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

Unusual
Attractions
in India

Chand Baori

Chand Baori

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

27.0073, 76.6065

Added by Annetta Black

Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.

25.2186, 91.6626

Added by bertieinindia

Palace of the Winds.

Palace of Winds

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

26.9124, 75.7873

Human Skeletons in Skeleton Lake in Roopkund

Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India

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

30.2620, 79.7320

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal

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

26.9537, 75.8463

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.

20.0229, 75.1792

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.

30.7529, 76.8065

Added by mbison

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.

21.4830, 71.7947

Added by Alicia Bones

See All 122 Things to Do in India See All 122 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

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

Added by rachelrummel

Pista Burfi

Gastro Obscura

Pista Burfi

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

Gastro Obscura

Added by rachelrummel

Bhang

Gastro Obscura

Ritual & Medicinal

Bhang

To celebrate the Holi festival, many Indians raise a glass of cannabis-infused milk.

Gastro Obscura

Added by samirpatel

See all 20 things to try in India See all 20 things to try in India

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Stories
About India

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

A glass of Naara-Aaba's kiwi wine.

This Indian Winery Wants You to Try Kiwi Wine

A wife-and-husband team hopes the unusual drink will benefit a remote and rugged region.

by Ariel Sophia Bardi

IV treatment helps Pillalamarri live another day.

A Dying 700-Year-Old Banyan Tree Was Brought Back to Life With an IV

It's clinging to life drip-by-drip.

by Christina Ayele Djossa

$Demonstrating the mirror's zero-refraction characteristics.$

See Yourself As You Truly Are in This Mysterious Metal Mirror

Made in Kerala, the "Aranmula kannadi" won't distort your reflection.

by Savera John and Susan Paul

Through the whole of its existence, the Great Hedge of India was beset by difficulties and never quite accomplished its purpose.

The British Once Built a 1,100-Mile Hedge Through the Middle of India

This quixotic colonial barrier was meant to enforce taxes.

by Sarah Laskow

January 09, 2018

<em>Babur Being Entertained in Ghazni</em>, from the
<em>Baburnama</em>, the memoirs of Ẓahīr al-din Muhammad.

The Conqueror Who Longed for Melons

Many Indian dishes can be traced back, indirectly, to a 16th-century, food-obsessed ruler named Babur.

November 15, 2017

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