193 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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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in India

Amritsar Cantt., India

Golden Temple

This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

New Delhi, India

Cafe Lota

Nestled among the artifacts of the National Crafts Museum, this hidden gem offers hard-to-find regional foods from all over India.

Nahoum and Sons

This Jewish bakery, among the last in the region, sells legendary sweets from a century-old storefront.

Guru Sweet Mart

At this sweet shop, the descendants of a royal chef serve up the fudge-like dessert his ancestor invented for a king.

See all 12 places to eat in India See all 12 places to eat in India

Atlas Obscura Trips

India: Desert Festivals of Rajasthan

Experience the traditions and customs of desert culture in Northern India.

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Stories About India

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Discovering the Unexpected Wonder of Mumbai's Coastal Wildlife

Photographer Sarang Naik is reintroducing his hometown to its rich biodiversity, from glowing corals to dazzling sea slugs.

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January 10, 2022

Podcast: The Village Where Every Person’s Name Is a Song

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

December 23, 2021

An Indian laborer sorts amla, or Indian gooseberries, at a fruit market on the outskirts of Allahabad.

Indian Millennials Are Flocking To Farms—and Traditional Ingredients

Amid COVID-19, some have swapped urban bustle for rural nostalgia.

by Cheena Kapoor

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The Khauwale Patankar sweet shop in Pune makes sugar jewelry every year.

In India, a Sweet Tradition Calls for Head-To-Toe Sugar Jewelry

Maharashtra's halwa dagine symbolizes hope for future blessings.

by Shoma Abhyankar

December 9, 2021

An Apatani family and guests make tapyo around the hearth.

Without a Source for Salt, This Tribe Created a Delicious Substitute

The Apatani make tapyo from shrubs and ash.

by Lavina Dsouza

November 3, 2021

One of Kanha Tiger Reserve's revered residents: Conservation scientists are studying how villagers near the Central Indian park coexist with the big cats.

An Ancient 'Tiger God' Helps Communities and Big Cats Coexist in India

Across the central and western parts of the country, reverence for the deity translates to tolerance for predators.

by Radhika Iyengar

September 14, 2021

Likuma Sarma, a renowned mobile theater actor, does her makeup before taking the stage.

Assam’s Unique Mobile Drama Tradition Takes the Stage in a Changing World

These inventive traveling theater troupes were contending with shifting tastes even before the pandemic.

by Sanskrita Bharadwaj

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A macaque at the Galtaji temple complex.

Can India Solve Its Macaque Conundrum With Contraception?

The science of controlling marauding, sacred monkeys, from the new book by best-selling author Mary Roach.

September 7, 2021

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