10 Most Unusual Places in India

Incredible India is famous for its vast heritage. Magnificent forts, beautiful palaces, ancient havelis and other monuments of historical importance are worth visiting. India has something to offer for all - flora ,fauna, scenic beauty, mountains, beaches, adventure sports, historical monuments, luxury hotels etc. But that's not all.

India is full of mysterious surprises. There are some places which you won't even believe existed. Here are 10 most unusual places in India:

Cherrapunji in Meghalaya state is considered as the wettest place on Earth as the holder of the all-time record for the most rainfall in a calendar month and in a year: it received 9,300 mm (366 in) in July 1861 and 26,461 mm (1,041.75 in) between 1 August 1860 and 31 July 1861.

Cherrapunji's another claim to fame are the Living Roots Bridges. The local Khasi tribe of Meghalaya grows bridges instead of building them. Strange and unheard of, isn't it?Ficus Elastica or the Rubber Tree produces strong secondary roots from their trunks. The tribal people grow these roots in a particular direction using betel-nut trunks, thus forming strong, living bridges over decades which are used by the local people for commuting.

It's amazing that some of these bridges are more than a hundred feet long. The Umshiang Double Decker Bridge is truly one of a kind in the entire world. Some ancient root bridges are over 500 years old. Strange but true!

Jatinga is a small village amongst the Borail Hills of Assam. This idyllic village's claim to fame is a rather sad and uncanny phenomenon which takes place here every monsoon. During the dark & foggy nights between September and October, hundreds of migratory birds commit mass suicide by flying full speed towards trees & buildings and crashing themselves to death. Famous naturalist E.P.Gee brought this to light in the 1960s. The reason for this mass suicide by migratory birds is still unknown and this has been one of the world's unsolved mysteries.

Shani Shignapur is a small village in Maharashtra which is located 35 kms from Ahmednagar and is famous for its Shani temple.The village is unique in the sense that it has never witnessed any crime and the villagers attribute this to the blessings of Lord Shani. Lord Shani is said to be the lord of justice and he is a strict disciplinarian. It's said that nobody can escape Lord Shani's justice and one has to pay for his misdeeds. The villagers have such strong faith in Shani Dev which is evident in the fact that they have completely entrusted their safety into His hands by having no doors in their homes and shops. Even UCO Bank has opened a 'lock-less' branch in this village, the first of its kind in India and in the whole world.

Karni Mata temple at Deshnok near Bikaner is home to over 20,000 rats. The local people worship the rats as they are believed to be the reincarnated family members of Karni Mata. Sighting white mice is considered particularly auspicious as they are considered to be Karni Mata and her sons. Rats can be found roaming freely in the temple premises.

Now this one is quite scary! Shetpal village in Sholapur district of Maharashtra is famous for worship of snakes. The village has a frightful custom. Each house in this village has a resting place for Cobras in the rafters of their ceilings. Snakes move around freely in every house and yet no case of snake bite has ever been reported in the village. Children can be seen playing with snakes in their houses.

Devotees throng Jwala Ji Temple of Kangra throughout the year to seek blessings of the Goddess. In the center of the temple, you can see a square central pit of hollowed stone in which is the flame that has been burning for hundreds of years. Jwala Ji temple is considered to be one of the Shaktipeeths where Sati's fiery tongue had fell off.

According to Indian mythology, Sati (Wife of Lord Shiva) left her body during a yagya performed by her father Daksha as Daksha had insulted Lord Shiva by not inviting him. When Lord Shiva came to know of it, he was furious and destroyed everything at the yagya. Out of grief, Shiva carried Sati's body and roamed around the universe. Seeing this, Vishnu cut the body of Sati into 52 parts using his Chakra so that Shiva comes out of his grief. The places where these body parts fell are known as shakti peeths. Jwala ji is the place where Sat's tongue had fell off and it's considered a major shakti peeth.

Can you believe that there is a shrine in India where flowers and liquor bottles are offered to a motorcycle? Now this happens only in India!

At Bandai, Jodhpur , a drunk Om Singh Rathore died by crashing his Bullet into a tree. The police took the bike to the station but the next day, the bike was found at the spot of the accident. The motorcycle was brought back to the station,the fuel tank was emptied and the bike was chained. Yet the motorcycle again disappeared to be found at the accident spot the next day. Finally the motorcycle was shifted to the accident spot and the Om Baba (or Bullet Baba) Shrine was erected. It is believed that the spirit of Om Banna protects the travellers from harm.

The small town of Rameshwaram which is located on Pamban island and is separated from the Indian mainland by the Pamban Channel is of great significance. It was from this place that Lord Rama had built a bridge across to Lanka to rescue Sita . Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, the King of Lanka and was held captive against her will. To reach Lanka, one had to cross the vast ocean. Lord Rama decided to build a bridge over the ocean so that His army of monkeys and bears could cross the ocean.

Stones used to build the bridge never sank in water because they had Rama's name engraved on them. Such floating stones are still found around Rameshwaram, thus authenticating the incidents of Ramayana.

Idukki in Kerala is known for its mysterious 'Red Rain'. The first incident of Red Rain was recorded in 1818. and this unusual sight has been occurring intermittently ever since. Local people believe that Red Rain is the wrath of the Gods as Red color is often associated with aggression and anger. Scientists have yet to find the cause of this strange phenomenon.

The levitating stone at the Hazrat Qamar Ali Darvesh in a small village at Shivapur near Pune is a miracle in itself. The 70 kg rock can only be lifted by 11 finger tips touching it and calling out the name of Sufi saint Qamar Ali loudly. It is said that the saint was taunted by some wrestlers and thus the saint cast a spell on the stone. Till date, the Stone of Qamar Ali can be magically lifted only by chanting his name. Miracles do happen and this place is an evidence of it.

There are some things which science cannot define and which defy any logic. Above places are an evidence of the mysteries of nature and miracles of some mysterious power.