Nandi Hills Historical Site

Rising abruptly to over 1,450 metres above the surrounding plains, Nandi Hills has been fortified and inhabited since at least the ninth century under the Ganga dynasty, but it is most closely associated with Tipu Sultan, who built a summer retreat and defensive fort here in the late eighteenth century to escape the heat of the plains and to guard the northern frontier of Mysore territory. Remnants of his fortifications, along with a colonial-era sanatorium later added by the British, still stand on the hill.

Geologically and hydrologically, Nandi Hills has an importance well beyond its scenic value: it is the source of three rivers — the Arkavathy, the Palar, and the Uttara Pinakini (Penna) — making the hill a watershed point for a large stretch of the Deccan plateau. This dual identity, as both a royal retreat and a river-source landscape held sacred in local tradition, underpins its enduring popularity as one of Karnataka’s most visited hill destinations.

Getting there: The hill is reached by a winding ghat road from Chikkaballapur town; the Nandi Hills Post Office serves the settlement near the summit.