Nandi Hills Fortress Architecture and Tipu Sultan Heritage

Nandi Hills (Nandidurga) in Chikkaballapur district, at 1,478 metres elevation, was developed as a summer retreat and strategic fortress by Tipu Sultan in the late 18th century. Tipu built the Taj-ul-Masjid mosque, the Summer Palace (Taramandal), a prison cell (Tipu's Drop — a 600-metre cliff from which he is said to have thrown prisoners), and gardens on the cool hilltop plateau. The fort walls follow the hill contours in the Mughal-Karnataka fusion style characteristic of Tipu's constructions. The Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple at the hill's base predates Tipu by over a millennium, with an ancient cave temple and a tank fed by the Palar river's source spring. Nandi Hills is now one of Karnataka's most popular weekend destinations for Bengaluru residents.