Horsley Hills, Mountain summit in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Horsley Hills is a hill summit in the Eastern Ghats of Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh, at an elevation of about 1,265–1,290 metres. Its upper slopes are covered with dense eucalyptus stands and exotic tree plantations, with patches of reddish-brown earth and a few small white flat-roofed buildings near the top. Two thin masts rise above the treeline on the upper left of the summit.
W.D. Horsley a British collector came here in 1870 and built his house on these hills to escape the summer heat creating a retreat for British colonial officials that later became a popular destination after India gained independence and the Andhra Pradesh government began building facilities for visitors.
The hill's older name, Yenugulla Mallamma Konda, comes from a legend of Mallamma, a devout old woman who lived at the top of the hill and was fed fruit by elephants (yenugulu). A temple to Yenu Mallamma stands on the hill. Before W.D. Horsley's time the area was home to Yanadi and Chenchu tribes, who reared Punganur cows.
Horsley Hills lies at an elevation of around 1,265–1,290 metres in the Eastern Ghats, with temperatures between 15 °C and 30 °C. It is about 9 miles from Madanapalle, and APSRTC buses run from Madanapalle; private taxis also serve the hill. Gali Bandalu, a rocky slope with year-round gusty winds, is 300 metres from the local bus stand.
A giant eucalyptus tree called Kalyani stands here reaching 40 meters in height with a circumference of 4.7 meters making it one of the largest specimens in the region while its shade casts a wide circle on the ground that visitors often use to rest during warm afternoons when the sun filters through the leaves.
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