Nandi Hills Places of Attraction

India is a land of gardens, lakes, and beautiful attractions. The country is loaded with a kind of beauty that is irresistible and unbeatable. One who goes around this amalgamation of sights, pleasures and enjoyment, would surely come back with a lot of memories. Bangalore the city of gardens is one place which is akin to a paradise. Visit this heaven in southern part of India and feel eternally blessed.

The Nandi Hills a great sightseeing attraction of Bangalore is a perfect treat to the tourists’ eye and provides maximum travel pleasure. This mass of granite is the best scenic spot in this region which lies around 60km from Bangalore. At a height of 4,851 feet this lovely expanse of 97 acres is an ideal holiday spot.

Nandi Hills is the place where the Palar and Arkavathi originate. With a very pleasant climate and beautiful surroundings, this is the ideal rejuvenation spot. In fact, it is said that Mahatma Gandhi lived here for around 45 days for reviving his failing health.

I decided to go to the Nandi Hills, this time when I was on an office tour to Bangalore. Normally I don’t indulge in recreation activities while at work, but this time, I had a long weekend so I decided to spend it by going around Bangalore.

There are actually many tales regarding this place. It is said that the hill area was known as Ananda Giri in the time of the Cholas. Ananda Giri means the hill of Happiness. Then there is the story of how Yoga Nandeeshwara penanced here so the hill is named after this great sage. There is a temple of Yoga Nandeeshwara on the top of this hill. Nandi hills are also known as the Nandidurga as there is a fort here. Durg means fort in Sanskrit. This fort was constructed by the great ruler Tipu Sultan. The hill apparently looks like a sleeping bull thus getting its name the Nandi Hills.

I liked the place with its lovely surroundings and looked on with amusement as the people around enjoyed in their own enthusiasm. The elderly were enjoying the pleasantness of the place and the youth were liking the free feeling that the place gave them. There were honeymooners and there were those in love, there were the children frolicking about and there were the youth discussing on latest issues in a calm surrounding. There were many who were simply there just to bask in the tranquility and those were trying to get spiritual here and feel enlightened.

There was something mystical and breathtaking about this place which had the best scenic splendor and which was the ideal way to unwind after a tired day. Thus the district of Kolar in the state of Karnataka has come up with the best way for a tourist to relax and the ideal way for a person to get refreshed.

In fact, if you want to stay over, there are facilities for accommodation. There is the Nehru House, the Cubbon house which is apparently built by Lord Cubbon himself. Then there is the Gandhi house where Mahatma Gandhi lived. Today all this is managed by the DPAR Government of Karnataka.

As I had come up on the Bangalore Bellary Road and reached Devanahalli cross, I felt quite relaxed in the drive up to the Nandi Hills. From the Nandi Cross the base of the Nandi Hills is around 3 kilometres.

While here, I went around and saw the Amrut Sarovar. This beautiful water body is a perennial source of beauty and has lucid water all through the year.

You also have the Tipu’s Summer Palace and Fort here which you could visit and go back to the Ganga period when the chieftains of Chikkaballapur constructed the fort. Tipu not only built a rest house but also restored the strength of the fort. He also used to rest here during summer and treated it as his summer bungalow.

Then I went to the Gavi Veerabhadra Swamy temple. This is on the way from the palace of Tipu Sultan, and is a lovely sight. The natural formation of the boulders has been made into a temple.

There is also a lovely doorway made of stone in the fort lying on the northeastern side. This is said to be the place where soldiers used to climb the wall standing on the back of the horse.

While here, I also went to see the origin point of the River Palar. The river actually takes birth in the form of a small spring which lies on the eastern portion of the hill.

Then I went to the calm and tranquil zone of the Brahmashrama which is an ashram that has again been built with the help of the huge natural boulders.

The Tipu Drop is another point of interest. This was the place from where criminals were pushed to death as a form of punishment.

Then I saw a children’s playground, Muddena Halli, Anjaneya temple, the origin of Arkavathi, the secret passage, the Yoga Nandeeshwara temple and felt completely refreshed with this visit.

Surely the Nandi Hills is a place to visit in this part of India.