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The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
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The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
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All India

The Atlas Obscura Guide To India

352 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in India

Updated May 15, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
Pune
Agrasen ki Baoli
New Delhi
Boy studying at Mahakali Caves.
Mumbai
Reliquary of St. Francis Xavier
Velha Goa
South Park Street Cemetery
Kolkata
Gitanjali Art Gallery, Fontainhas.
Panaji
All Cities
  1. Agra
  2. Ahmedabad
  3. Chamoli
  4. Chennai
  5. Cherrapunjee
  6. Chittorgarh
  7. Darjeeling
  8. Hampi
  9. Hyderabad
  10. Jaipur
  11. Jodhpur
  12. Kanyakumari
  13. Kolkata
  14. Lucknow
  15. Mahabalipuram
  16. Mandu
  17. Mumbai
  18. Murshidabad
  19. Mysore
  20. New Delhi
  21. Panaji
  22. Pune
  23. Varanasi
  24. Velha Goa
Attractions
Food & Drink
Trips
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Lists

Unusual Attractions in India

Chand Baori

Abhaneri, India

Chand Baori

Thousands of exquisitely carved stone water storage wells, hundreds of stone steps fill this exquisite medieval stepwell.
Sir Edwin Arnold thought Hawa Mahal was “a vision of daring and dainty loveliness, of storeys of rosy masonry and delicate overhanging balconies and latticed windows. Soaring with tier after tier of fanciful architecture in a pyramidal form, a very mountain of airy and audacious beauty through the thousand pierced screens and gilded arches of which the Indian air blows cool over the flat roofs of the very highest house.” As quoted in, Delhi Agra Jaipur, by Surendra Sahai.  See more at https://kimcarpenterphotos.smugmug.com/Hawa-Mahal-Jaipur-India/.

Jaipur, India

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)

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

Cherrapunjee, India

The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.
Human Skeletons in Skeleton Lake in Roopkund

Chamoli, India

Skeletons of Roopkund Lake

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

Jaipur, India

Jal Mahal

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.
Overlooking a sea of blue. (Photo:

Jodhpur, 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.

Verul, India

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 mosque  of Bahar-ud-din Bhar

Junagadh, India

Mahabat Maqbara

This otherworldly palace-mausoleum complex is the stuff eternal dreams are made of.
See All 352 Things To Do in India

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in India

Golden Temple

Amritsar, 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.

Kolkata, India

Nahoum and Sons

This Jewish bakery, among the last in the region, sells legendary sweets from a century-old storefront.
The top few floors and roof of the market.

New Delhi, India

Khari Baoli Rooftop

The roof of one of the world’s largest spice markets provides a grand view over the neighborhood's glorious bustle.
See all 15 Places to Eat in India
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Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.

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Explore India

Architecture 100
History & Culture 71
Temples 57
Sacred Spaces 37
Religion 35
History 31
Hinduism 31
Ruins 27
Forts 23
Architectural Oddities 22
Museums 22
Colonialism 19
Unique Restaurants & Bars 4

India Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Vivek Gadre
    120
  2. mariellen
    22
  3. Fred Cherrygarden
    14
  4. Amrapali
    11
  5. diwashgahatraj
    9

Places Edited

  1. Vivek Gadre
    41
  2. Collector of Experiences
    24
  3. Rachel
    18
  4. linkogecko
    16
  5. Fred Cherrygarden
    16

Places Visited

  1. dopr
    107
  2. Noops
    105
  3. vinayak
    104
  4. KimKarishma
    100
  5. pitukabelles
    91

Recent India Activity

  • vivekseth

    wants to go to The Triveni Sangam

    1 day ago
  • vivekseth

    has been to Ancient Nalanda University

    1 day ago
  • Gravewalker

    has been to Port Trust War Memorial

    1 day ago
  • rbenn250

    wants to go to Replicas of Jyotirlinga Temples

    1 day ago
  • rbenn250

    wants to go to Charaideo Moidam

    1 day ago

Stories About India

My homemade namkeen jave from North India, loaded with toppings.

What Kinds of Pasta Are There in India?

It's not just fusion.
by Andrew Coletti
April 7, 2025
Left to right: green, black, Chinese, white, and Ethiopian cardamoms.

A Guide to the Cardamoms of the World

The Cardamom Expanded Universe is bigger than you think.
by Andrew Coletti
February 17, 2025
At India’s oldest and largest chess manufacturing company, master craftsman Surinder Pal holds the exclusive title of knight carver. Known as the most tedious chess piece to work on, they must be done entirely by hand. Today, knight carvers are well respected and increasingly hard to come by.

Masters of the Knight: The Art of Chess Carving in India

In Amritsar, artisans have hand-carved the most complicated pieces in the game for generations.
by Roxanne Hoorn
January 23, 2025
By scavenging from trash heaps, greater adjutants serve an important role as cleaners.

How an Army of 'Stork Sisters' Protects Assam's Endangered, Muppet-like Birds

Greater adjutants may look straight out of "The Dark Crystal," but they play an important role in cleaning their environment.
by Carla Rhodes
August 2, 2024
A display at the Global Conference of Millets in 2023 featured a millet map of India.

In India, Music Helps Spread the Message of Millets

New and ancient songs show that there’s more to reviving a crop than planting seeds.
by Andrew Coletti
June 17, 2024
A fresco from a mansion, or haveli, depicting the sharing of a drink. In Rajput culture, the munawwar piyala meaning “cup of request” is liquor offered to guests during gatherings, especially marriages.

The Resurrection of Rajasthan’s Royal Liquors

After fading away post-Independence, Heritage Liquors are back and, this time, everyone can sip them.
by N.C. Stevens
April 19, 2024
A highway rest stop has become a gulab jamun hot spot.

The Indian Village That Revolves Around Gulab Jamuns

More than two dozen shops in Maigalganj sell this famous dessert.
by Teja Lele
March 11, 2024

The Itinerant Princess Who Chronicled Akbar’s Mughal Empire

The daughter, sister, and aunt of emperors, Gulbadan Begum wrote of a Mughal Empire few witnessed.
by Ruby Lal
March 6, 2024

Lists Featuring India

Fierce little cat.
Elephants playing in the mud at Elephant Nature Park.
Oh, hello!
Little Spotted Kiwi

10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019

Unique experiences from Nairobi to Chiang Mai.

12

Including Cat Island, Elephant Nature Park , and India's Giant Technicolor Squirrels

Rats of Karni Mata Temple
Paxton Gate Exterior
Albino Squirrels of Olney, Illinois

A Rat Lover's Tour of the World

15 places where rodents are celebrated, feared, preserved, and studied.

15

Including Karni Mata Temple, Nutty Narrows Bridge, and Paxton Gate

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