10. Karni Mata Mandir, Bikaner
A holy site called Karni Mata Mandir, popularly referred to as the Rat Temple, is situated in Denshoke, a city 30 km from Bikaner. This temple is infamous for housing an absurd 20,000 or more rats on its grounds. According to tradition, after one fight, over 20,000 troops ran away from their stations and ended themselves in Denshoke. They were all transformed into rats but Karni Mata protected their lives.
Another tale states that when her son drowned in the sea, Karni Mata pleaded to Yama, the deity of death, in an effort to save him. Unfortunately, the deity was unable to grant her desire; instead, he bestowed upon her a boon—essentially a spell—that would cause all of her ancestors to die and then reincarnate as rats. When a rat steps on your foot, it is seen as excellent luck.
9. Bullet Baba Temple, Rajasthan
Have you ever considered a shrine dedicated to motorcycles? That is exactly what happened to Om Singh Rathore’s motorbike after he was killed in a sad accident in 1988. He slammed into a tree one night after losing control of his bike.
The bike was taken by the local police for inspection, but every night it mysteriously vanished and returned to the scene of the accident. Even when they tried to lock it up with no gasoline at all, the bike continued escaping! When people learned about this miracle, they built a temple there called Om Banna (Bullet Baba Temple). Locals now think that this location is sacred and that Om Singh’s soul is watching over all the tourists.
8. Land of Snakes, Shetpal
Visit the renowned “Land of Snakes” in the Maharashtra state district of Sholapur. This little town, which worships snakes, is only a few hundred kilometres from Pune, a pretty major city, and adheres to one of the strangest customs. And they certainly seem to like it! Each home in the community has a designated area where snakes (mainly cobras) can visit, relax, and have a bowl of milk.
Unexpectedly, there haven’t been any snake bites in this region. Since snakes are one of Lord Shiva’s emblems, they are permitted to roam around the community. The local cobras make the villagers feel so secure that they even let their children play with them!
7. Roopkund ‘The Skeleton Lake’, Uttarakhand
High in the Himalayan Mountains, Roopkund, often known as the Skeleton Lake, is well-known for the extraordinary amount of human remains that have been discovered there. How did all of these individuals find up so close to the glacial lake at an elevation of more than 5,000 metres? It is still a mystery.
Many people think that Raja Jasdhaval and his warriors were slaughtered there on their journey to the Nanda Devi shrine, however experts discovered that 70% of the 300 skeletons were of Iranian descent. What caused so many Iranian immigrants to die and why did they come here? The bones bear no signs of weaponry, leading researchers to surmise that they were slain by a violent storm. Nobody is certain.
6. The Hanging Pillar at Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh
The wonderful artwork and architecture at Lepakshi Temple are well-known, but this is not the only reason that thousands of visitors travel here each year. The floating pillar, one of the most puzzling objects in the nation, may be found at the temple, which was constructed to honour Lord Shiva. Only one pillar, out of the 70 that are present on the temple’s grounds, is floating in midair with no other support.
Many people come here to pass their belongings beneath the pillar because they think it could be some sort of miracle. They believe it will bring them luck and success! Others think it’s merely one of the numerous tricks pulled by the amazing architects who built the ancient temples.
5. Village with no doors, Shani Shingnapur
There is one location in India without any doors at all. People in the village of Shani Shingnapur have long since ceased placing doors in their homes because they have such a deep belief in Lord Shani and his protection. And amazingly, it succeeds! There haven’t been any significant robberies reported in this community, and anyone who does decide to take from someone else is swiftly punished.
There is not a single door on any of the village’s more than 4,000 homes! In accordance with local beliefs, the UCO (United Commercial) Bank in the area chose to remove the locks from its doors. It is the first bank in history to operate without any locks.
4. Levitating Stone at Shivapur, Maharashtra
One of the strangest locations in India is the Hazrat Qamar Ali Darvesh shrine. The shrine was constructed in honour of a Sufi saint named Qamar Ali, who is renowned for doing several miracles. He left this 70-kilogram stone behind and cast a charm over it. According to mythology, this stone is impossible to carry, but if 11 men follow a certain procedure, it will levitate! All they have to do to get the stone to lift into the air is touch it with their forefingers and utter the Sufi’s name. What was the initial purpose of his actions?
The location of the shrine appears to have been a gymnasium 800 years ago. Qamar Ali, who wasn’t interested in such things, was frequently tormented by wrestlers while they trained with huge stones. This stone was erected as evidence that spiritual strength outweighs bodily strength.
3. The Magnetic Hill of Leh, Ladakh
Ladakh’s Magnetic Hill has recently grown significantly in popularity among tourists. This peculiar hill, which is only 30 kilometres from Leh, draws countless tourists each year to see the amazing sight of cars climbing the slope by themselves. What triggers this defying gravity phenomenon? Locals think that the hill previously served as a portal to heaven that was only open to the good and pure, which accounts for all the strange special effects.
However, there is also a more typical reason. The unique hill configuration that obscures the horizon, according to scientists, causes an extraordinary optical illusion that merely tricks our sight. You shouldn’t miss it because it is still quite a stunning sight!
2. The Ghost Lights of West Bengal
Scientists in India are as baffled by nature as they are by everything else. The ‘Aleya Lights’ that rove the Bengal marshes are well-known for confusing and frightening Bengali fisherman. Many times, fisherman become lost at night and some of them even pass away!
Even while experts have some theories on what could be causing the lights, this strange occurrence is still not fully understood. Some of them think that they came from the ionisation of methane, which is abundant in the marshes because of decomposing organic materials. Is that the whole of Aleya Lights, though? We firmly believe otherwise.
1. The Twin Town of Kodinhi, Kerala
Scientists have been perplexed by Kodinhi, a hamlet in Kerala’s Malappuram district, for many years. There are more twins in this isolated community than in the entire nation! The town has around 400 sets of twins and over 2,000 households.
To conduct studies and uncover the reason why there are so many twin births in this area, researchers from India, Germany, and Great Britain paid a visit. Despite studying the twins’ DNA, no solution has yet been discovered. They can only guess that this extraordinary event is either hereditary or caused by some substance in the water or air. They are still unsure for sure!
