Nandi Hills, a solid monolithic mass of granite and the best scenic hill station in the vicinity of Bangalore (60 Km away). Its height is about 4,851 feet above MSL and acquires an area of 97 acres. Nandi Hills is the birth place of rivers Arkavathi and Palar. The temperature range at Nandi Hills is about 25 to 28 Degree Celsius during summer and 8 to 10 Degree Celsius in winter. At Nandi Hills we can see Rain-fall of 100 to 150cms every year. Mahatma Gandhiji has stayed for 45 days for his health revival at this place. History Nandi Hills gets its name from the famous Nandi temple situated atop this hill. This bull guards the outside of the Yoga Nandeeshwara Temple. Yoga Nandeeshwara Temple is the dwelling of Shiva the austere on the top of the hills and this temple was build by the Cholas. This antediluvian temple also has a dedication in the name of Sambhaji who was the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The beautiful Nandi Hills, popularly known as Nandi Betta or Nandi Durga for the locals and the people of Karnataka. This hillock is situated about 60 km from Bangalore City, about 24 kms from Chikkaballapur town. Nandi is the bull in Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu. He is the sacred abode or Vahana to Lord Shiva. During the Chola reign, Nandi Hills was known as Ananda Giri, Hill of Happiness. Now Nandi Hills also known as Nandidurga are small flat surrounding plains near Bangalore. A fort was built during the period by the chieftains of Chikkaballapur. It was strengthened by the famous King of Mysore Tippu Sultan. This fort was considered impregnable, it covers a vast area of 97 acres and soldiers could shoot from all directions without being seen and there is the famous "Tippu drop" a 600 meter cliff with a huge rock landing after the drop. Prisoners and convicts during Tippu's reign were pushed off this cliff. These hills are located 1,478 meters above the sea level. Nandi Hills before being conquered by the British forces under Lord Cornwallis was a Mysorean Fort. It was captured by the British in the year 1791. Later on the British developed the hill station and it became popular. This hill station is a famous tourist spot because it is blessed with a pleasant climate through out the year. The flora of the hills is distinctive of high hills. Besides Coffea arabica there are some more aboriginal species. Eucalyptus is grown inside the fort which is an exotic plant. The forest around the hills acts as a substratum for the condensation of clouds and this is the reason that most of the trees are covered with water in the mornings. Many species of birds and animals can also be seen in the hills. Map http://www.nandihills.co.in/Q_Links/Location_Map.html

• published: 10 Apr 2012
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