5 unusual and weird places worth visiting in India

Discovered in 1942 at around 16,000 ft above sea level, a frozen lake was found to be full of skeletons. It was clear something terrible had happened - it was war time so it was thought to be Japanese soldiers dying of exposure while invading India. It was difficult to date the remains due to the dry, cold air, but they appeared to be from 850 AD. They all died from blows to the head by round objects. A folk song tells of a goddess who rained death on pilgrims with “hard as iron” hailstones.

Jal Mahal (Water Palace in English) is set in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. The reservoir was built in 1596 and while only one storey shows in the image, there are four other levels hidden beneath the water. The building was initially intended to be a hunting lodge for the local Raja. However, when a drought hit in the 16th century, locals created a dam, which formed a lake around the building. While inaccessible to visitors, the views from the land are spectacular, especially in the evenings.

The people of southern Meghalaya have experimented with various strategies to make a rubber tree’s roots grow in the correct direction, especially over a river. They often used wooden or bamboo scaffolds to train the roots across the temporary structure. They are then allowed to burrow into the soil on the other side. Eventually the roots merged with each other, forming strong bridges over the river. The image here shows a “double-decker” root bridge.

There are seven pools of natural spring water at the Temple of Galtaji, an idyllic sanctuary in the heart of Jaipur. Hindu pilgrims bath in the sacred springs in the complex, high on a hill over the flatlands of Rajasthan. One temple in the complex is dedicated to the Hindi monkey god Hanuman, which is appropriate, as it is now the home of many monkeys. While there is lots of monkey business going on in this tranquil place, they are protected by their sacred status and allowed to continue.

Back in 1728, the rajah of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh II, sent emissaries out across the world to gather accurate astronomical data. On their return, Jai Singh ordered the construction of the Jantar Mantar complex in New Delhi. Made entirely from stone, and based on the astronomical tables of French mathematician Phillipe de la Hire, the monumental astronomical observatory was one of five observatories, with the largest in his hometown of Jaipur. The 73-ft sundial is the largest ever built.