10 Most Mysterious Places in India

Being a country with a rich past, India is a land that showcases a melting pot of culture, people, traditions, and religions. However, a rich past also means that one can never truly hope to explain or understand each and every secret that the land beholds. When booking India tour packages, a number of people tend to search for these mysterious gems that hide amidst the most well-known tourist destinations in the country.

Whether it is the thirst for adventure or the sheer curiosity that makes you look for the most mysterious places in India, you will not be disappointed. From haunted places to destinations that defy logic and science, India is full of marvels that will leave you mesmerized.

With the context well set, here are the top 10 mysterious places in India that you can consider adding to your itinerary: -

1. Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan 

It is not an exaggeration to say that any list of the top mysterious places to visit in India would be incomplete without a mention of the haunted Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan. Complete with a notice board by the Archaeological Survey of India forbidding tourists from entering the place after sunset, the fort is, without doubt, India’s most mysterious place. Once a bustling city full of activity, the fort now stands abandoned. None of the structures in the fort have been left with a roof. Some call it a curse while others say that the evil spirit of a magician who fell in love with the princess haunts the place. Regardless of what story lies behind the fort, Bhangarh is one of the most interesting mystery places in India and is definitely worth a visit.

2. The Abandoned Village of Kuldhara, Rajasthan

Again surrounded by several legends that try to explain what happened about 200 years ago, Kuldhara, Rajasthan, is another mysterious tourist place in India that is shrouded in intrigue. Once home to more than 1500 Paliwal Brahmans, descendants of a tribe that had lived there for more than 5 centuries, Kuldhara was suddenly abandoned one night by its entire population, which included people of 85 villages. According to folklore, the people also cursed the land forbidding any future settlements. And that is how Kuldhara, one of the top mysterious places in India, stands today, with a few dilapidated buildings, temples, and legends surrounding its past.

3. The Jal Mahal, Jaipur

The reason why Jal Mahal can be counted amongst the top 10 mysterious places in India is the story of how it came to be. It was built 300 years ago by the Raja as a hunting lodge. However, when the King of Amer decided to build a dam between the two surrounding hills to save the city from floods in the 18^th century, the depression around the palace started filling up with water. Today, when you look across the Man Sagar Lake, you see this palace in the middle, with one floor and plant life peeking from above its roof. Another aspect that makes it such a prominent pick among mystery places in India is the fact that the water hides 4 more floors below it. Little else is known about this structure which has no chambers but a pavilion and a terrace garden.

4. The Skeleton Lake, Roopkund, Uttarakhand

Easily one of the top 10 mysterious places in India, this lake was discovered in 1942 by a British forest ranger who was patrolling the area. Located on one of the highest mountains in Uttarakhand, Roopkund is better known as the skeleton lake because of the grisly remains it encompasses. Strewn about the shores and even inside the lake, visible when it is not frozen, are the skeletons and bones of numerous people, some with the flesh still attached and preserved. Reckoned to be a truly mysterious place to visit in India, the remains found at the lake have been tested for years, providing results that just don’t seem to make sense. Some people believe these are the remains of an Indian king, his wife, and their attendants from 870 years ago when they perished in a blizzard, except for the fact that some of the bones seem to date back even further. Others say that these are Indian soldiers who were unsuccessful in besieging Tibet, while others still say that this is a mass grave for people who died in some epidemic. While its origin may not be known, this is one of the mysterious places in India that you simply cannot miss.

5. Kodinhi, Kerala – The Town of Twins

Sometimes you don’t need curses and hauntings to make a mystery place in India. Many curiosities are simply hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered. A small village in Kerala, Kodinhi is home to 2000 families. But the strange part is that the village is quite well-known for the number of twin births. About three generations ago, the women of the village started giving birth to twins, a lot of twins, and almost always identical. In fact, some women who married far away from the village have also been reported to have given birth to twins. The village has more than 300 pairs of twins, with no explanation as to why this suddenly started happening. So, if you head out to explore the natural beauty of Kerala, maybe a detour to one of India’s most mysterious places can be considered.

