Saint Augustine said ‘’The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page’’, famous words that ring true as travelling to newer shores is an experience that is known to bring out the spirit of adventurism and allow for people to look at things from a different, more worldly perspective.

In continuation of our travel around series, we at Ananda Habitat have always sought to bring forth places that would be of interest for history buffs or for those who enjoy nature and beautiful unexplored spots that will please outdoor enthusiasts. This time round, the location we’ve zeroed down on is not a short trip, however, rest assured it is worth every second of it.

Home to nature

To reach Nandi Hills from Chennai, one will have to chalk out the journey a bit in advance as the famous hills are in Karnataka, which means that some amount of highway travel is expected. A travel distance of roughly six to seven hours can be considered as it is approximately 350 kms away from Chennai. The NH48 is usually the preferred route to get to Nandi Hills.

What you can expect to see– Quite naturally as the locale is up in the hills, there will be plenty of picturesque valley views, however, there are other scenic spots such as the nearby Muddenahalli town, which is quite famed as well as it is M. Visveswaraya’s birthplace and houses the Muddenahalli Museum too.

Pick your point of origin with care

Very often tourists miss out on the beautiful mist laden hill views because they’ve not been able to get out of Chennai fast enough or have got caught in an office hour traffic jam. Our suggestion is to pick your point of origin with care and plan your journey accordingly. Being located at Ananda Habitat in Oragadam, we get the superior convenience of reaching any destination quite easily and without having any transportation concerns at all. For you see, Ananda Habitat in Oragadam is positioned between the 2 national and 3 state highways which make travel to and fro quite a breeze. The upcoming Greenfield airport and the Aerospace Park are the significant developments that will add to Oragadam’s advantage.

Having earned the epithets of ‘Chennai’s industrial growth corridor’ and the ‘biggest automobile hub of South Asia’, Oragadam is located in close proximity to the industrial belt of Sriperumbudur and the Chennai Airport, harbour, Chennai Central too. A surplus of commuting options including public and private transportations are presented to inhabitants of Ananda Habitat, besides which working populace find that the proposed rail link from Avadi to Guduvanchery via Oragadam, the up and coming rail-auto hub, the six-laning expansion of the OMR highway, the MRTS rail project, Chennai Monorail besides the ambitious metro project will further augment their transport options.

Sojourn to Nandi Hills

Once you’re at Nandi Hills, its best to pull out the camera and keep it handy as the must-see attractions such as the Tipu’s Summer Palace and Fort, the Anjaneya temple, Nellikaya Basavanna, Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple with its 1000 year old sculpture of Nandi, Anthargange and Baanathi Bande are not worth missing.

The Nandi Hills or Nandidurg as it is also called is an ideal destination if you’re looking to spend a quiet 2-3 day sojourn that is not jam packed with sightseeing visits and hurried get on get off trip. With an olden era charm to be viewed in the temple and a glorious view that can be enjoyed leisurely from the peaks, Nandi Hills is a good retreat when you’re looking at combining some me-time as well.

Known to be a prehistoric hill citadel, Nandi Hills, situated between towns of Nandi, Muddenahalli & Kanivenarayanapura was also previously referred to as Ananda Giri- The Hill of Happiness. Quite literally, a happy place to visit the the Nandi hills are believed to be the place of origin for the Arkavathy river besides which from these very hills spring the rivers Palar, Arkavati and Pennar rivers.

Deriving its name from the Nandi bull, the 1300-year-old Nandi temple of Lord Shiva and Parvati is one where devotees visit when sacred wedding ceremonies are to be conducted or when followers simply want to bow their heads in reverence. Nonetheless, aside from the temple, the 140 acre Karnataka state horticulture department’s garden is a must-see visit for someone looking at a dose of flora besides which the Tipu’s Drop offers a preview of what captives must have had to experience, as the drop is a 600 ft precipice that was used to fling off inmates held captive within the fort. The Amrita Sarovar Lake and the Hoskote Lake are tranquil places to sit and reflect on while the Brahmashram is believed to be the place where Sage Ramakrishna meditated.