15 Mysterious Places In India That Even Science Has Failed To Rationalize

13 min readJul 31, 2018

From culturally rich traditions to colourful landscapes, India is defined by many appellations that no other country around the globe known for. A traveller’s paradise, India has everything including wicked places that are unexplained and even out of the bounds of all scientific justifications. These unsolved mysteries defy all conventions of science and nature. From haunted tales to mythological creatures, you’ll get every possible explanation from the locals except for a reasonable one making these places a hot shot on the wicked and mysterious places to visit in India! Explore these 15 mysterious places in India if you just don’t wanna end up having leisure time rather something to lead the conversations in your groups for a long long time to come.

1. Tanot Mata Temple — Jaisalmer

As per the oldest Charan literature, Tanot Mata is a temple in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan is the incarnation of the divine goddess [Hinglaj Mata]. The village is close to the border of Pakistan and the battle site of Longewala of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and it is said that a large part of the credit for the outcome of the battle goes to the temple.

MYSTERY: During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistani Army dropped over 3000 bombs targeting the temple but not even one exploded. In 1971 again when Pakistan and India went to war this area was again targeted by the Pakistani Tanks for 4 days but again all the tanks were stuck in the sand and the Indian Air Force picked them out easily by bombing them where they stood as they were unable to move even one inch. This Temple has protected the area that is only 10 km from the border outpost and the faith is such that the army and BSF soldiers still stop at this temple and apply the sand on their foreheads and also to their vehicles which keeps them safe and their journeys fruitful. The legend is since 1965 and was re-affirmed in 1971 and it is a recorded fact that each and every enemy soldier who dared to attack this area was killed.

2. The Hanging Pillar at Lepakshi Temple — Andhra Pradesh

This can happen only in India! A Hanging Pillar? Not a big deal. The temple is an archaeological wonder and has beautiful paintings and carvings all over the place. The hanging pillar which attracts thousands of tourists every day is a huge block of granite around 20 feet tall, with brilliant carvings and not attached to the floor.

MYSTERY: This mid-air hanging pillar exists without a support. People slide objects under the pillar believing it’ll bring prosperity into their lives. People believe that ancient technology employed anti-gravity and levitation because there is no way a 20-foot granite block which weighs many tons can hang in mid-air.

THEORY: The pillar is not really hanging in mid-air, one of its corners is slightly resting on the floor, which is how it stands still. The pillar does not employ antigravity or levitation but it is the British Government that decided to do some repairs and attempted to remove the pillar. But they couldn’t because it was fixed so perfectly, they could only dislodge it and so they left it in this weird position.

3. The Mini Desert Of Talakad — Karnataka

A dessert on a river bank in the lush green state of Karnataka? Now that’s truly a mystery that defies all scientific notions. Talakadu on the banks of river Kaveri is a mysterious spot in Mysore district in Karnataka. Sand dunes and river basins in one place can confuse anyone whether it’s a dessert or a beach?

MYSTERY: Talakad is believed to have been home to about 30 temples once, 5 of which are Lingams representing the 5 faces of Lord Shiva which are now deeply buried under the sand. It’s a dessert on banks of a river.

THEORY: A devotee of Shiva, Allemelamma in the 16th century cursed the place. “May Talakadu be filled with sand, let Malangi become whirlpool and Mysore Kings shall not have children” leaving a place where river Kaveri forms beautiful whirlpools, a dessert.

4. Snake Village — Maharashtra

Shetpal is a small sleepy village in Sholapur District of Maharashtra which is truly different from any other village you’ll ever visit in the country. This region, being dry and in the plains, has lots of snakes of many varieties. But, the people here do not kill them nor do they live in fear. The snakes are like guests at this place! Doesn’t this sound weird?

MYSTERY: Despite the population of the deadliest of snakes, no snake bites have ever been recorded.

THEORY: It is believed that the local deity, Lord Siddheshwar has the power to cure snake bites. The villagers firmly worship these reptiles and consider them to be sacred, an embodiment of reverence and respect.

5. Bullet Baba Shrine — Rajasthan

A small town called Bandai in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan has a shrine dedicated to a Bullet motorcycle. Yes, you read that correctly! This Motorbike Temple is situated on the main highway number 65 and can be easily spotted. The shrine dedicated to a 350cc Royal Enfield bike, that belonged to a deceased person, fondly called ‘Om Banna’ or ‘Bullet Baba’.

MYSTERY: In 1988, Om Banna met with an accident while driving his way back to the village and died on the spot. The bike had hit a huge tree and was in no condition to move. It was kept under the police custody at the nearby police station overnight but was found missing the next morning. On searching, it was found at the spot of the accident. The bike was taken back to the police station, but the same thing happened again.

MYTH: The village people considered it to be a holy spirit that had come to take care of village people, and thus a shrine was set in the honour of the deceased with the bike as the deity.