6. Magnetic Hill, Ladakh

Almost as legendary as it is mysterious, Magnetic Hill is a place where laws of gravity tend to take a back seat. There is a road, aptly named the Magnetic Road, where a yellow box has been painted, marking the spot where this phenomenon can be observed. Park your car (no brakes, of course) here and turn off the engine and the car will soon start moving uphill by itself. Cars have been known to reach speeds of 20kmph while climbing uphill of their own volition. Science has two common theories to explain this mystery place in India, where one states that the mountain has a strong magnetic field that pulls these cars (hence the name), the other says that it is likely to be an optical illusion where the road actually goes downhill but seems otherwise. Locals on the other hand also believe that this used to be the road to heaven. This is one of the most well-known mysterious places to visit in India which has been featured in several publications as well.

7. Shaniwar Wada Fort

Despite how macabre it may sound, the fact remains that betrayals and atrocious murders of the past have resulted in some of the most mysterious places in India. When a 16-year-old boy, Narayan Rao, acquired the throne at the Shaniwar Wada Fort, conspiracies began surrounding him to dethrone him. It was a wicked-minded uncle and aunt of his who sought the help of the head of the Gardis, a tribe of hunters. The young Peshwa was killed, his body chopped into pieces, and tossed into a nearby river. A treacherous tale, but this is not why this fort is counted among the top mysterious places to visit in India. It is believed that the fort is now populated by the lost souls who died within its walls and locals who live nearby also claim that you can hear the heart-wrenching screams of the young Peshwa on full moon nights. In fact, this fort is also one of those mysterious places in India that forbid entry after 6.30 PM.

8. Jatinga, Assam

It is not just stories about people that have helped create the most mysterious tourist places in India. Over the last 100 years, thousands and thousands of birds have flown to their death over a particular strip of land in Jatinga. Why this strip of land has become the Bermuda triangle for birds is still unexplained. However, every year after the monsoons in September or October, from 6.00 to 9.30 PM on moonless nights, the birds in the area seem to get agitated and disoriented. These are various types of migratory birds which leads to the question, why do birds come here every year only to die? Maybe one day we will have the answer, but for now, Jatinga remains one of the mysterious places in India that tourists and birds alike flock to every year.

9. Lonar Crater lake

Now for one of the top mysterious places in India that owe their popularity to natural occurrences. An unassuming village in Maharashtra, the Lonar Village is the site of a meteor impact crater. It is, in fact, the only hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock in the world. The crater has a lake inside which is the reason why this has been named as one of the most mysterious tourist places in India. The lake is alkaline as well as saline at the same time and creates an ecosystem for several organisms that are rarely found elsewhere. Adding to this, to date, no one has any idea about the source of the perennial springs that feed the lake. In many parts of the lake, compasses don’t work, and no one knows what lies at its bottom. Together, it makes for an intriguing destination that deserves to be on your list of the top 10 mysterious places in India.

10. Gyanganj

More than an actual destination, this addition to the list of 10 mysterious places in India is based on a belief. The snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas hide many secrets that humans have barely managed to scratch the surface of. But one mystery that has stood the test of time is the belief in the existence of a mysterious city of immortal beings. It is believed that Gyanganj is hidden from sight, far out of the reaches of modern mapping and technology as it is probably camouflaged or even may exist in another dimension. Legend states that the immortal beings that inhabit Gyanganj have a subtle but strong influence over the proceedings of the world and also guard the secret spiritual teachings of all religions, making Gyanganj one of the most mysterious places in India.

Legends, stories, and mythology may claim many miracles and mysteries, but India is full of actual places that force you to stop and reconsider your beliefs as they present logic-defying phenomena to all who visit. The most mysterious places in India may have numerous theories to try and explain their existence, but sometimes you should let go of the logic and simply bask in the impossibilities of these destinations.