185 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.

Palace of Winds

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

Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.

Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India

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

Jal Mahal

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

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.

The Blue City of Jodhpur

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.

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Unique Food & Drink in India

Szechuan Button

This herb gives cocktails another kind of buzz.

Falooda

A 2,500-year-old Persian dessert evolved into this Indian summertime favorite.

Pista Burfi

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

Nimish

Sweet-makers conjure up this light-as-a-cloud cream pudding on dewy nights in Lucknow, India.

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Stories About India

The Pisang raja or Latundan banana at Vinod’s farm.

At This Banana Farm, the Bunches Grow in 430 Shapes and Sizes

India's "plantain man" has traveled widely to build a collection of unusual varieties.

January 12, 2021

This Quran is small enough to fit inside a locket, and in your palm.

This Miniature Quran Bears Witness to an Immense History

It is an artifact of devotion, wealth, and empire.

by Matthew Taub

January 6, 2021

Former armed bandit Balwant Singh Tomar (nephew of the famed Paan Singh Tomar) now leads a quieter life.

Inside the Deep Gun Culture of Gwalior, India

Relics of outlaws, markers of status, and enforcers of social hierarchy, firearms are woven into rural life.

by Neha Mehrotra

December 17, 2020

The facade of Hind Talkies in Bareilly.

An Elegy for India's Single-Screen Cinema Palaces

Meet the photographer who has scoured the country to document these vanishing communal sites.

by Reem Khokhar

December 3, 2020

An old sati stone visible in Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

India’s Sati Stones Commemorate a Macabre Historical Practice

Their challenging legacy has complicated preservation and study.

by Kamala Thiagarajan

November 30, 2020

The original vetala was a spirit who posed riddles.

One of Dracula's Often Overlooked Inspirations Is the Indian Vetala

It was an English "translation" that turned a wise, if mischievous, figure into a bloodsucker.

by Emma Starer Gross

October 30, 2020

A selection of Tamil-language comics distributed by Lion-Muthu Comics.

How a Tiny Indian Publisher Brings a World of Comics to Tamil Readers

A four-person team translates Italian, French, and English comics into a language spoken by 70 million people.

by Deepa Bhasthi

October 7, 2020

During the Bengal Famine, rice was precious, but not necessarily scarce.

A ‘Forgotten Holocaust’ Is Missing From Indian Food Stories

One of Bengal’s greatest tragedies is overlooked in the West. It’s missing from cookbooks and food writing, too.

by Sharanya Deepak

September 17, 2020

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