Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is a hill station, situated 1,478 mt. above sea level and 65 km from Bangalore, in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. It gets its name from the ancient Nandi or bull which is meant to be the mount of Lord Shiva. Later developed as Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat this hill-station was patronized by the British too. These hills are the source of the rivers Palar, Arkavati and Pennar and rolling green slopes surround the Amrit Sarovar Lake, making it a popular weekend destination.

There are many stories about the orgin of the name Nandi Hills. During the Chola period, Nandi Hills was called Ananda Giri meaning The Hill of Happiness. Another story is that Yoga Nandeeshwara performed penance here, and so it was named after him. A temple of Yoga Nandeeshwara is situated on top of the hill. Nandi is also commonly called Nandidurga (Fort) because of the fort build here by the ruler Tippu Sultan. It is also perhaps called Nandi Hills because the hill resembles a sleeping bull (Nandi).

Route to Nandi Hills:

On Bangalore Bellary road, reach Devanahalli cross, which is on the 36 th milestone. Take the deviation on the left and travel 11 kilometers to reach Nandi cross. The foot of the hill is 3 kilometers from here. On the Doddaballapur road, turn right to reach the road that leads to the top of the hill. From the foot is 8 kilometers to reach the top.

Places of Interest

Amruth Sarovar : A beautiful water lake that brims with lucid water all the year round.

Tippus Summer Palace and Fort: During the Ganga period, the Chikkaballapur chieftains built a fort. Tippu strengthened it further and also build a rest house. This used to be Tippus summer bungalow.

Gavi Veerabhadra Swamy Temple : on the way to the Sultanpet, from Tippus palace, natural formation of huge boulders has been transformed into a temple.

Fort : The fort is on a sprawling area of 90 acres and is above 4851 feet above sea level. A soldier could hide in this well constructed fort and shoot in all four directions at the same time.

Horse Way : A stone doorway in the fort on the North-eastern side, is believed to have been the horse way for helping soldiers to climb the wall on horse back.

Palar River Origin: Palar river takes its birth as a small spring on the eastern side of the hill.

Brahmashrama : A serene place for the spiritual minded, this ashram is built by huge natural boulders.

Yoga Nandeeshwara Temple: A temple of exquisite, intricate carvings, it also has a beautiful Kalyana Mantapa.

Tippu Drop: During Tippus reign, criminals were pushed down from this point to their death as punishment.

Arkavathi River Origin: Arkavathi River takes its birth on the south-west of the hill.

Secret Passage : A secret passage on the west, is believed to have helped the Kings to escape during unforseen attacks.

Childrens Playground : The Horticulture department maintains a lovely garden for children to play games like the slides, merry-go-round, swings etc.

Muddena Halli: Muddena Halli, situated 21 kilometers from Nandi Hills, is the birthplace of Sir. M. Vishveswarayya. His ancestral home, where he was born, has been preserved for public viewing.

Timings :

Nandi hills will be open from 6 a.m. to 6PM.

Bus : Government buses ply from Bangalore, Chikkaballapur and Nandigrama. It takes 2 hours from Bangalore and one hour from Chikkaballapur to reach Nandi Hills.

Climate : The temperature is 25 to 28 centigrade during summer and 8 to 10 centigrade in winter. Nandi receives a rainfall of 100 to 150 cms every year.