Trip to Nandi Hills

I asked few of my colleagues their opinion about Nandi Hills. They told me it wasn’t that great and it will be very crowded on top of the Nandi Hills. In spite of all the negative feedback, my hubby and I decided to give it a try. We have been in a vegetative state in Bangalore for about six months by visiting only the nearby malls. So today was the day we went to Nandi Hills.

Nandi Hills is about 67 km from Whitefield. We started at 8’o clock in the morning. The drive through the city was pretty insipid with overtaking vehicles, honking horns and the bumpy roads. After crossing Devanahalli we saw some vegetation by the roadside. As we approached Nandi hills road, we saw the two hills from a distance and the road was lined with Eucalyptus trees on either side. The weather was cloudy and the touch of the cold wind was refreshing during the drive. I wished we were not locked inside the car and went on a bike. The smell of the fresh earth, the playfulness of the wind, the scenic views and the company of a loved one, made this journey very special. 

As we started driving on the hill we saw a few monkeys. We reached on top of the hill and there we saw many monkeys of all ages, which moved around and pestered the visitors for food. The ticket price was Rs. 80 for two people and it included the parking price. We went into the Paradise of rock and flora located on top of the Nandi Hills. In that park they had a small pond. The pond was filled with green-colored water but the stone steps on four sides of the pond made it look attractive. 

There was a lot of flora in the park, the only fauna I found were the dogs, monkeys and the worms on top of the moss covered trees. On top of the hill was a ganesha temple, a hanuman temple and a devi temple. Inside the temple, we found a group of people huddled together, shouting something. We went close to them, there we saw a monkey with a woman’s handbag and it was searching the bag for food. They could not get the bag away from the monkey. Monkeys at the Nandi Hills are a bit troublesome. If they see you holding a bag, they assume that it has food. One monkey held on to the plastic bag of one the tourists and did not leave it until the guy gave the bag to it after removing the necessary items. 

Other than the scare of the naughty monkeys, the trip on the whole was very rejuvenating. Being close the nature is a very rewarding experience. It is sad that as the cities are growing we are cutting down trees to make more space. Nature gives peace of mind and we are steadily losing the soul some and fruitful moments provided by the nature.  

(From top to bottom) Tree houses, park, view from the top of the Hill and my amazed expression at looking at this huge plant

 

 (From top to bottom, L to R) Entrance to Nandi Hills, rose flowers, view from the hill, the temple on top of the hill, the monkey searching a woman's purse and two men standing by it to scare it away (needless to say it did not work)