September- April
Open 24 hours
trekking, paragliding, bird watching, nature trails, worship, photography
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December - February
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36 out of 77 attractions in Mysore

Sri Nandi Temple

Also known as the Nandidurg or Nandi Betta, this is a popular hill fortress in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. The name of the hills has been derived from the Dravidian temples dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Out of these two temple one ois on top of the hill and the other is on the foothills. During the rule of the Cholas, this hill was known as the Ananadagiri or the 'hill of happiness'. The name of the hill according to two other legends talk about the presence of the sleeping Nandi Bull here and also the penace performed here by yoga Nandeeshwara. There is also a temple dedicated to Yoga Nandeeshwara on top of this hill. The temple that you find on the foothills date back to the 9th Century by the Banas Dynasty and is a beautiful blend of various temple building styles due to the repeated renovations and beautifications during various dynasties. The fort on top of the hill was a contribution of Tipu Sultan and is said to have been built in such a way that soldiers could shoot from all directions without beeing seen. The beauty of the hills is also remarkable with the lovely view of the Amrit Sarovar Lake. The rolling stretches of greenery and the evergreen forests of the nandi hills are the home to rare species such as the shaheen falcon, Malabar whilstling thrush, Uropeltid snakes, pill millepedes and yellow throated bulbuls. Trekking and paragliding are the main activities to be enjoyed here.