Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills rises to about 1,478 metres on the Deccan plateau north of Bengaluru, fortified by the Gangas and later held by Tipu Sultan, who used it as a summer retreat and whose small palace, Tipu's Drop, stands near a cliff from which prisoners were said to have been thrown. The Bhoganandishwara temple at the base dates from the ninth century. What brings people up before dawn is the cloud: on many mornings from October the plain below fills with mist and the hilltop stands clear above it, which has made this the standard sunrise excursion from the city, with a road climbing forty hairpins.

History

Under the Cholas the hill was called Anandagiri, "the hill of happiness", and it may be named for its likeness to a sleeping bull. The Ganga dynasty developed the hill fortress in the 11th century, Tipu Sultan used it as a summer retreat, and on 19 October 1791 the army of Cornwallis stormed it after a three-week siege; afterwards it became a hot-season retreat for British officials, where Francis Cunningham built a summer residence for Sir Mark Cubbon (Wikipedia, Nandi Hills, India).

What's there

• The sunrise cloud - mist filling the plain below the hilltop.
• Tipu's summer palace - the small building near the cliff edge.
• Bhoganandishwara temple - a ninth-century temple at the base.
• The forty hairpins - the road climbing the hill.

When to go

October to February for the best cloud and clear mornings; the gate opens before dawn and vehicles queue from very early. Weekends are extremely busy and entry is capped.

Good to know

Weekend sunrise crowds are severe, with vehicle numbers capped and queues starting hours before dawn. Cloud is not guaranteed. Cycling up is popular and the road is narrow.

Nearby

Bengaluru lies south; Chikkaballapur is at the base.