Nandi Hills

6:45 AM

Nandi Hills

How To Reach Nandi Hills

Being from mountains one easily gets attracted to places named like Nandi hills isn’t it ? So, before packing my bags and come back to North India, I decided to explore Nandi Hills as that was pending in my bucket list for the longest time.
Nandi Hills as it sounds is on the top of the hill (not hills like Himachal Uttrakhand or North East) but, in a way is does give you a feel of hills. It is 60 km from Bangalore city, which means  hardly 3-4 hours journey from Bangalore (by bus). So, if you are in Bangalore you can plan a day trip to Nandi Hills. If you want to save money I would suggest you to travel by bus from Majestic. The local bus stop is towards metro station. The best time to start your trip is early morning(if you are planing to come back in the evening). Bus starts at 8 am bus from the local bus stand (not majestic bus stand , you need to ask local people for the direction ). 

Bus Journey Worth Remembering 

Well, I took one day off  and packed my bag for Nandi Hills . Thanks to metro in Bangalore , I could reach on time by spending around Rs.20 to reach Majestic from Byapanhalli (not a cab person). The best part is I easily got a comfortable seat,  and from then onward it was a wonderful journey. Luckily a bunch of college students were also traveling to Nandi Hills in the same bus, so the journey became more interesting. They were so excited just like me  and and were singing Hindi, Kannada and Tamil songs. I thoroughly enjoyed this short journey. Before I could dream of Nandi Hills I had already reached. 

Places To See In Nandi Hills 

Nandi hills is on the top of the hill. The view from the top is breathtaking. One can clearly see small towns from the top and Bangalore city to some extend. You do feel top of the world while looking down. I wanted to spend some time there and get the feel of the place, even after knowing that there is not much to explore. One can explore most of the places in one day , but I would never do that as I really want to get the feel of the place. There are many things to see actually- local market , Tipu Sultan's fort, Tipu Sultan's summer palace and of course the Nehru Nilaya.  
I accidentally met the care taker of the fort and area that comes under govt. This fellow was little funny and was asking people if they want photographs to be clicked. When anyone asked him to click a photographs later he will ask pass a sweet smile and request for money. He was little high ( not high on life but something else). I find him so notorious and I believe his mischievous smile was something no one will ever refuse to pay him money for the photograph. So, finally I asked fellow traveler to click a photograph with him, as he would ask group of people to click their (fair enough right).  I wanted you all to see him.

Where To Stay In Nandi Hills ? 
Usually people come here for picnic and go back. I never want to visit or explore any place in hurry , so trust me its better to spend at least a day in Nandi hills.  If you have enough time do spend at least  a day or tow at Nandi hills. The best place to stay is defiantly Government guest house , which is known as Nehru Nilaya. You can book tickets online and make a call to confirm your booking.  
This guest house is under horticulture department now , and it's open for tourists. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used to stay her and it was named as Nehru Nilaya after that. It's spread in the wide area and I guess this this the biggest govt guest house I have ever seen.  The location of this guest house is just awesome, you would fell in love with the place for sure.Please also note you will not get any food or drinks there,  you have to walk down to the local market (2 minutes walk). Don;t forget to have maggie and coffee in a very famous shop in the local market. You will see the Dhaba Wala's making Coffee and tea outside (you can easily smell if you are roaming around the market). Mornings and evenings are chilling but you don't need a sweater for sure, full sleeves will do.  

Mesmerizing Sunset View 
If you stay back  for day in Nandi Hills,  you would want to stay for few more days as the place makes you feel at home. In the evening don't ever miss the sunset view. All you need to do is walk towards the temple near to market and you will witness the mesmerizing sunset view. I stayed there for a while and after watching and capturing sunset stepped down towards fort. There you can sit on these beautiful rocks for hours together.

Tipu Sultan' Fort & Palace 
 The ruler Tipu Sultan had built a fort and the palace in Nandi Hills, these are the main attractions for tourists. The place is very quite , you would hardly hear sounds of vehicles. Most of the people visit Nandi Hills on Saturdays and Sundays for picnic. You would also see some wildlife photographers clicking some rarely found birds and animals around. 

Enjoy Being In The Lap Of Mother Nature 

One thing I would suggest you to do is explore the place by walking around and beyond what is being told by other people. Sit in the park, see and admire those beautiful trees (telling you the stories they know and have seen since ages).

While exploring the place I could witness some beautiful sights that I will always cherish, be it animals playing around, a man sitting all alone as if he is waiting there for someone for years without a complain, a wonderful tree which looks like a tree and of course 2 generation of trees.

These trees made me think about my mom strangely. One tree was getting older by loosing all it's colors after spending years standing still or rock solid like my mother. And the Young one is all set to step out in the world to show up just like the mother. That's how life is , we all need to show up and stay strong.
I came back to Bangalore and got busy in my work, but one thing I will always remember after my visit to Nandi Hills is "To Always Show Up"  and stay strong not matter what. I guess every place teaches you something and that's why I always want to travel as much as possible.


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