6. 500-year-old mummy of Sangha Tenzin — Spiti

Spiti in Himachal Pradesh has become one of the top places to visit in India for adventure sports, trekking, and other things but did you know about a 500-year-old mummy living there? A trek in the Indian Himalayas reveals the eerie and ancient tradition of self-mummification.

MYSTERY: No artificial preservation, No buried coffins to protect from the elements of Earth, just a glass box. A 500-year-old mummy with its skin, hair, and teeth intact. With Darkened, taut skin an intact head of hair and well-preserved form; he sits firmly with his fist around one leg, chin resting on his knee. Sangha Tenzin had been dead for more than 500 years.

THEORY: Self-mummification — A ritual that was undertaken between the 11th and 19th Centuries by the most highly devoted and able spiritual masters in Yamagata, who would starve themselves to death very slowly in order to reach the highest form of enlightenment. They would eat a solely tree-based diet, ingesting only roots, nuts and herbs in order to completely deplete their fat reserves. By the time the monk died, the body was so devoid of fat and the organs were so shrunken in size that the body wouldn’t start decomposing — thus preserving the physical form.

7. A Village Without Doors — Maharashtra

Shani Shingnapur, a popular place of pilgrimage in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra is famous for much more than its name may suggest. If you are looking for a few places to visit in India that defy all the norms you may have ever encountered before in your life, then this is the place.

MYSTERY: No houses or commercial establishments in the village have doors, none at all. The place is so safe and crime-free that UCO Bank has also opened a ‘lock-less’ branch in this village, the first of its kind in India.

THEORY: Shani Shinagapur is said to have been blessed by Lord Shani and as a result, no crimes happen here. That’s some strong faith-game!

8. Jatinga Village — Assam

This is one haunted and scarring sight one really wouldn’t want to encounter. The beautiful Jatinga Village in Assam in the North-Eastern part of the country is a spot for some really disturbing sights. Supernatural or wicked mysteries always generate huge excitement. But sometimes there are some which are not as exciting and rather fill you with sadness, and despair.

MYSTERY: The Jatinga village witnesses a heavy massacre of different bird species falling relentlessly from the sky. An event that has been occurring since past many decades now, every year, post-monsoon (somewhere around October). During the late foggy evening hours (between 6 pm to 9 pm), the birds are seen to just drop dead while flying towards the village. It is considered to be a major suicidal act by birds which really hardly makes any sense.

THEORY: Many researchers and animal welfare authorities have tried to uncover the secret of this place. People call it a killing act by the villagers of Jatinga and not a suicide. But since decades no reasoning behind the same has been found.

9. Roopkund Skeleton Lake — Uttarakhand

Mountains do make for an eerie spot for the best kind of mysteries, Don’t they? The Roopkund Lake is a gorgeous and famous trekking glacier in the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand at an altitude of 5029 meters. It is India’s one of the most famous trekking spots but the frozen lake of Roopkund has some deadly buried secrets that would give you chills.

MYSTERY: First discovered in 1942 by a British forest guard, were an unlimited amount of skulls and bones appearing suddenly out of nowhere as the snow started melting. The hair and flesh were preserved under the ice on some. The bones belong to more than 600 human bodies from the early 850 A.D that still keep emerging out of nowhere.

THEORY: The analogies made by the natives say that these people were cursed to death due to the fury of the local deity, Latu, who sent a terrible hailstorm their way. A heavy hailstorm with hailstones as big as 23 centimetres falling on these people and eventually killing them. Also, the cracks on the skulls indicate and certify that the impact was made by something spherical.

10. Twin town — Kodinhi

Do you like children? If you do, aren’t twins cute? But how would you feel if everyone around you was a twin? There’s going to be one hell of a confusion all the time! Nestled in the Malappuram district of Kerala, Kodinhi has an eerily scary number of twins in the village.

MYSTERY: In a population of 2000, Kodinhi has 350 pairs of identical twins, which means that almost every family in Kodinhi has more than one pair of twins. This village of twins is one mysterious place as Kodinhis’ women who are married outside the village also end up having twins or triplets.

THEORY: Doctors believe the reason for this to be the chemicals of the water in the area. (Sure! why not?)

11. Magnetic Hill — Ladakh

We are sure that you have heard of this one before. Ladakh is one of the most beautiful places to visit in India and especially for a road trip. Each sight and place is a wonder in itself but it’s not just the phenomenal beauty of the place that is attractive. The state of Ladakh has some of its own mysteries as well! The Magnetic Hill is a wide open stretch of a road, surrounded by tall and rocky mountains on the route from Leh to Kargil.

MYSTERY: If you leave your car in neutral gear with the ignition turned off on the Magnetic Hill’s downward slope, it looks as if the car is going uphill. This is magic without a magician! It is like some kind of a very powerful magnetic device is pulling the vehicle uphill.

