere between red, blue and comfortable. This lack of distraction is good because this bit of GQ that runs through Haryana demands you pay attention.

Through the many villages that line the road are oblivious bikers, lazy cattle and swerving multi-axle trucks. In fact, the absolute lack of in-built safety is the one consistent thing we will see all through the rest of the drive. I will blow a gasket about this, later.

Anyway, the oldest City is still such a hoot. Because you sit so low to the ground, the sense of speed is enhanced and 100kph feels like 150! The engine snarls when you’re in low gear and high revs, the linear throttle response – it is all there!

Take the rose-tinted glasses off for a second, though. This is a family car that we considered sporty because when it came to India, the competition was still fighting about leaf spring settings! You also feel a bit unprotected. Two decades ago, you probably had to buy an S-class to get ABS and airbags as standard; and two decades ago, A-pillars were slimmer than a Victoria’s Secret model and the tyres were narrower than her waist. Out on a six-lane unpoliced highway, all of this leaves you feeling rather naked.

But you forget all that the minute you cross over into Rajasthan. Here, there’s ample space to wind out that 16-valve engine. The wide, open corners remind you why a low centre of gravity is so important in carrying big cornering speeds and the new MRF rubber we’ve fitted on the car keeps it secure.

Also helping our cause are the roads through Rajasthan and Gujarat – wide open stretches, six-lanes, and that odd blithering idiot on a motorcycle to keep you on your toes. The old City runs beautifully all the way and we arrive in Mumbai to swap into the second-generation car.    

Financial capital to traffic jam central Blasphemy. The fans were up in arms. Honda had forced the Fonz to return as a college professor for season two. The second-generation City lost 23hp to the old car, looked almost as proportional as a Picasso painting and was about as exciting to drive as a white refrigerator – but Honda knew that the mid-sized customer’s needs had changed. He now had two kids, parents who were getting on in age and a wife who no longer enjoyed bouncing off the 7,000rpm limiter on the way to the supermarket.

 The second-generation City brought in practicality and (at a later stage) ABS and airbags. The old parents could now slide into the higher seats easily, three weeks of toys and diapers would fit in the big boot and the wife stuck it in fourth gear and smiled all the way to the kitty party.

I will agree with how practical it is. Leaving Mumbai during packed traffic, I appreciate the light clutch, the utterly light steering and the easy gearshift. For the 40-odd kilometres to Panvel, I am entirely happy to be ensconced in the ungainly proportions because it feels like I’m driving a toy.

Then we hit the six-lane Mumbai-Pune Expressway leg of the Golden Quadrilateral. I wind out the engine (it doesn’t complain), I lean on the skinny tyres (they protest loudly), I look for some excitement (there’s none). My pulse rate slows and I ask my colleague to take over the wheel. The back seat, I find, is the best place to be in this car. It is really comfortable and as different as night and day from the low-slung dungeon that the first-generation car’s rear seat is.

It is impossible to fall asleep, however, because once we cross Pune and get on the Bengaluru stretch, this bit of the GQ deteriorates. The tarmac is lumpy and Maharashtra easily outguns all other states when it comes to the league of oblivious motorcyclists/pedestrians. Joy has to punch the brakes often, swerve to avoid the drunk ‘bhau’ heading home and, overall, it is chaos all the way to Kolhapur. Then, as we approach Karnataka, the traffic thins out, the road widens and the feeling of space increases. This directly influences everyone on the road. Since they no longer have to jostle for space, everyone is calmer.

The stretch of GQ after Kolhapur, all the way to Bengaluru is mile-munching paradise. Since there’s little traffic and the road has broad shoulders, you can maintain consistently high average speeds without breaking speed limits. We are in Bengaluru just in time for rush-hour traffic – Google Maps tells us that it will take us 45 minutes to cover the 6km to the hotel! The second-generation car reminds me why it is the way it is, again in this bumper-to-bumper jostle for inches of space. It’s been a good drive but I’m glad to jump into the more exciting generation three City.

Traffic jam central to the City of Joy On a morning when most Honda Citys are on the school run or on their way to the office, there was one hooning around on a racetrack. See, the GQ happens to run past my favourite Indian racetrack – and what better way to prove the third-generation City’s practical and fun credentials than a flat-out run on a track with a boot full of luggage. We’ve also fitted the car with wider 195-section MRF Perfinzas which should take care of our original grouse with the car – its narrow, fuel efficiency-biased tyres. I go in for a couple of laps and discover that the engine likes being wrung out, and that the tyres allow for much higher cornering speeds than I remember.

Just as I’m getting into the groove again, the officials tell us that our time is up and we need to get a move on. I promise you, the luggage in the boot stayed ironed.

