Nandi Hill Station

Nandi Hills is 60 kms north of Bangalore and also known as Nandidurga. One of the summer retreats of Tipu Sultan, Nandi Hills was popular with the British too who built bungalows and laid out gardens here. Today it's a hot favorite among Bangaloreans who find this an ideal get-away for weekends. The 1, 478 m high Nandi Hills are the source of many rivers. And the forests surrounding the hills, abound with wild animals. Around the Nandi Hills are several smaller hills which can be visited on foot. Nandi Hills enjoys a moderate climate throughout the year.
Attractions:






Tipu's Drop: A 600 m high cliff face where according to legend, condemned prisoners were pushed to their death.

Yoga Nandishvara Temple: This beautiful Chola temple has an inscription of Sambhaji, Shivaji's son. Don't miss the Dwarapalakas-the splendid metallic figures.

Nandi: Situated at the north-eastern base of Nandi Hills, this villages was, for some time, a British Military Station. The Bhoga Nandishvara Temple Complex here is, architecturally one of the most important Dravidian-style structures in the State.

Muddenahalli: The home town of Sir M. Visvesvaraya - the architect of modern Karnataka - Muddenahalli is just a few kms from Nandi Hills. The house of this genius is now a museum.

Karnataka Hill Stations

Karnataka is a famous tourist destination in southern India. It is well-known for some of the beautiful hill stations and every hill station is popular for its unique charm. Some are famous for coffee plantations, some for sandalwood forests and some for waterfalls, trekking trails and wildlife. Situated in Western Ghats, hill stations of Karnataka offer magnificent views of deep picturesque valleys, dense forests and wonderful sunsets. Some of the popular hill stations of Karnataka are Nandi Hills, Kermana Gundi, Madikeri, Biligiri Hills, Kudremukh, Chikmagalur and Gangamoola.

Nandi Hills is located at an altitude of about 1478 meters, about 60 km away from Bangalore. The Nandi Hills derives its name from the Nandi temple, situated on the hill, where a thousand-year-old sculpture of Nandi the bull is there. Also called as Nandidurga, Nandi Hills was one of the summer retreats of Tipu Sultan. Besides the remnants of Tipu's fort, here you will also come across many British bungalows. It is an ideal destination to spend the weekends in the pollution-free environment.


Kermana Gundi is situated on the Baba-Budan range, at an altitude of about 1434 meters in Tarikere Taluka of Chikmaglur District. It is also named as K R Hills after the Wodeyar King Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Kermana Gundi served as a summer resort for Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. It is one of the best places to spend the summer vacation in the cool environment.

About Karnataka

Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was formed on November 1, 1956, based on the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

It is the eighth largest Indian state by area, the ninth largest by population and comprises 29 districts. On the west of the state is Arabian Sea, Goa on the northwest, Maharashtra towards north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest.

Karnataka has also been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient India. The Chalukyas, Kadambas, Rastrakutas, Hoysalas, Gangas, Vijayanagar Rajas, Hyder, Tippu and the Wodeyars have left their king-sized footprints on its sands. Great philosophers and musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements which have endured to the present day.

Kannada is the official and most widely spoken language of the State. It is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, It is the 27th most spoken language in the world, with native speakers called Kannadigas numbering roughly around 35 million. The first written record in the Kannada language is traced to Emperor Ashoka's Brahmagiri edict dated 230 BC. The Kannada language is written using the Kannada script. The other native languages of Karnataka, Tulu, Kodava Takk and Konkani are also written using the Kannada script.

Bangalore is the capital city of the state and is at the forefront of the rapid economic and technological development that India is experiencing. Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. Contemporary Kannada literature is the most successful in India, with India's highest literary honor, the Jnanpith awards, having been conferred seven times upon Kannada writers, which is the highest for any language in India.

Karnataka is rich in art, culture and tradition, be it the ruins of the monuments or the pilgrim centers, it has always inspired the thousands of art lovers, philosophers and devotees for generations. Some of the monuments are worth seeing and some even have been identified by the UNESCO as the world heritage sites. Karnataka has a long coastline dotted with exotic beaches. How, one can forget about Karnataka's forests & wildlife that are priceless natural heritage. Karnataka also boasts of the highest plunge waterfalls in India that is none other than the "Jog falls or Gerusoppe jalapata".

* Monuments : Shravanabelagola, Srirangapatna, Hampi, Belur, Halebid, Bijapur, Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal.

*Pilgrim Centers: Sringeri, Dharmastala, Udupi, Gokarna, Katil, Kollur, Kukke Subramanya

*Hill stations: Kudremukh, Madikeri, Kemman Gundi, Nandi hills

* Beaches: Karwar, Marwanthe, Malpe, Murudeshwar, mangalore

*Wildlife: Bandipur national park, Bannerghatta national park, Rajiv Gandhi national park, BR hills, Ranganthittu bird sanctuary, Kokkrebellur pelicanry, Bhadra & Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, Nagarahole forest, etc.



Sculptured temples, modern cities, scenic hill ranges, unexplored forests and endless beaches, all conjure tourists all through the year. Bandipur National Park, Bannerghatta National Park and Nagarhole National Park are the popular wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka. Coorg and Kudremukh are hillstations that are eco-tourism spots inviting a lot of tourists. Murudeshwara, Gokarna and Karwar Are popular beaches. Apart from this Karnataka also attracts a lot of tourism for its places of heritage like Hassan, Hampi, Badami.