THEORY: The locals say that is just an optical illusion in a way that the path that looks like an uphill road is actually a slant running downhill, but due to the natural formation of the mountains, the horizon is distracted and our minds and eyes consider it to be an uphill stretched road.

12. The Eternal Flames Of Jwala Ji Temple — Himachal Pradesh

Jwala Ji is Hindu temple located in the lower Himalayan town of Jawalamukhi in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It has also been mentioned in the Mahabharata and other scriptures clearly indicating it’s centuries back origin and significance. But what’s unique is the fact that unlike any other temple, Jwala Ji temple doesn’t have a statue or an image, but a constantly burning blue flame that seems to come from the rocks.

MYSTERY: The flame can be seen at various places in the temple and it is burning continuously since the first date of its known history. No reservoir of natural gas has been found to keep the flame burning for centuries and not even the Mughal Emperor Akbar could extinguish the flames after repeated efforts by using iron lids and water.

THEORY: The scientists say there is a sleeping volcano under Jwala Ji temple and the natural gas coming out of that volcano is burning as flames. The Hindus revere as their Goddess’s tongue. That Sati, the granddaughter of Lord Brahma and wife of Lord Shiva immolated herself after her father insulted Lord Shiva. In his rage at losing his wife, angry Shiva performed the fearsome and awe-inspiring Tandava dance with Sati’s charred body on his shoulders. During this dance, Sati’s body came apart and the pieces fell at different places on earth. It is here that Sati’s tongue fell which can now be seen in the form of the flame.

13. Karni Mata Mandir — Rajasthan

Temples in India has so many mysteries and stories that it makes them one interesting place and make people believe in the supernatural forces working around them. Rajasthan is the most visited and famous tourist place in India and it sure does have a lot to offer. The Karni Mata Mandir is a very famous temple of Goddess Karni located in a small village named Deshnok, some 30 km south of Bikaner city in Rajasthan.

MYSTERY: The temple houses close to 20,000 rats, Yes! RATS! These rats are inhabitants of the temple, they are taken care of, fed, and even worshipped by the devotees and visitors. No matter how revolting it may sound but, one is not allowed to kill, hurt, or even scare them away.

MYTH: The rats are believed to be the reincarnated relatives and family members of Karni Mata. In fact, the rarest, white mice are considered to be her sons and if one spots them, it is considered to bring prosperity and luck.

14. Ghost Lights Of West Bengal

Just the name in itself gives a spooky feeling we all would like to venture and spot! Call it ghost hunting or gorgeous fireflies, the marshes of West Bengal are a beautiful place holding too many secrets. These marshes are some of the most mysterious places in India owing to this unexplained phenomenon.

MYSTERY: Known as the Aleya Lights, there have been many unnatural sightings of glowing lights of different colours hovering over the marshes in West Bengal. They are a nightmare for any onlooker but especially the resident fishermen. They usually end up confusing them and lose their way which in many cases led to deaths of these fishermen.

THEORY: Scientists believe that these lights are ionization of methane over the marshes that form out of the decaying organic matter present in abundance in these bogs.

15. Floating Stones Of Rameshwaram — Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu is one place holds immense importance in the Hindu mythology. A popular pilgrimage spot because according to Ramayana, Lord Rama’s Vanara Sena built a bridge of floating stones all the way to Sri Lanka. This mythological tale has some archaeological prooves that make it one of the most mysterious places in India.

MYSTERY: Not just any bridge, these stones found are considered to be of the same set bridge the Vanar Sena built for Lord Rama to Sri Lanka. According to Ramayana, the bridge was built of stones that would stay afloat once the name of Lord Rama was scribbled on it. Many such floating stones have been found in Rameshwaram that offer no other explanation for this cause making the place also a major tourist attraction in India.

Are you stupefied yet? India sure is an incredible place that offers much more than we can ever begin to comprehend and these 15 places sure assure that. Update your bucket lists because these are the places you need to visit in India next!

15 Mysterious Places In India That Even Science Has Failed To Rationalize

1. Tanot Mata Temple — Jaisalmer

2. The Hanging Pillar at Lepakshi Temple — Andhra Pradesh

Suggested Read:

3. The Mini Desert Of Talakad — Karnataka

4. Snake Village — Maharashtra

5. Bullet Baba Shrine — Rajasthan

6. 500-year-old mummy of Sangha Tenzin — Spiti

7. A Village Without Doors — Maharashtra

8. Jatinga Village — Assam

Suggested Read:

9. Roopkund Skeleton Lake — Uttarakhand

10. Twin town — Kodinhi

11. Magnetic Hill — Ladakh

12. The Eternal Flames Of Jwala Ji Temple — Himachal Pradesh

13. Karni Mata Mandir — Rajasthan

14. Ghost Lights Of West Bengal

Suggested Read:

15. Floating Stones Of Rameshwaram — Tamil Nadu

Written by magicpin Blog