2 DAYS TRIP FROM BANGALORE | HORSLEY HILLS - KADIRI - LEPAKSHI

At a distance of 200 m from Horsley Hills Bus Stand, the View Point is situated behind Governor's Bungalow. It is one of the most popular places to visit in Horsley Hills, located at the highest summit that offers the great view of valleys, hillocks and dense forests.

The view of the endless expanse, dotted by hills and forests is in itself worth the trip to the hill station. Don't miss the sunset from this point; dipping sun is magical from this area as it seems to be going down in the valley.

At a distance of 300 m from Horsley Hills Bus Stand, Gali Banda (Windy Rock), a rocky slope that derives its name from the gusty winds that blow nearly all day. It is one of the best places to visit in Horsley Hills.

One can walk down the entire hill rock, admiring the unobstructed view of valleys of Horsley Hills and this is one of the prime places to visit in Horsley Hills. Enjoy the rejuvenating heavy winds as they blow past you.
The Eastern and Western viewpoints here are great places for sunrises and sunsets. Kids frolic in the tiny gardens here. A small natural lake, 1 km down the hill, is good for angling. The Microwave station near Wink Rocks is one of oldest Microwave stations.

At a distance of 350 m from Horsley Hills Bus Stand, Mallamma Temple is one of the ancient temples located on the top of Horsley Hills. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mallamma and it is one of the well know tourist places in Horsley Hills.

The initial name of Horsley Hills was Yenugu Mallamma Konda. According to the legend, a little girl called Mallamma lived on the hills and cured the tribal people. One day she suddenly disappeared and the local people started believing her to be a Goddess and built the temple for her. Devotees flock to this temple in huge numbers every year during festival season.

At a distance of less than 1 km from Horsley Hills Bus Station, Horsley Hill Zoo is situated inside Van Vihar park at the center of Horsley Hills opposite to Haritha Hotel. Visiting zoo is one of the popular things to do in Horsley Hills, particularly with kids.

This is relatively small zoo park with few animals protected by the forest department. The wildlife in the zoo include peacocks, rabbits, pigeons, monkeys and crocodiles. The location of zoo is covered with thick vegetation and is a nice place to spend some time.

The park is spread with lush vegetation and tall eucalyptus trees keeping the weather cool in peak summer season as well. There is a view point in the park that offers panoramic view of the surrounding hills.

There is not much activity at this minor zoo apart from watching the small collection of wildlife and enjoying the nature.

Timings: 10 AM to 5 PM
Entrance Fee: Rs. 20

At a distance of less than 1 km from Horsley Hills Bus Station, Kalyan is a 150 years old Eucalyptus tree situated inside Van Vihar park at the center of Horsley Hills, opposite to Haritha Resort Complex. It is one of the prime places to visit in Horsley Hills.

This is probably the only tree in India that is called with a name. The tree was planted in 1859 by Horsleys, then collector of the region. This is very large tree with a height of 40 meters and circumference is about 4.7 meters.

The tree is hidden behind an old forest bungalow and is well protected with several tall Eucalyptus and other trees all around.

At a distance of 2.5 km from Horsley Hills Bus Station, Gangotri Lake is a small lake situated on Horsley Hills - Madanapalle Road.

Gangotri Lake is a seasonal lake that is filled with rain water during monsoons. The lake is surrounded by large vegetation of Eucalyptus trees which offers serene look to the location. The lake is mostly dried up in summer season. There are no activities available at the lake, but tourists can spend some time enjoying the nature around the lake.

At a distance of 300 m from Sompalle Bus Stop, 40 km from Horsley Hills and 47 km from Madanapalle, Sri Chennakesava Temple is situated in Sompalle Village. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is maintained by Archeological Survey of India.

This Hindu temple was built by a local chieftain of the later Cholas and considerably improved by Vijayanagara kings during early 16th century. This temple is one of the finest temples in Andhra Pradesh with very rich artistic sculptures, nicely carved pillars and many mural paintings. The unique feature of the temple is the 52 feet high monolith pillar (dwajasthambha) with wonderful carvings throughout.

The interior of the temple is very ornate and has preserved traces of paintings depicting episodes from the Ramayana epic. Inside the enclosure the mandapa or hall that precedes the main Vishnu shrine has an overhanging double-curved eave with a brick and plaster parapet above. The columns are richly carved with figures of the .....

At a distance of 1.5 km Kadiri Railway Station, 100 km from Anantapur, 113 km from Kadapa, 458 km from Hyderabad, 476 km from Vijayawada, and 174 km from Bangalore, Sri Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple is located in Kadiri town in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, a Man-lion form and is one of the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu.

Lord Narasimha in this temple is swayambhu emerging from the roots of Khadri tree (Indian mulberry). The specialty of this temple is that after the daily Abhishekam is performed, the idol of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha oozes sweat continuously even after repeatedly wiping off sweat by the temple priests.

The construction of this temple is said to have been commenced during the Western Chalukya rule but it was completed during the time of Vijayanagara rulers. The inscriptions in the temple relate mostly to the Vijayanagar period. One of them states that the temple was built by a Nayaka during the reign of Bukka .....

At a distance of 400 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand, The Veerabhadra Temple is the famous temple situated in Lepakshi (this is also referred as Lepakshi Temple). It is famous for its sculptures and archaeological beauty created by the artists of Vijayanagara Empire. It is considered as one of the best temples built by Vijayanagaras and is the prime attraction of Lepakshi.

The ancient shrine was constructed by Saint Agastya which was rebuilt in the present structure by Virupanna, the treasurer of the Vijayanagara King Aliiya Rama Raya. According to the legend, Virupanna, the royal treasurer was accused of drawing funds without the king's permission from the state treasury to build the Veerabhadra temple. However, he blinded himself to avoid the king's punishment. Even today one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the marks made by his eyes.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra, .....

At a distance of 400 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand, The Kalyana Mandapa is situated inside the Veerabhadra Temple complex (Lepakshi Temple). It is among the prime places to visit in Lepakshi.

Kalyana Mandapa situated on the rear side of the main Veerabhadra Temple within the same complex is another major attraction in the complex with extensive artistic work similar to the mukha-mandapa of the Veerabhadra Temple. The path past Nagalinga leads to the Kalyana Mandapa.

The Kalyana Mandapa built on an elevated platform follows similar structure to that of main temple mandapa with circular arrangement of pillars. This structure was built to perform the Kalyana ceremony for Lord Shiva and Parvathi during annual festivals of the temple. The carving in this beautiful mandapa depict that several gods and saints from heaven attend the wedding ceremony - Devendra, Vasishta, Brihaspathy, Viswamita, Vayu, Yama, Varuna, Kubera, etc.

There .....

At a distance of 500 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand and 500 m from Sri Veerabhadra Temple (Lepakshi Temple), Lepakshi Nandi (Bull) is one of the main attractions in Lepakshi and a well-known landmark for the tourism of Lepakshi. It was built during Vijayanagara period when the main Veerabhadra Temple was built.

The Lepakshi Nandi is made out of single granite. The monolithic Nandi sculpture is said to be the second largest monolithic structure in India after Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola. It is 20 feet in height and 30 feet in length. The Nandi statue is decorated with a necklace, muvvalahara, a bell chain with small horns.

It is noticeable that the head of the bull is held aloft at a higher angle than usual. In addition, the expression of submission, which is typical of Nandi before Shiva, is not seen in the statue here.

This big granite bull is situated on the main .....