We have a long way to go in addition to the mad run we’ve had on the superb stretch from Bengaluru. We’re going up the east coast and come across the best stretch of the GQ we’ve run so far – the bit before Vijayawada. I say it is great not only because it is six-lane perfection but because it is well-marked and well-lit, as well. There still are no real safety measures in place and this has been a constant through our drive. I feel they have built this fantastic road that allows for high speeds; but have left safety in the hands of the nimbu-mirchi, and the deity on the dashboard. Every village along the way has direct access to this road. There are few barriers to prevent out-of-control vehicles from careening off the road or jumping the median into your lane. There is no one to stop people from driving down the wrong side of the road; and animals freely roam this highway. It blows your mind when you actually drive down this otherwise modern road and see the number of unnecessary accidents and roadkill. It turns what should be a relaxing drive into an on-your-guard drive.

The generation three City, however, is a great long-distance car as long as you are not pushing it. That CVT gearbox (never my favourite) is great at cruising – but when you need to power out of a situation, it simply makes the engine feel strained. That aside, I’m enjoying the ability to listen to all the songs on my iPod (this generation was one of the first cars in India to altogether delete the CD player from the options list) and the seats are great, too. We make it to the Howrah Bridge and somehow land up in a hotel that serves only vegetarian fare. Picture eyes rolling.

To the capital That bit about the GQ being completed in 2012 is not entirely true and we discover it just as we cross the Bihar border into Uttar Pradesh. For about 100-odd kilometres, all the way past Varanasi, the road is full of diversions past yet-to-be-constructed flyovers. In fact, it reminds me of how the rest of the GQ was, a decade ago. This whole belt is dismal. All the way from Jharkhand, through Bihar and UP, is one big dustbowl, and I’m quite glad I’m in the fourth-generation City, for this one. The seats are supremely comfortable and the superb sound system helps me ignore the slightly intrusive drone from the diesel engine. Once past Varanasi though, UP’s GQ improves considerably – although to no better standard than the rest of the country; or so I thought. We cheat a bit on the way back and take a part of the new Lucknow-Agra Expressway. This is a road that you could compare to anything you would drive on in a developed country. Properly barricaded, well marked with reflective signs  and lane markings, it makes the Golden Quadrilateral seem, well, a bit last-century.

The fourth-generation City is superb here. It is a fantastic cruiser and I love the way it delivers power – it is responsive and also so fuel-efficient, it easily covers the distance between Kanpur and Noida on a tankful of diesel. When Honda introduced this engine in the City back in 2014, it was way the last entrant in the segment, but it was worth the wait. What a nice engine this is! We surf along the diesel’s wave of torque on the Taj Expressway, and we are in Noida before we know it.

The end Ultimately, there’s so much you learn from a trip like this. One, India has done the typical thing of going ahead and making a great road; and lost interest in building the rest of what such roads need to keep them safe. Two, our driving standards need to improve – the general Indian has no idea how to use a road like this and they need to be educated in etiquette. We saw a man meditating cross-legged in the fast lane in Bihar, we saw another who thought it was ok to ride flat-out in the middle lane in the wrong direction. We had truckers veering into the fast lane for no reason, cows chewing the cud around fast, blind corners, cyclists, poorly marked diversions – and the works. It is high time we did something about this callous attitude to life.

The Honda City, on the other hand, has progressed with the times. A trip like this shows you how diverse India is and developing a car that pleases everyone, is quite the task. The first generation introduced us to what good engines should be like, the second generation showed how good thinking out of the conventional three-box sedan can be, the third generation mixed everything the first two generations had and wrapped it in a good-looking suit, and the fourth generation added a layer of finesse to the third generation’s quality. It’s also impressive that no matter what their age, all four (well-maintained cars, mind you) ran faultlessly. So, like we said, it is extremely difficult to build a car that suits everyone’s needs; but a drive like this shows that the City’s wide range of talents help it do a pretty good job of that. 

OUSEPH CHACKO

Honda Amaze

₹ 7.94 - 13.31 lakh

₹ 14.10 - 23.89 lakh

Honda Elevate

₹ 13.92 - 19.13 lakh

Hyundai Creta vs Honda Elevate comparison video review

11237 Views | 20 days ago

Bolero Neo, Kia Carens, Honda Amaze Global NCAP crash tes...

7757 Views | 1 month ago

Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

Member Login

Personal details.

No comments yet. Be the first to comment.

Need an expert opinion on your car and bike related queries?

Poll of the month.

Which according to you was India's first hot-hatchback?

Fiat Palio 1.6

First-gen Maruti Zen

Chevrolet Optra SRV

Sign up for our newsletter

Get all the latest updates from the automobile universe

• Follow us on :

• Personal Finance
• Real Estate
• Leaders of Tomorrow
• India Upfront
• Financial Reports
• Urban Debate
• Car Reviews
• Bike Reviews
• Bike Comparisons
• Car Comparisons
• LATEST NEWS
• Weight Loss
• Men's Fashion
• Women's Fashion
• Baking Recipes
• Breakfast Recipes
• Foodie Facts
• Healthy Recipes
• Seasonal Recipes
• Starters & Snacks
• Cars First Look
• Bikes First Look
• Bollywood Fashion & Fitness
• Movie Reviews
• Planning & Investing
• Inspiration Inc
• Cricket News
• Comparisons

Planning to undertake road trip from Delhi to Mumbai? Here's why your journey may not be safe

The delhi-mumbai and mumbai-chennai national highways are part of the ambitious golden quadrilateral project. a study has flagged off safety concerns regarding the two prestigious corridors..

New Delhi: Are you planning to travel to Mumbai from Delhi by road? You may need to think twice as a study undertaken by a group of agencies has found that the Delhi-Mumbai and the Mumbai-Chennai stretches of the Golden Quadrilateral are unsafe for the occupants of vehicles including cars, buses, and trucks. The study conducted by agencies including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the World Bank found that there was a high probability of accidents occurring on nearly 30% of the Delhi-Mumbai stretch. On the Mumbai-Chennai stretch, the probability was almost 50%.

The study also found that the chances of accidents and their severity were even greater for two-wheelers, pedestrians and cyclists on these NH stretches. These corridors of the Golden Quadrilateral have very few facilities for road users, thus adding to their existing vulnerability.

It may be noted that the Global Road Safety Facility of the World Bank, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) and the NHAI had undertaken safety assessment of these national highways and given them star ratings, The Times of India reported on Monday. The safety assessment of these corridors took into account crash studies that had been undertaken across the world.

The assessment report notes that only 40 km stretches in the two corridors combined, that have a total length of 5,431 km, were eligible for the highest five-star safety rating in the scale of one to five for vehicle occupants. Another stretch of 245 km was given a four-star rating while 55% of the two corridors got three stars. It may be noted that a three-star rating is considered “good” for vehicle occupants’ safety.

The remaining 39% of the two national highways could manage only one- or two-star rating, which is poor as far as the safety of users is concerned. It is pertinent to note here that while national highways form on 2% of the country’s total road network, their share of road deaths is almost 36%. In the year 2017, accidents on the NHs accounted for some 52,000 road deaths while around 40,000 people lost their lives on state highways.

• Latest india News

Savaari Car Rentals Blog

Travel begins with Savaari

The Golden Quadrilateral – India for road trips

The Golden Quadrilateral road trip comes as close as possible to covering a maximum of India. It passes through 13 states of the country.

Moscow luxury cars rental service (car hire)

Russia luxury car hire service

Luxury cars rental in Moscow

Would you like to drive a Lamborghini , Ferrari , Aston Martin or Bentley in Moscow? Prestige Car Hire may be a lot cheaper than you think. Russia Luxury Car Hire in Moscow, we specialize in world class executive, sports and exotic cars in the EU area as well as rentals from Moscow Airport (Flughafen). Whether you are looking to hire a Audi , Maserati , Mercedes , BMW , Hummer , Jaguar , Lamborghini , Porsche , Range Rover , or even a Rolls Royce with a private chauffeur you have come to the right place. We treat all our clients with the red carpet service and are happy to deliver your car to any chosen location. If you are looking for luxury car hire at any place all over Moscow we have a special collection & drop-off service. You can feel confident renting first class, immaculate cars as our range of rental cars is chosen from our very own fleet. We are not agents and this ensures that you benefit from the most complete and extensive way to enjoy driving. You may wish to hire the car for a day or two; a long weekend, or a couple of weeks rental or even long-term; the choice is yours.

Luxury Rent a Car Moscow is a intermediation company ALL IN 1.

We are fully licensed and insured. We do not lie to our insurance company or hide the fact that we're a vehicle rental company. It costs us more, but it means we'll be around for the long haul. There are no hidden fees, obscure taxes, or secret vehicles that we're keeping from you. You are seeing us as we are, and that's the way it should be.

ALL OVER Moscow VIP Services Luxury car request form

Luxury car request form

• Personalized one-on-one instruction on your vehicle’s features by our trained staff.
• Free airport parking for your car during your car rental in Moscow.
• 24/7 Roadside Assistance (towing, lockouts, jump-starts, and fuel-delivery)
• Our priority is your contentment: Fast and friendly customer service is our highest priority.
• Car hire categories of new vehicles equipped with the latest technology.
• We can be everywhere you wish us to be.
• Our car hire prices are unbeatable because many of the services we offer are FREE of CHARGE.
• NO hidden costs for full or partial insurance, boat or flight delays, parking, midnight arrivals, etc.
• ALL PRICES ARE FINAL - TOTAL (ALL INCL.)

• Yekaterinburg
• Novosibirsk
• Vladivostok

• Tours to Russia
• Practicalities
• Russia in Lists

Rusmania • Deep into Russia

Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

Plan your next trip to Russia

Ready-to-book tours.

Your holiday in Russia starts here. Choose and book your tour to Russia.

REQUEST A CUSTOMISED TRIP

Looking for something unique? Create the trip of your dreams with the help of our experts.