Highways pass through or originate from Salem: [ 29 ] NH 7 (North-South) - Originates at Varanasi and terminates at Kanniyakumari . Passes via Salem. NH 47 (Southwest) - Originates at Kondalampatti in the outskirts of Salem and proceeds towards Kanniyakumari via Coimbatore , Palakkad , Thrissur , Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram .