60 kms north of Bangalore is the summer resort called Nandi Hills. Also known as Nandidurga, it was 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 of course, it's a hot favourite among Bangaloreans who find this an ideal get-away for weekends. The 1478-m high Nandi Hills is the originating point 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.
Biodiversity
The vegetation of the hills is typical of high hills. Inside the fort at the summit, many of the large trees are planted exotics such as Eucalyptus and the undergrowth consists of Coffea arabica along with some native species. The forest acts as a substrate for cloud condensation and every morning the trees are covered in water. This allows for many moist forest species of plants and animals. The hills are very rich in birdlife making it a very popular location for birdwatchers and bird photographers. The evergreen forest patch on top of the hill being a favoured wintering location for many migrant species of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. The forest patch is also home for a relict population of the Nilgiri Woodpigeon. A breeding pair of Shaheen Falcon, the resident race of the Peregrine Falcon is also often seen at the Nandi Hills. The Malabar Whistling Thrush, Uropeltid snakes and Pill millipedes which are otherwise known only from the Western Ghats ranges are also found here. The hill slopes are the home of the Yellow-throated Bulbul, a species endemic to the hills of peninsular India.
Best Time to Visit
Tour to Nandi Hills You may plan your visit to the Nandi Hills any time of the year. The Nandi Hills experience pleasant and moderate temperate all the year through. The Nandi Hills is the perfect hill resort as the summer temperature varies between 29 and 23 degrees. During the winters the temperature at the Nandi Hills hovers between 21 and 11 degrees
Tourism.
Aag Arrow Web magazine.
April 2008 issue.
http://www.aagneyam.com/arrow
