8 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Mumbai - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Mumbai

Mahakali Caves

Nineteen ancient rock-cut Buddhist caves can be found on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Antilia

World's most expensive home.

Gilbert Hill

A 66-million-year-old rock formation stands tall over Mumbai, offering stellar city views.

Banganga Tank

Tucked in Mumbai’s wealthiest neighborhood is one of the city’s oldest and most sacred sites: a temple complex believed to house the waters of the Ganges.

Kwan Kung Temple

The only Chinese temple in Mumbai.

The Magen David Synagogue

In Mumbai, a bright blue synagogue is the largest one for the Baghdadi Jewish community in Asia.

Tower of Silence in Mumbai

A Zoroastrian funerary tower where excarnation rituals are carried out is threatened by the area's dwindling vulture population.

Mumbai's Parsi Fire Temples

The place of worship for Zoroastrians, Mumbai's Parsi fire temples use fire and ash for purification.

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Unique Food & Drink in Mumbai

Pista Burfi

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

Falooda

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

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Stories About Mumbai

During heavy rains in June 2019, a painted lady butterfly, or <em>Vanessa cardui</em>, flew up to Mithawala's apartment.

A Photographer Turned His Mumbai Window Into a Butterfly Garden

He spent $5 on a few water jugs and two succulents.

August 31, 2020

The shelves and drawers of the Bombay Natural History Society—open to the public only by appointment—display perfectly preserved blood pheasants, moon moths, pangolins, and more.

Inside the Hidden Natural History Museum of Mumbai

Rahul Khot oversees 138,000 specimens at the Bombay Natural History Society.

by Kamakshi Ayyar

The bubonic plague killed around 10 million people in India. This photo shows a temporary hospital in 1896 or 1897.

How the 1896 Bombay Plague Changed Mumbai Forever

It reshaped the city and inspired a revolutionary vaccine.

by Nadia Nooreyezdan

Making the spices is often a symphony of jangling bangles and rhythmic pounding.

How Mumbai's Masalawaalis Make a Single Spice From 30 Ingredients

Bottle masala is impossible to find in stores.

by Beverley Ann D'Cruz

September 20, 2019

At "study corners" like Abhyas Galli, near the busy junction of Worli Naka in Mumbai, two students enjoy the peace and quiet they can't find at home.

Mumbai's Students Take to the Streets—to Study

In India's biggest city, schoolwork can be easier to do on quiet public corners than in loud, cramped apartments.

by Reshmi Chakraborty

Four <em>dabbawalas</em> haul lunches, packed in <em>dabbas</em>, through the streets of Mumbai.

How Mumbai’s Dabbawalas Deliver 200,000 Homemade Meals a Day

The city's food delivery people run an impressive relay race, which relies heavily on the local railway network.

by Akanksha Singh

December 12, 2018

The Dhobi Talao neighborhood in Mumbai.

Remembering the Clandestine 'Aunty Bars' of Prohibition-Era Bombay

Grabbing a drink once meant moonshine in a neighbor's living room.

by Abbey Perreault

September 3, 2018

Inside Brittania & Co.

The Disappearing Cuisine of an Ancient Religion

Mumbai's beloved Parsi restaurants are struggling to survive.

by Katherine Sullivan

November 20, 2017

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