168 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.

Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.

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.

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.

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.

Hampi

The remains of what was, not so long ago, the world's largest city.

See All 168 Things to Do in India See All 168 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in India

Szechuan Button

This herb gives cocktails another kind of buzz.

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.

Chai at Sahu Tea Shop

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

See all 36 things to eat in India See all 36 things to eat in India

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Stories
About India

At Dombo's food stall in Araku, bamboo biryani cooks over an open flame.

The Biryani Cooked Inside Bamboo

A tourism bureau's embrace of a tribal dish brings both promise and peril.

by Namrata Kolachalam

October 16, 2019

Smith in Alleppey, Kerala, where the backwater meets the sea.

On the Road in India With Atlas Obscura's First Journey Winner

Jenn Smith shares what it's been like so far to finally visit the country where she was born.

by Sommer Mathis

October 14, 2019

Jharkhand state government officials visit Ajam Emba's stall at the annual Dumka bamboo festival.

The Restaurant Putting India's Disappearing Tribal Cuisine Back on the Menu

In a Ranchi kitchen, local women fight to save indigenous food, one bowl of fish curry at a time.

by Reina Gattuso

October 3, 2019

Whatever happened here didn't just happen once.

The Bones at India's Mysterious 'Skeleton Lake' Came From All Over

New research reveals that the hundreds of anonymous dead spanned both continents and centuries.

by Matthew Taub

August 21, 2019

Shah Jahan on the Peacock Throne at Delhi receiving deputations.

Eat Like Royalty With This Cookbook From the Emperor Who Built the Taj Mahal

Shah Jahan developed one of the most famous cuisines of India.

by Reina Gattuso

A worker uses a gas cutter to dismantle a disused vessel at Alang Shipbreaking Yard.

A Unique Bric-a-Brac Market Sells Salvaged Goods From Broken Ships

At Alang on the western coast of India, you may find second-hand doors, lifebuoys, and light bulbs.

An Indian trader at the Pushkar Camel Fair 2018.

To Save India's Camel Culture, a New Dairy Is Selling Milk and Cream Cheese

The ungulate population has dropped precipitously.

by Morgan Randall

In the 1790 painting <em>Bhang Eaters Before Two Huts</em>, by Pemji, a group of men mix and consume bhang.

This British Colonial Report Offers a Rare Glimpse Into India's Historic Cannabis Cuisine

And a description of some very stoned canines.

by Reina Gattuso

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