Nandi Hills
There are many
stories about the orgin of the name Nandi Hills. During the Chola period,
Nandi Hills was called Ananda Giri meaning The Hill of Happiness.
Another story is that Yoga Nandeeshwara performed penance here, and so it was
named after him. A temple of Yoga Nandeeshwara is situated on top of the hill.
Nandi is also commonly called Nandidurga (Fort) because of the fort build here
by the ruler Tippu Sultan. It is also perhaps called Nandi Hills because the
hill resembles a sleeping bull (Nandi).
Nandi Hills has
been a favourite picnic place for young enthusiasts on a weekend. The pleasant
climate appeals to the old and the young alike. Lovers and honey mooners, in
search of a quiet, beautiful place, and families on economised budget prefer
Nandi Hills. Historians can find a wealth of information and the spiritual
minded, peace and tranquility.
From Bangalore,
the capital of Karnataka, Nandi Hills is a mere 60 kilometers. Nandi Hills
offers a surprise of breathtaking scenic beauty and excellent climatic
condition. Situated in the Chikkaballapur Taluk of Kolar District in Karnataka,
Nandi Hills, at the height of 4851 feet above sea level is, the most popular
picnic spot.
Accommodation
Nandi Hills
provides modern, well-furnished accommodation for tourists. Nehru House,
formerly Cubbon House, build by Lord Cubbon has 18 rooms and available for
tourist. Gandhi House, where the Mahatma himself stayed, is under the management
of DPAR (Protocol) Government of Karnataka and is reserved for the stay of
important dignitaries. The Horticulture Department runs a vegetarian restaurant
and the Karnataka Tourism Department runs a vegetarian / non-vegetarian
restaurant "MAYURA". Nandi Hills has a well maintained road of 8
kilometers from the foothill to the top. Medical, postal, telegraph and
telephone facilities are available on hill top.
| Route to Nandi Hills |
On Bangalore
Bellary road, reach Devanahalli cross, which is on the 36 th milestone. Take
the deviation on the left and travel 11 kilometers to reach Nandi cross. The
foot of the hill is 3 kilometers from here. On the Doddaballapur road, turn
right to reach the road that leads to the top of the hill. From the foot is 8
kilometers of the top.
Places of
Interest :
Amruth Sarovar
: A beautiful water
lake that brims with lucid water all the year round.
Tippus Summer Palace and Fort : During the Ganga period, the Chikkaballapur chieftains built a fort. Tippu
strengthened it further and also build a rest house. This used to be Tippus
summer bungalow.
Gavi
Veerabhadra Swamy Temple :
on the way to the Sultanpet, from Tippus palace, natural formation of huge
boulders has been transformed into a temple.
Fort
:
The fort is on a sprawling area of 90 acres and is above 4851 feet above sea
level. A soldier could hide in this well constructed fort and shoot in all four
directions at the same time.
Horse Way
:
A stone doorway in the fort on the North-eastern side, is believed to have been
the horse way for helping soldiers to climb the wall on horse back.
Palar River
Origin : Palar river
takes its birth as a small spring on the eastern side of the hill.
Brahmashrama :
A serene place for the spiritual minded, this ashram is built by huge natural
boulders.
Yoga
Nandeeshwara Temple : A
temple of exquisite, intricate carvings, it also has a beautiful Kalyana Mantapa.
Tippu Drop:
During Tippus reign, criminals were pushed down from this point to their
death as punishment.
Arkavathi River
Origin : Arkavathi River
takes its birth on the south-west of the hill.
Secret Passage
: A secret passage on
the west, is believed to have helped the Kings to escape during unforseen
attacks.
Childrens
Playground : The
Horticulture department maintains a lovely garden for children to play games
like the slides, merry-go-round, swings etc.
Muddena
Halli:
Muddena Halli, situated 21 kilometers from Nandi Hills, is the birthplace of
Sir. M. Vishveswarayya. His ancestral home, where he was born, has been
preserved for public viewing.
Apart from
these, there are other interesting places like Anjaneya temple, Nellikayi
Basavanna, Antaragange, Baananthi Bande, Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple etc.
Phots which are taken at Nandi Hills:
Timings
: Nandi hills is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bus :
Government buses ply from Bangalore, Chikkaballapur and Nandigrama. It takes 2
hours from Bangalore and one hour from Chikkaballapur to reach Nandi Hills.
Climate :
The temperature is 25 to 28 centigrade during summer and 8 to 10 centigrade in
winter. Nandi receives a rainfall of 100 to 150 cms every year.
