The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of about 550 sq.km. and is inhabited by a number of animals including elephants, sloth bears, bison, deer, porcupines and a number of other wild animals. It is said that the sanctuary has more than 250 species of birds like the Paradise Flycatcher, Racquet Trailed Drongo and the Crested Hawk Eagle, to name a few. The sanctuary is inhabited with such a large population of wildlife that one does not have to go looking for them. There is accommodation in the sanctuary in the form of Jungle lodges and resorts. The best time to get a good look at the wildlife is at dawn. There is the famous temple of Ranganatha atop this hill. A copper plate record dated 1667 and belonging to Mudduraju, son of Trimalarajanayaka of Hadinadu sheds light on the history of the temple. Here these hills are mentioned as that of Thiru Venkatanatha of Bilikal (White Rock). In Sanskrit, this hill was called Shwetadri meaning white hill. This is because the hill's weathered granite cliff face appear white in colour. The Venkatanatha temple became known as Ranganatha temple after Tipu Sultan visited this temple while on a hunting expedition and described it as a temple of Lord Ranganatha. Hence, the name Biligiri Rangana Betta. To visit the temple on top of the hill you can either climb the 150 steps leading to the temple or drive through the lush green forests. The temple is dedicated to Biligiri Rangaswamy and the temple is built in the Dravidian style. There is a guesthouse maintained by the temple authorities that provides accommodation as well. These hills are a wonderful combination of a hill resort and a wildlife sanctuary. There are buses that ply from Mysore at regular intervals to B.R.Hills. There is a mysterious tradition and legend about this temple. Anyone visiting the temple can see a huge pair of sandals. Legend has it that these sandals are used by the presiding deity Lord Ranganatha to roam around these forests. Mysteriously, these sandals wear out and are replaced regularly with new ones by the villagers. The original inhabitants of these forest areas are a tribal community called Soligas (bamboo people). Even now, these people live in settlements around these forests. | 
