129 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in India - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in India

Chand Baori

Thousands of exquisitely carved stone water storage wells, hundreds of stone steps fill this exquisite medieval stepwell.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.

bertieinindia

Added by bertieinindia

Palace of Winds

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.

Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India

A lake with hundreds of ancient skeletons surrounding it. The surprise is what killed them…

Dylan

Jal Mahal

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

Chris White

Added by Chris White

Ellora Caves

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.

capvt

Chandigarh, India

Nek Chand Saini

A palatial sculpture park, built illegally and in secret by a self-taught artist over a period of 36 years.

Added by mbison

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.

Alicia Bones

Added by Alicia Bones

See All 129 Things to Do in India See All 129 Places

Atlas Obscura Trips

Northern India’s Colorful Cities, Villages, and Celebrations

Mar 17—Mar 28, 2019

Visit towering forts and palaces, explore local villages, experience the Holi Festival, wander centuries-old ruins, and witness the sunrise over the Taj Mahal and the River Ganges on this immersive tour of Delhi, Rajasthan, and Varanasi.

Unique
Food & Drink
in India

Yak Butter Tea

Gastro Obscura

Yak Butter Tea

It's the fat-fueled energy drink of the Tibetan Plateau.

Gastro Obscura

natashafrost

Added by natashafrost

Kala Jamun

Gastro Obscura

Kala Jamun

These dark fried milk balls are flecked with gold and dipped in scented syrup.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Pista Burfi

Gastro Obscura

Pista Burfi

The pistachio fudge makes a vibrant accompaniment to celebrations in Northern India.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Chai at Sahu Tea Shop

Gastro Obscura

Chai at Sahu Tea Shop

In an unassuming shop in Jaipur, a family has been serving highly addictive chai for decades.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Anita Squared

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Stories
About India

Srirangam temple, home to medieval Tamil inscriptions and delicious appam.

Temple Wall Recipes Reveal a Wealth of Unexplored Culinary History

Medieval epigraphs carved in stone offer a unique glance at South Indian cuisine.

by Abbey Perreault

October 10, 2018

A formalin fixed human brain, ready to be handed to visitors.

Visitors Can Touch Human Brains at This Indian Neuroscience Institute

It's like a petting zoo for organs.

September 21, 2018

A praying mantis gnawing on a guppy.

Found: A Pescatarian Praying Mantis

Go big or go home.

September 20, 2018

Sailors transporting ice to India on board the British troop ship <em>HMS Serapis</em>, 1875.

The British Couldn’t Take India's Heat, So They Imported Ice From New England

Sailing frozen lake water across the world was big business.

September 12, 2018

Two key pieces of infrastructure: bricks and a small clay pot.

The Festival Where Millions of Women Prepare a Feast for a Goddess

On the ninth day of Attukal Pongala, an entire city is devoted to women and their sacred offering.

by Jessica Gingrich

September 05, 2018

The rockets and the archaeologists who discovered them.

Found: A Cache of 18th-Century Rockets in India

One of the fiercest opponents of British colonialists had rockets unlike any his enemies had seen.

by Sarah Laskow

August 01, 2018

The pavilion in Burhanpur where Mumtaz Mahal's body lay for six months.

Where the Mughal Empress Was Laid to Rest Before the Taj Mahal

A neglected monument in sleepy Burhanpur is connected to a much more famous place.

by Puja Changoiwala

Women of Jad tribe spinning wool in Dunda village, Uttarakhand, India.*

How to Count Every Language in India

There are at least 780.

by Sunaina Kumar

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