One Sunday morning, I was lazing around and thinking of what to prepare for lunch when my husband came up with a plan of going to Nandi hills as a half-day trip. I looked unbelievingly at him as we usually do some prior planning before going anywhere and unplanned travels usually ended in disaster. He watched me in anticipation, while I sat deep in thought. It was already 11:30 am and close to noon and travelling with the sun beating down harshly was not so tempting. In order to persuade me he started filling me with the details of Nandi hills and showed several pics of the place. Instantly I fell in love with those photos and agreed to make a move.
Amazing sunset at Nandi Hills
Within half an hour, we were all set to go to Nandi Hills. I hastily threw in some sandwiches, cheese, oranges and munchies for the trip just in case we didn't get any suitable place for lunch. Our DSLR camera, selfie stick, caps were all packed and loaded into our car and we started by 12:30 pm. It was a 77 km ride and since it was Sunday there was not much traffic making the drive all the more smooth. We expected to reach the place in 2 hrs. It was a comfortable ride and I tried my hand in capturing some amazing cloud formations. Just after 50 km I noticed Tipu Sultan's birth place on the right side and I made a mental note to check that out on our way back.
Road to Nandi Hills
Vine Yard
From the national highway we took a left and drove for about 18 km to reach the entry gates to Nandi Hills. On the way there were several vine yards and we stopped to take some quick snaps. The drive up the hill was amazing and we stopped at several places to take pictures. It was already past lunch time so we took a break and filled our rumbling tummies. As we ascended up the hill there was a sudden drop in temperature which surprised us.
Gulmohar in full bloom
Far away view of Nandi Hills
After all the hill top was 4851 m above sea level and the climate had to be pleasant. Hairpin curves made the drive all the more fun and exhilarating. We reached the gates of the fort and saw a long line of cars waiting to go through the gates. But we noticed a vacant space outside the office and quickly parked our car there. It was already 3:30 pm and we quickly took tickets. Entrance fee was Rs 5 per person, Rs 60 for car and Rs 20 for bike.
Hair pin curves
Entrance gate
We walked through the gates and immediately on the left side we read a board saying Tipu's Summer Palace. We walked down the muddy path and reached the palace made entirely of wood and still in comparatively good condition. Built in 1791 it is an example of Indo-Muslim architecture. It was a small place and not fit to be called as Summer Palace. The tandoor, kitchen utensils, paintings in here transport us to another era. Surprisingly they are still intact though faded with age. It was pretty cool inside and gave a great view of the forest.
Tipu Summer palace
Outside Tipu Summer palace
From Summer palace we walked for about 50 meters and reached Amrita Sarovar or lake of nectar. It is the major source of water for this area and is filled with water throughout the year. It was a pleasure to sit on the steps and watch the glistening waters. Then we walked down a path beside Amrita Sarovar and reached a well manicured lawn with benches set like a picnic spot. This area is filled with dense trees and you can hardly feel the sun. If trekking is your forte you can walk through the forest or you can use the flight of steps which will take you to the hill top.
View of the Amritha Sarovar
Flight of steps
We didn't want to waste time and opted for the steps, but the climb was steep. We took rest and slowly climbed to the top. Finally gasping for breath we reached a road. That's when it struck us that we could bring cars till the hill top. Only 2 wheelers were not allowed. We were unaware about this and had trekked all the way up. But looking on the bright side, we would not have known about the palace and lake if we came directly to the hill top. There were cars parked beneath huge eucalyptus trees beside which a play area and tree houses were set for kids.
Tree house
Steps beside the tree house
The hill top was visible from this spot and we slowly ascended up the hill. The climb was very easy when compared to the steps we came through and behold the view was spectacular. There are no words to describe the emotions that came teeming in my mind as I looked at the beautiful view. Everything looked picture perfect. The rocks were a bit slippery after the fresh rains and we should take care not to slip and fall.
View from the steps
Side View
Also beware of the monkeys waiting for an opportunity to snatch your bags. Nice sturdy railings were built for safety so that we would not venture beyond the safe zone. Still many lunatics were climbing over them and taking selfies leaving their lives at stake. The fall is pretty steep and there is no chance of survival if anything unfortunate happens.
View from railings
Besides the railings
There is a beautiful Shiva temple at the top and a small Ganapathy temple besides it. Chill winds were blowing and we sat on the rocks fully relaxed. A blanket of fog swept down from the Western side and along with that it brought unprecedented showers. There were very few places to take cover and we got drenched from tip to toe. Though we had an umbrella it failed to serve the purpose. The wind was strong and there was no point in holding onto the umbrella. The showers lasted for 10 minutes and during the rain we took cover in the temple and had darshan.
Guest house
Shiva Temple
When we came out rains had stopped and we went to a nearby stall for some hot piping tea and crispy dosas. It tasted delicious as we were cold and tired. It was already 6 pm and a siren sounded as a warning to start descent from the top.
Holding the sunset
Sunset
We slowly started walking down and were little disappointed as the rains had spoiled our sunset. We decided to come some other time to witness the sunset. We switched on the heater, dried our wet clothes and headed back home. The place had enchanted us so much that we visited again and the sunset photos which we have included here are from our other visits.
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