Chamundi Hill
Chamundi Hill overlooks Mysore and is a popular tourist and pilgrimage centre, which is topped by the huge Chamundeswari temple. Chamundi Hills is the abode of all-powerful Goddess, Chamundi or Chamundeswari making it a pilgrimage for devotees. Foundation of Sri Chamundeswari Temple is considered to build in 12th century. A flight of 1,000 steps, take the visitors to its top, where they are welcomed by a beautifully carved 40 m high Gopuram of the temple, which is considered as one of the best examples of the Dravidian school of architecture. The hill rises to a height of 3,489 feet. Halfway to it, near the steps and the road, there is a beautiful 16-foot monolith statue of Nandi, carved in granite, black. The beautiful carved statue was a gift by the Maharaja, Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar, in 1659. The magnificent Nandi, adorned with bells and garlands and tended by his own priest is an object of worship in itself.

It's a pleasant, easy bus trip to the top; the walk down, past a huge Nandi, Shiva's bull, takes about thirty minutes Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar, who ruled from 1659 to 1673, is said to have built the steps in 1583 for the convenience of pilgrims.

The legend
Mysore is associated with the Pouranic story found in the Devi Bhagavatha. According to this story the demon-king Mahishasura, a buffalo-headed monster, ruled Mysore . Hearing to the prayers of Gods and Goddess to save them from the monster, Goddess Parvathi, (consort of Lord Siva), took birth as Chamundi or Chamundeswari and killed the monster. Hence, comes the name of this place - Mahishuru, the city of demon Mahisha. After killing the demon, the Goddess resided atop the Chamundi Hills where she is worshipped with reverence and devotion. Mysore Dasara is the celebration of this victory of good over evil. However, the original name of the hills is 'Mahabaladri Hills' and it derived the name Chamundi Hills at a later period, after 17th century

The Chamundeshwari Temple
The idol of Goddess Chamundi inside the sanctorum sanctuary is believed to be of solid gold. Even the gates of the temple are made of silver. It also takes pride in showing a jewel Nakshatra-Malike with 30 Sanskrit shlokas inscribed on it. Minor shrines, dedicated to Chamundi and Hanuman among others, line the side of the path. By the side of the famous Chamundi Temple , there is another temple, the temple of Mahabaleswara . In fact, Mahabaleswara, Ishwara in the form of Linga, is the oldest temple on the hill. A 16-foot-high statue of the demon Mahishasura near the temple is another significant feature of Sri Chamundeswari Temple . Children are most attracted looking at the huge and colorful statue of demon Mahishasura.

Location
The temple is situated 3 kms to southeast of Mysore .

Nandi Hills
The beautiful Nandi Hills are 60 kms from Banglore and are an ideal place to take a break and rejuvenate oneself in the calm and serene environment of the hills. Nandi Hills have been named after the bull of Lord Shiva. The pleasant hill resort of Nandi Hills is also known as Nandigiri or Nandidurga amongst the locals. These hills are 1,478m high and are surrounded by dense forests. It has several smaller hills at its foot, which can also be visited. 1,175 steps lead to the top of the Nandi Hills. Once you reach the summit of the Nandi Hills you will spot the ruins of the Fort that once belonged to Tipu Sultan. Two ancient temples dedicated to Lord Shiva grace the hill, one at the foot and the other at the peak. these hills acted as a place for taking a shelter in the hot summers both for Tipu Sultan and British due to its pleasant climate. The palace of Tipu Sultan and the Bungalows of the British can be found there. The Nandi Hills is the perfect hill resort as the summer temperature varies between 29 and 23 degrees. During the winters the temperature at the Nandi Hills hovers between 21 and 11 degrees.

The beauty of the Nandi hills has attracted many world famous personalities Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Sir Mark Cubbon, Queen Elizabeth II in 1960s and the heads of SAARC countries in the 1980s.At the Nandi hills one has others areas to visit. Tipu's Drop is a 600 m high cliff face where according to legend, condemned prisoners were pushed to their death.it is a popular place among the tourist visiting the place. Amrita Samovar : The sparkling water of the Lake of Nectar is a major tourist attraction at the Nandi Hills. Yoga Nandishvara Temple : This beautiful Chola temple has an inscription of Sambhaji, Shivaji's son. The Dwarapalakas, the splendid metallic figures are not-to-be-missed.

Tipu's Drop is a 600 m high cliff face where according to legend, condemned prisoners were pushed to their death. it is a popular place among the tourist visiting the place. Amrita Samovar: The sparkling water of the Lake of Nectar is a major tourist attraction at the Nandi Hills.

Yoga Nandishvara Temple : This beautiful Chola temple has an inscription of Sambhaji, Shivaji's son. The Dwarapalakas, is a splendid metallic figures which is worth seeing.

Further excursions can bemade to the Hills like Biligirirangana Hills, Agumbe Hill and the Madikeri Hills.

Nandi : it is a village situated at the Northeastern base of the Nandi hills. This village was, for some time a British Military Station. In close proximity to the Nandi Hills is Muddenahalli. Muddenahalli is renowned as the birthplace of Visveswaraya. While at Muddenahalli one should visit the Museum that was actually the home of Visveswaraya- the great architect who is given the credit for building the modern Karnataka.

How to reach
The nearest airport to the Nandi Hills is Bangalore, which is about 60 kilometres from Nandi Hills. The nearest railway station is Chikkaballapur about nine kilometers from Nandi Hills. The hill resort is well connected by road to other parts of Karnataka. The hill resort Nandi Hills is situated on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway.