One of the really lovely places to get away from the rush of Bangalore is just 60-odd km from Bangalore…Nandi Hills. In spite of a large influx of tourists at weekends and consequent litter and trash, it remains a lovely place. If you can, of course, going on a weekday, getting there early in the morning, and getting back by 4pm, would ensure that you beat the traffic both ways, and also that you get to see the Hills in a much quieter way.

The best way, of course, is to take a car or bike there; but buses are also available.

Here’s the milestone thay says you have arrived at Nandi Hills, or Nandi Betta:

And as you alight from the vehicle, this sign with the details of the Nandi Hills station greets you:

When we went, the monsoon had just about caught up with Bangalore, and this is the beautiful sight that we were privileged to see….

The amazing views of the areas below is one of the greatest attractions; here is the view of the hamlet below:

And here’s a view of the crossroads we passed on our way up:

And here is the steep “u” pin bends that we negotiated on the way up:

And as we walked over the hills, there were the various sights we saw; First and foremost is the repeater station at Nandi HIlls, with the small windmill in the foreground; here, the top is obscured by the monsoon mist:

Near the “Nandibetta 0” stone is this lovely archway which once must have formed a part of Tipu’s fort:

Further down is this landmark, the place where the Arkavathi river has her source, and where, accordingl to legend, Tipu’s enemies were pushed off the steep cliff:

And you can also go to see the summer palace that Tipu had:

But right at the centre of the tourst area is Nehru Nilaya, which used to be called Cubbon House after Sir Mark Cubbon:

The gardens here are still very beautiful and the building is gracious in its architecture.

As we wandered here and there in the course of our birdwatching, we also saw the source of the river Palar, which runs through Tamil Nadu. Alas, it is now dry for most of the year…and even more unfortunately, spelling does not seem to have been the strong point of the sign-painters!

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There is an immense amount of history in Nandi Hills, and one comes across historic cannon scattered here and there on the hillsides, as well as the old ramparts and fortifications. But Nandi HIlls is a haven for wildlife, too, and I will close with the pictures of birds and animals that we found there….

Here’s the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, there were quite a few in the gardens around Nehru Nilaya:

We watched one feeding her baby!

Here’s a Peninsular Rock Agama, it was amazing to watch her trying to dig a hole to lay her eggs in:

This is the Dhatura flower; the fruit is highly poisonous, but the flower looks so beautiful!

And here are is one bonnet macaque grooming another in time-honoured fashion…

If you would like to see a naturailist’s glimpses at Nandi Hills, do see my Live Journal post; here, I only emphasize the variety of things that hold one’s eyes at Nandi Hills….a great getaway, hardly an hour’s journey out of this city of ours!

Here’s a P