Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills has been a favourite picnic place for young enthusiasts on a weekend. From Bangalore, 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.

Nandi hills was the summer haven of Tipu Sultan as well as the British and was also known as Nandi Durg (Nandi Fort) and Ananda Giri.

You can visit this place at any time of the year. Its best if you are on top of the hill before sunrise. The wind, fog and clouds that blow towards you in the morning is just amazing.

What to see at Nandi Hills:

1. Tipu's Drop - the place from where Tippu Sultan made his prisoners fall
2. Tipu's Summer Residence - a beautiful palace on top of this hill. This palace is closed to the general public
3. Temples - there are temples dedicated to Sri Bhoga Narasimha, Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Yoga Narasimha
4. Gavi Veerbhadra Swamy temple on top of the hill (The temple inside a big rock/cave)
5. Nehru Nilaya - where Jawaharlal Nehru used to stay, now a guest house of the horticulture department of India.
6. Rivers - the rivers Pennar, Palar and Arkavati originate from these hills. Most of the sources have dried up.
7. Brahmashram - it is said that Sage Ramakrishna Paramhamsa meditated here. Its a cool cave.
8. Muddenahalli - the home town of Sir M. Vishweshwarayya, the architect of modern Karnataka. Muddenahalli is just a few kilometres away from Nandi Hills. His house is now a museum.
9. Skanda Giri, a popular trekking destination is close to Nandi Hills

How to reach Nandi Hills:

By Private vehicle:

 From Hebbal flyover take NH7 and take a left diversion (about 10km after passing by BIAL airport flyover) with a signboard in English "Nandi Hills 22 km". Around 7 km after the BIAL flyover towards Nandi hill across the highway, you can see a fort / birth place of Tippu Sultan.

By Bus: Buses are available from Bangalore central bus station (majestic) to Nandi Hills. In the morning and evening there are direct busses. The KSRTC bus to the top leaves at 8AM from platform 10. Returning direct busses from the Hills to Banglore leave at 2:30PM, 4:15PM and 5PM

Alternative: Go to Chikballapur and from there with a private bus to the Nandi Hills. The buses leave every half an hour and it takes about 2 hours to reach the hill. Take the bus to Chikballapur from platform 11. After about 1 hour you will reach Chikballapur

Food at Nandi Hills:

There are few restaurants on top of the hill and the food is of very good quality. There are a lot of restaurants and dhabas on NH7 and near the Airport too.

Where to stay at Nandi Hills:

If planning to stay at Nandi Hills, accommodation is easily available at the Nandi Hills. You may take your pick from hotel, cottage, tourist bungalow, Forest lodge, Guest House et al at the Nandi Hills

Para-Gliding at Nandi Hills:

For more adventurous folks, there is para-gliding carried out by private players on top of the Nandi Hills