Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills is a summer resort, located just 60 km from Bangalore, and 3940ft. above sea level. Nandi Hills is also known as Nandidurga and is famous since the times of Tipu Sultan. This place is named after the bull of the Lord Shiva. Tipu Sultan chose this hill station for his summer leisure camp. Later the British developed it as a hill station and it gained popularity all over India. Nowadays, Nandi Hills is an idyllic weekend gateway from Bangalore. There are three temples in the Nandi Hills. They are temples dedicated to Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Yoga Narasimha, which are perched on the summit. On the lower hill, a temple dedicated to Sri Bhoga Narasimha is there.

Nandi Hills is the originating point of many rivers that flow in Karnataka. The hills are surrounded by dense forests and many wild beasts reside in the forests. There are various tourist attractions in and around the Nandi Hills. To reach atop the hills one has to climb approximately 1,175 steps. The effort is worth it and after climbing the steps, one can have an eye-catching view of the surrounding areas from the hills.

Tipu's Drop is one of the major tourist attractions at the hill, which is a 600-meter high rock face. According to legends, prisoners subjected to death sentence were pushed to their end from this peak. The rock face offers amazing views of the area underneath. There are some remains of a fort that Tipu built. Tourists can also visit the temple of Yoga Nandishvara, which is close by. It is a Chola temple. There is an inscription by king Sambhaji, the son of king Shivaji, in this temple. Apart from that, the Nandi village is famous from the British era. For a while, the village was a British military station.

Muddenahalli is another important place near Nandi Hills. It is the hometown of Sir M Visvesvaraya, known as the architect of modern Karnataka. Today there is a museum in the house of this mastermind. Also visit the Bhoga Nandishvara Temple in Nandi village. It is a fine illustration of architectural marvels.

Tourists can visit the Nandi Hills round the year. The atmosphere of the hill station is always pleasing and inviting to the tourists. Nandi Hills is easily accessible from Bangalore and Bangalore airport is the closest airport to this tourist attraction. Chikkaballapur is the nearest railway station to Nandi Hills. It is around nine km from the hill station. The serene hill station is located on the Bangalore Hyderabad National Highway and it is well linked by road to other regions of the state.

Numerous hotels at Nandi Hills offer varying accommodation options. Make your Karnataka tours pleasurable by visiting Nandi Hills.

Last Updated On: 2011/07/11