Nandi Hills Station is also known as the fort of Nandidurga. Tipu Sultan used it as one of his summer retreats. In common belief the names stems from the Hindi word for bull, because the hill resembles a sleeping bull or nandi.
This ancient hill fortress has many places of interest, one of them being the impressive Nandi temple on its top which is one thousand years old. Many tourists come here not only for the ancient buildings and the flora and fauna and the beautiful gardens, but also to enjoy the spectacular sunrise and sunset.
A word of warning: When walking around beware of the monkeys. They might be cute to look at, but they can snatch any loose belongings and scratch at any moment. And I wouldn’t want to make the acquaintance of their sharp teeth which they might put in use if they don’t get what they want...
You can find Nandi Hills just 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bangalore. Around the Nandi Hills there are also several additional hills that you can visit on foot if you enjoy hiking. For Nandi Hills Station take the small winding road to get to the top. There is parking just outside of the hillfort or you can drive right to the very top at a cost. If you walk, don’t forget to bring enough water and wear sturdy walking boots. It is certainly a steep and long way up.
Incidentally, if you wonder about the cache name, well, my friends and I just happened to have a cache box with us on a great day out in Nandi Hills...
Thanks a lot to D.V. and E.R. for helping me place and name the cache and for all the fun we had on that day.