Next stop after Murugamalla – Nandi Hills
After we finished our whirlwind Murugamalla trip, we headed toward Nandi Hills. And we did this in a bit of a hurry. We entered Chintamani town again and headed fast toward Nandi hills. Even though Chintamani is not very big, the traffic is enormous. Mind you, the situation is the same pretty much everywhere in India.
City/town planners, plan the cities/towns well ahead of time!
Why must we wait for places to turn into massive, uncontrollable monsters in terms of traffic? Cities only put master plans into action once they have grown into corporations. Why don’t cities create ‘futuristic’ master plans for all places well in advance?
After completing about an hour’s journey, we reached Chickballapur. From there, we reached Nandi village. Nandi Hills was still a considerable distance away. Everyone wanted to glimpse the beautiful sunset from the vantage point of Nandi Hills.
Sunset at Nandi Hills – Reason for everyone’s hurry!
One needs to buy tickets to access the highest point of Nandi Hills. The sale of the tickets stops after 6 pm. That was the reason for our hurried travel. Well, it was one helluva journey as we were racing against time! Somehow, finally, we started ascending the Nandi Hills.
Ascending ghat roads especially steep ones using cars is not for the faint-hearted! The ghat roads of Nandi Hills are okay for driving until one reaches the last five or six steep hairpin (literally) curves. We finally reached the point where we had to park our vehicles.
So, we hurriedly parked our cars and purchased the tickets. We had two options: walk to the top of the hill or purchase tickets in special buses that ferry people to the top. We chose the latter option as it was already getting late. And we marveled at the wonderful view once we reached the highest point of Nandi Hills. Authorities allow only a few private vehicles (likely belonging to tourist companies) to access the top of Nandi Hills.
The eerie Tipu’s Drop at Nandi Hills
With sunset fast approaching, everyone was hurrying to get a view from the top. Tipu’s Drop, located across the hilltop, is a major tourist attraction where authorities would throw prisoners to their deaths. Doesn’t the word ‘Drop’ itself sound eerie? Everyone was busy capturing pictures of the beautiful sunset and selfies (probably the most favorite pastime of today’s generation).
It was time for the Maghrib (sunset) Salaah (Namaaz/prayer) and I prayed on a bench. My relatives and others have told me that the sunrise on the top of Nandi Hills is a sight to behold. However, I will have to reserve my luck for another day and time, in sha Allah (Almighty Allah willing). However for now, the panoramic night views of the city below were an absolute delight to the eyes!
We all ate a small dinner in a restaurant on the top. And then our descent began. We walked to the place where our cars were parked this time. And then we started our return journey to Anantapur. Once we arrived at the bottom of Nandi Hills, we drank tea in a restaurant. On the way, we had a full dinner in a highway restaurant. And reached Anantapur safely. Alhamdulillah (praise be to Almighty Allah) for everything!
P.S.: My dear readers, I am once again sorry (probably for the umpteenth time) for the delay in posting content on my website! I will try posting regularly. In sha Allah !