After a short break of 6 weeks, we are back with yet another travel theme that will introduce (or reintroduce) you to some of the uncanny places on the Indian subcontinent & fill you with awe and wonder. Welcome to the sixth theme of our ongoing campaign, ‘‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’ – ‘Logic-defying places of India that evoke awe, wonder & faith‘.

Did I say, ‘Logic-defying’? Oh yes, I did.

Inside one of the oldest civilisations in the world, exist numerous places that defy rational thinking and sometimes Science such as law of gravity. No kidding!

The elephant stable in Hampi and within the ruins exists a wonder that defys logic. More on that in upcoming blogs.

India: the land of strange behaviours

As much as I love my country with all its mountains, beaches, forests, waterfalls, and wildlife, I also admit that we are a bunch of strange folks. We start doing any random thing based on how we feel on a given day and blame planetary positions for our wierd moves. We build places of worship in the most unaccessible spots and expect every single person who was happily minding their own business to show up there. And we don’t even stop at that. Those who somehow agree to visit these spots, we make them do all sorts of acrobatics before they reach these remote places.

Chand Baori in Abhaneri, Rajasthan; the stepped well that figured in the Hollywood movie, Dark Knight Rises, is believed to be built by ghosts

Mayaong Village, Assam; the town that still practices magic and heal each other.

We celebrate the birth of our Gods, saints and monks, worship animals, reptiles, mountains and rivers, believe in natural as well as supernatural occurences, invest in Science as well as our faiths, build homes in the most inhabitable places, eat all sorts of living and non-living things based on where you find us in the country, organize carnivals & all-night long celebrations and believe in waking up in Brahma Muhrata (well before Sunrise), drown our Gods and also discover them from the deepest, darkest crevices. We are the Incredible India where there’s space for the crazy as much as there is for the genius. But you know, what’s interesting? You can’t tell the difference between the two.

Legends of India

It’s true that we worship snakes. Equally true is the fact that we have mentions of Naag Kanya in our texts much like Medusa from Greek mythology.

Did you know about the lake of skeletons beneath the Roopkund Lake, Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Yes, one can see approx. 600 skeletons beneath that lake. Legend has it that these are the remains of a King, his queen and their various attendants who must have died in a blizzard. However, this mystery still remains unsolved.

Far from Uttarakhand, exists a beautiful, royal state called Rajasthan that’s equally popular for such strange places and stranger theories such as the village of Kuldhara that got evacuated overnight. It’s believed that a certain evil person wanted to marry the princess of Kuldhara. To avoid the marriage, everyone abandoned the village and cursed the place that noone would ever live in this place.

If this is not enough hair-raising for you, try Bhangarh. Government of India has banned entry inside the fort after sunset. Yes. That’s true!

Of all the countless myths/ legends, my favourite is the one that explains the story behind the Shaktipeeths in India and the neigbouring countries. Legend has it that Goddess Sati self-immolated herself to protest against her father, king Dakhsa, who humiliated Lord Shiva (Goddess Sati’s husband) and his own daughter, Goddess Sati. In anger, Lord Shiva carried her dead body around the world. Lord Vishnu, who preserves, protects and maintains the world, used his weapon, Sudarshana Chakra and cut her body into 51 parts. These 51 parts fell onto different places and became the shrines and pilgrimage destinations that are known as Shaktipeethas today.

As a child and student of Science, I remember expressing my disbelief in this story. That’s when adults would tell me the story of Jwala devi temple in Kangra. Inside the temple, there’s a holy flame that burns perpetually. With that, they tell the story of Dhyanu bhakt who used to worship Jwala devi around the time of Akbar’s reign. It’s a story of faith, love and wonders. Whenever I heard such stories in childhood, I felt so much connected to this ancient country.

Another really famous legend from one of my favourite cities is of Haji Ali Dargah located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai. It’s believed that Pir Haji Ali asked his followers not to bury him but drop his shroud in the ocean, and the burial must happen at the very spot where his shroud was found by people. Today, that spot is the Haji Ali Dargah shown in Bollywood movies and frequented by people from all faiths and religions.

And no, it doesn’t end here. There are several such stories in this strange and ancient country such as the natural Mummy of Sangha Tenzing in Gue Village, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. Yes, this is a 500 year old mummy of a Buddhist monk from Tibet. The most interesting thing is that the mummy is in a sitting position with skin and hair intact.

It’s believed that the monk started mummifying himself while he was still alive. Crazy? Or Genius?

The Basilica of Bom Jesus that houses the body of St. Francis Xavier, that’s as fresh as the day it was buried. Once in every 10 years, saint’s body is taken out for public viewing.

India and its Incredibleness

Strange is this land, and stranger are the stories that are told here. But the strangest thing is that you can actually experience some of those stories. Not everything that’s said, heard or told here is a story; some of it can be debated to be true like the Ram Setu – the bridge that was allegedly made by the army of Lord Rama using stones that remained afloat in the ocean from India to Lanka. Some of those stones can be seen in Rameshwaram even today.

Have you heard about the Tanot Mata temple of Jaisamler which was apparently the target of a few battles and wars but remained unharmed every single time?! About 3000 bombs missed the temple or just did not explode. Crazy?

As part of this theme, we will introduce a few places that defy plain logic and remain standing today as a testament of simply mind-boggling phenomenon.

Shaniwar Wada – the fort that belonged to a Maratha warrior. Doomed and cursed, one can hear the screams of a scared soul till date.

Early this year, I decided to experiment & thus introduced a travel campaign, ‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’ on Life on Weekends (my travel blog). As part of this campaign, I choose the best of my own travel experiences from India & bring those to you one blogpost at a time. Think mountains, beaches, temples, palaces, forts & deserts…and much more! ♥️♥️ After all, India is called Incredible for a reason. 😇

Each month, I pick a new theme & bring you a host of select few travel experiences on that theme, based on my personal experiences. To access the previous five themes, click the following:

Theme 1: Seven tourist places in India that look like international destinations

Theme 2: Haunted places in India that turn touristy during the day

Theme 3: ‘From the land of Kanchenjunga & the Himalayas, mountain ranges of India’

Theme 4: Entering Tigers’ den & coming out alive: Tiger Reserves of India!

Theme 5: Introducing the Land of the Rising Sun in India – Arunachal Pradesh

Next week, we will talk about a certain place of worship whose strcuture laughs in the face of the law of gravity. 😀 This place is not only famous for challenging what we studied in the textbooks of Physics but also for sheer architectural brilliance.

Can you take a guess?

If not, stay tuned for the next storycoming up on Sunday, 8th October, 11:30 am IST.

Till then, be safe, stay happy & keep travelling!