Gary Sahota at 08:20, 4 July 2023

2023-07-04T08:20:31Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Horsley Hills
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = Telugu
| other_name = Yengu Mallamma Kondalu
| nickname = ooty of Andhrapradesh
| settlement_type = Township
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = India Andhra Pradesh
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|13.66|N|78.40|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Andhra Pradesh]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder = W.D.Horsely
| named_for =
| government_type = Tourism of Andhra Pradesh
| governing_body = Horsely Hills Township committee,
Chairman: Subcollector, Madanapalle
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 1290
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[English language|English]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code = 517325
| registration_plate = AP03
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Horsley Hills''' or '''Horsleykonda''' or '''Yenugulla Mallamma Konda''' is a series of hills in [[Andhra Pradesh]] in [[Madanapalle]] Taluk of [[Chittoor district]] and is about 9 miles from Madanapalle town. The local name of the hill was '''Yenugu Mallama Konda''' after a legend of a saintly old woman named Mallamma who lived atop the hill and was fed by elephants (yenugulu). W.D. Horsley, a British collector, built his home around 1870 after whom it is named. In contrast to the dry and hot surrounding, this area is well vegetated with cooler climate. This made it attractive as a hill station and a tourist spot.<ref name=gaz>{{Cite book|author=Government of India| title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Volume XIII. Gyaraspur to Jais|year=1908| publisher=Oxford University Press|page=178|url=https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee13grea#page/178/mode/2up}}</ref>

== Flora and fauna ==
The native vegetation of the area has been replaced in some parts with dense growths of [[eucalyptus]] and plantations of exotic trees. In the past the area had more wildlife including Sambar deer (now reintroduced into the wild), wild boar and sloth bear.<ref name=gaz /> More than 133 species of birds have been recorded from the area and these include the endemic [[Yellow-throated bulbul]], first recorded from the area in 1908.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Subramanya| first1=S|last2= Prasad| first2=J. N. |year=1996| title= Yellowthroated Bulbuls at Horsley Hills| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=93|issue=1|pages=55–58}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Allen, P Roscoe |year=1908| title= Notes on the Yellow-throated Bulbul ''Pycnonotus xantholaemus''|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=18|issue=4|pages= 905–907}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| title=Lists, records and Horsley Hills ornithology| author=Ghorpade, Kumar| pages=53–54| url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW38_3#page/n13/mode/2up| journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers| volume=38| issue=3| year=1998}}</ref> Other birds which are rare in the surrounding region include the [[black eagle]] and the [[white-rumped shama]].<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Subramanya, S.| author2= Prasad, J.N. |year=1992| title= Birds of Horsley Hills|journal= Newsletter for Birdwatchers|volume= 32|issue=9–10|url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW32_910#page/n9/mode/2up|pages=8–10}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Prasanna, Manu|author2= Belliappa, KM| author3= Vittal, BS |year=1997| title= Birds in Horsley Hills| journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers| volume= 37|issue=5|page= 76|url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW37_5#page/n7/mode/1up}}</ref> The endemic toad ''[[Duttaphrynus hololius]]''<ref>{{cite journal|title=A note on records of rare and endemic Duttaphrynus hololius (Günther, 1876) from Tamil Nadu, Eastern Ghats, India|author1=Kalaimani, A.| author2=Nath, Anukul| author3=Kumar, R. Brawin| journal=Frog Leg| year=2012| volume=18|url= http://www.zoosprint.org/ZoosPrintNewsLetter/Frog%20leg_18_2012.pdf|pages=27–30}}</ref> has been found here and a ground orchid ''Diplocentrum recurvum'' was rediscovered here after nearly a century.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Mahendranath, M.| author2=Chetty, K.M.|author3=Prasad, K. |year=2015| title= A re-collection of Diplocentrum recurvum lindl. (Orchidaceae) after a lapse of 100 years or more from Andhra Pradesh, India| journal= Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=7| issue=10| pages= 7712–7715| doi=10.11609/JoTT.o4172.7712-5| doi-access=free}}</ref> Several species of lichen have also been documented from the region.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266137578| title=New distributional records and checklist of lichens for Andhra Pradesh, India| year=2011| pages=1371–1376 | volume=137|issue=12|author1=Reddy, A.M| author2=Nayaka, S| author3=Shankar, P.C.|author4=Reddy, S.R.| author5=Rao, B R P| journal=Indian Forester}}</ref>

== Temperature ==
The minimum temperature is around 15 °C and the maximum temperature is 30 °C.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mountains of India|last=Kohli|first=M.S.|pages=168, 169}}</ref>

==Tourism==
The major industry of Horsley Hills is tourism. Following are the main attractions of this town

*Gali Bandalu (Wind Rocks) - 300 m from the local bus stand, Gali Banda (Windy Rock) is a rocky slope. The gusty winds blow here whole year
*View Point - it is behind the Governor's Bungalow. It offers the great view of the entire valley, nearby hillocks and dense forests.
*Kalyani, The Eucalyptus Tree - Giant tree of 40 meters height and circumference of 4.7 meters.

== People ==
Before coming into existence as a hill resort i.e. before the advent of W.D.Horsley, this area was home to the tribes of ''Yanadis'' and ''Chenchus.'' They rear ''Punganur'' breed of cows for livelihood. Today, there are different communities of people on the hills. Some of them run small hotels and others work as jeep drivers for tourists.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Imperial gazetteer of India|last=Francis|first=W.}}</ref>

[[File:Horsley Hills.jpg|thumb|center|950px|View from Horsley Hills]]

William D. Horsley was born at Chengalpet on 8 September 1834<ref>{{cite web|title=FIBIS database|url=http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_detail.php?id=85445|access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref> where his father John Horsley served in the Madras Civil Service from 1817-51. An older brother, Ralph, born in 1831 at [[Courtallam]], was murdered at Bellary in 1856 where he was a Head Assistant Collector.<ref>{{cite book| author=Cotton, Julian James| year=1946| title= List of inscriptions on tombs or monuments in Madras possessing historical or archaeological interest. Volume 2|edition=2| publisher=Government Press| place=Madras| url=https://archive.org/stream/ListOfInscriptionsOnTombsOrMonumentsMadrasVol2Cotton/List%20of%20Inscriptions%20on%20Tombs%20or%20Monuments%20%20Madras%20Vol%202%20%28Cotton%29#page/n55/mode/1up }}</ref> William married Mary Pelly in April 1864 and died in 1899.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p40068.htm#i400680|title=The Peerage|access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary|Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, Palmaner]]
*[[Rishi Valley School|Rishi Valley Education Center]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Hill stations in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Hills of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Eastern Ghats]]
[[Category:Geography of Chittoor district]]

Horsley Hills - Revision history

Gary Sahota at 08:20, 4 July 2023