Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills was Tipu Sultan's summer getaway.  His hunting lodge far above the plains below. 

It still is a bit of a getaway for a number of local tourists, come to see the view.

Far above the noise of the city, you can imagine what it's like to be Tipu, king of the hill.

Amruth Sarovar (a stepwell)

At Tipu Sultan's summer hunting getaway, Nandi Hills, there's a stepwell.
While building a stepwell would have been the proper thing for an 18th century ruler to do, Tipu didn't build this one.  It was constructed in 1932--that makes it the youngest stepwell I know of.

The stepwell is spring fed and supplies water to the nearby plant nursery.

It's closed off to the public from walking into it...
...but I may have disregarded that 'suggestion' to get a closer look from the inside...

Tipu was born here

Some think Tipu Sultan is a bit of a national hero.  And this is the gate to the itty-bitty place just outside of Bangalore where he was born.






Though they have street lamps and electricity now, there are other things about the old streets that would probably look familiar to Tipu.
But otherwise, Devanahalli is just a little place off the side of the highway, marked by a small sign.
Most people, to see something of Tipu's legacy, would go to one of his forts or battle grounds and see some of the impressive weaponry he possessed.

Tipu Sultan ruled the kingdom of Mysore and fought to keep the British East India Company at bay.

When he finally died in battle against the British, one of their biggest resistors was eliminated and they had access to all kinds of wealth.  At the time, the people all the way in London and Paris had heard of Tipoo Sahib, but now he's as forgotten as his birthplace.

Granite

 People often take things "for granite" when they should be taking them for granted--an annoying grammar mistake.
But here's a city where "granite" might make more sense.

 In Bangalore, there are so many granite mines, that a regular sized slab of granite is less than $10.
People use granite for sidewalks, houses, fences--all over the place.
In other locations, granite is a more precious commodity and much more costly. 

But not here.
Here they can take it for granite...

...granted, I mean.