Tourism :
Nandi Hills

60 kms north of Bangalore is the summer resort called Nandi Hills. Also known as Nandidurga, it was one of the summer retreats of Tipu Sultan.

Nandi Hills was popular with the British too who built bungalows and laid out gardens here.

Today of course, it's a hot favourite among Bangaloreans who find this an ideal get-away for weekends. The 1478-m high Nandi Hills is the originating point of many rivers.

And the forests surrounding the hills, abound with wild animals. Around the Nandi Hills are several smaller hills, which can be visited on foot.

ooty

Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is a hill fortress of southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is located just 3 to 5 KM from Chickballapur Taluq. It is 4851 ft. (1478 meters) above sea level. Nandidrug hill, known commonly as Nandi Hills, is the source of the Penner,Ponnaiyar and Palar rivers. Nandi Hills gets its name from an ancient Nandi temple situated on this hill. This temple has a thousand year old sculpture of Nandi. An ancient lord Shiva and Parvati temple also adorns this hill.

Nandidurg was traditionally held impregnable, and its storming by Lord Cornwallis in 1791 was one of the most notable incidents of the first war against Tipu Sultan of Mysore. It was formerly a favorite resort for British Raj officials during the hot season. Francis Cunningham built the summer residence here for Sir Mark Cubbon.

PRIME ATTRACTIONS

Tipu's Drop:
A 600 m high cliff face where according to legend, condemned prisoners were pushed to their death.

On misty days when the wind wails in the trees, you can almost hear the blood-curdling screams of the prisoners as they met their gruesome end. But look down on a clear day and the view is inspiring.

Yoga Nandishvara Temple:
This beautiful Chola temple has an inscription of Sambhaji, Shivaji's son. The Dwarapalakas, the splendid metallic figures are not-to-be-missed.

Nandi:
Situated at the north-eastern base of Nandi Hills. This village was, for some time a British Military Station. The Bhoga Nandishvara Temple Complex here is architecturally, one of the most important Dravidian-style structures in the State.

Muddenahalli:
The hometown of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the architect of modern Karnataka, Muddenahalli is just a few kilometres from Nandi Hills. The house of this genius is now a museum.

Nehru Nilaya, where Jawaharlal Nehru used to stay, now a guest house of the horticulture department of India.

Rivers The rivers Pennar, Palar and Arkavati originate from these hills.Most of the sources have dried up

Brahmashram It is said that Sage Ramakrishna Paramhamsa meditated here.Its a cool cave .

 

Biodiversity

The vegetation of the hills is typical of high hills. Inside the fort at the summit, many of the large trees are planted exotics such as Eucalyptus and the undergrowth consists of Coffea arabica along with some native species. The forest acts as a substrate for cloud condensation and every morning the trees are covered in water. This allows for many moist forest species of plants and animals. The hills are very rich in birdlife making it a very popular location for birdwatchers and bird photographers. The evergreen forest patch on top of the hill being a favoured wintering location for many migrant species of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. The forest patch is also home for a relict population of the Nilgiri Woodpigeon. A breeding pair of Shaheen Falcon, the resident race of the Peregrine Falcon is also often seen at the Nandi Hills. The Malabar Whistling Thrush, Uropeltid snakes and Pill millipedes which are otherwise known only from the Western Ghats ranges are also found here. The hill slopes are the home of the Yellow-throated Bulbul, a species endemic to the hills of peninsular India.

Best Time to Visit

Tour to Nandi Hills You may plan your visit to the Nandi Hills any time of the year. The Nandi Hills experience pleasant and moderate temperate all the year through. The Nandi Hills is the perfect hill resort as the summer temperature varies between 29 and 23 degrees. During the winters the temperature at the Nandi Hills hovers between 21 and 11 degrees
All content © 2000-2007
Email admin@aagneyam.net with any problems.