Nandi Hills (Anglicised forms include ''Nandidurg'' and ''Nandydoorg'') is an ancient hill station built by
Ganga Dynasty in the
Chikkaballapur district
Chikkaballapura district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. On 23 August 2007, it was carved out of the pre-existing Kolar district which was the fourth largest district (before bifurcation) of Karnataka by moving the talukas of Ga ...
of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
state. It is 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. The hills are near the town Nandi. In traditional belief, the hills are the origin of the
Arkavathy river
The Arkavati is an important mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at 34 km south of Kanakapura, Ramanagara District called Sangama in ...
,
Ponnaiyar River
The South Pennar River (also known as ''Dakshina Pinakini'' in Kannada and ''Thenpennai or Ponnaiyar'' or ''Pennaiyar'' in Tamil) is a river in India. Bangalore, Hosur, Tiruvannamalai, and Cuddalore are the important cities on the banks of Sou ...
,
Palar River
Palar is a river of southern India. It rises in the Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka state, and flows in Karnataka, in Andhra Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu before reaching its confluence into the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur ab ...
,
Papagni River
Papagni River is a non-perennial, inter-state river in southern India that flows through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is a right bank tributary of the Pennar river.
Etymology
''Pāpāgni'' is a compound of the words ''pāpa' ...
and
Penna River
Penna (also known as Pinakini, Pennar, Penner, Penneru (Telugu), Pennai (Tamil)) is a river of southern India. This is a unique river in world where after originating from Nandi hills, it flows as two different streams, one in North and South ...
.
Watching the sunrise at Nandi Hills is popular with tourists. The first ever
SAARC
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...
summit hosted by India was held at Nandi Hills in 1986.
Etymology
There are many stories about the origin of the name Nandi Hills. During the
Chola
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
period, Nandi Hills was called Anandagiri meaning The Hill of Happiness. It is also perhaps called Nandi Hills because the hills resemble a sleeping bull. Another theory holds that the hill gets its name from an ancient, 1300-year-old, Dravidian-style temple, and for the
Nandi (bull)
Nandi ( sa, नन्दि), also known as Nandikeshwara or Nandideva, is the bull vahana of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a seated Nandi, ge ...
, statue situated on this hill.
History
Nandi Hills was developed by
Ganga Dynasty in 11th century. It was also used by
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
as a summer retreat.
Nandidurga was traditionally held impregnable, and
its storming by the army of
Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...
on 19 October 1791 was one of the most notable incidents of the
first war against
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
. A description of the siege is given in Browne's History of Scotland and the records of the 71st Highlanders.
It later became a retreat for
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
officials during the hot season.
Francis Cunningham built the summer residence here for Sir
Mark Cubbon Mark Cubbon may refer to:
* Mark Cubbon (army officer), British army officer with the East India Company
* Mark Cubbon (administrator), chief executive of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust See also
* Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born ...
.
The climate at the top of the hill made it of interest to
horticulturists
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
. Several species of plant were introduced into an experimental garden. Firminger's manual notes that several species of ''Anona'' were grown at this garden and also notes the peculiarity of ''
Hypericum mysorense
''Hypericum mysorense'' is a species of flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family. It is primarily found at high elevations in the Western Ghats of India and the mountains of Sri Lanka, but was also reported from Socoro by Isaac Bayley Bal ...
'':
[
Potato cultivation was introduced for the first time in the neighbourhood of Bangalore by a Colonel Cuppage and continued by the botanist Benjamin Heyne. Heyne brought seeds from St. Helena and these grew well enough that they were supplied in Madras and preferred to those obtained from Bengal. In 1860, tea plants were tried on Nandi Hills by Hugh Cleghorn.
]
Development
The Department of Horticulture is setting up a one-crore food court. A 30-lakh music stage, located on a three-and-a-half acre grove, will be used to conduct cultural programmes. Furthermore, the Horticulture Department is developing of land in the Nandi Hills region with the creation of a large-scale exotic botanical garden. A planetarium with an initial one-crore investment is also being constructed. A gondola lift system will connect the peak of the Nandi Hill with the nearby Muddenahalli.[The Hindu : Karnataka News : IIT will be established at Muddenahalli, says Moily](_blank)
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> Other projects including Prestige Golfshire and QVC Nandi Hills are coming up near Nandi Hills. There are also proposals to construct cable cars, at the cost of 15 to 20 crore, to protect the local environment and reduce the number of vehicles going to the hills.
Notable places of interest
Places of interest in the area include Yoga Nandeeshwara Temple (a Hindu temple in Chikkaballapur district), Tipu's Summer Palace, Tipu Drop, and Skandagiri.
Biodiversity
The vegetation of the hills is typical of high hills. Inside the fort at the summit, many of the large trees are planted exotics such as ''Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
'' and the undergrowth consists of ''Coffea arabica
''Coffea arabica'' (), also known as the Arabic coffee, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to have been cultivated and is currently the dominant cultivar, r ...
'' along with some native species. The forest acts as a substrate for cloud condensation and every morning the trees are covered in water. This allows for many moist forest species of plants and animals.
The hills are very rich in birdlife making it a popular location for birdwatchers and bird photographers. The evergreen forest patch on top of the hill being a favoured wintering location for many migrant species of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. The forest patch is also home for a relict population of the Nilgiri woodpigeon. A breeding pair of shaheen falcon
The shaheen falcon (''Falco peregrinus peregrinator'') is a non-migratory subspecies of the peregrine falcon found mainly in the Indian subcontinent. It has also been described as a migratory subspecies. Describes subspecies ''peregrinator'' "fr ...
, the resident race of the peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
is also often seen at the Nandi Hills. The Malabar whistling thrush, Uropeltid snakes and pill millipede
Pill millipedes are any members of two living (and one extinct) orders of millipedes, often grouped together into a single superorder, Oniscomorpha. The name Oniscomorpha refers to the millipedes' resemblance to certain woodlice (Oniscidea), also ...
s which are otherwise known only from the Western Ghats ranges are also found here. The hill slopes are the home of the yellow-throated bulbul
The yellow-throated bulbul (''Pycnonotus xantholaemus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which ...
, a species endemic to the hills of peninsular India.
Hiking and trekking
Nandi Hills is a destination for hiking and trekking for beginners to intermediate level. Trails in the area include the staircase-based trekking path which starts near Sultanpet village.
, visitors require prior District administration passes to visit Nandi hills on weekends to manage parking and reduce overcrowding on the hill station. Only 1,000 two-wheelers and 300 light motor vehicles parking is allowed on the hill station. Passes can be purchased at the Ticket counter at the base of the hill station or through KSTDC website. Earlier Nandi Hills was closed due to Covid restrictions.
References
External links
State govt's official site
* {{Wikivoyage-inline, Nandi Hills
Cities and towns in Chikkaballapur district
Hill stations in Karnataka
Populated places in the Western Ghats
Hills of Karnataka
Tourist attractions in Karnataka
Buildings and structures in Chikkaballapur district
Forts in Karnataka
Geography of Chikkaballapur district