India has people of every faith and belief, shrines dedicated to monks and saints, and temples that have stood the test of time – because we are the spiritual hub of the world. At the same time, India is also known for its mythological mysterious. There are many places in India which has astonishing mystery connected to it. Here is a list of 13 Holy places in India, which has a mysterious background or factor that surrounds it. These places should be there on the bucket list of all adventure lovers.

Rang Mahal, Uttar Pradesh

Nidhi Van is a forest with the holy temple, Rang Mahal, located in the temple city of India- Vrindavan. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna.

In Rang Mahal, there is a deity of Lord Krishna decorated beautifully. The temple is shut after the evening prayer and various things such as saree, sweets, betel nuts are kept inside the temple. Every morning the priests see that sweets are partially eaten and the clothes have been used. No one is allowed on the premises of the temple after the sun sets down. Anyone who has tried to see what happens in the night either dies, go blind or become insane. The place remains mysterious till date.

Hazrat Qamar Ali Darvesh, Pune

The Dargah is located on the outskirts of Pune and 16 km from the main city of Mumbai. There is a particular stone that holds the mythological significance. The stone is believed to be blessed by the saint. The stone is weighed 90 kg and it is impossible to pick the stone except for one way. In order to pick this holy stone, a group of 11 men is required who can lift this stone with their index fingers while they call the name of the saint in unison. There is no other way to pick this stone up. A mystery which science couldn’t explain yet.

Mahendipur Balaji Temple, Rajasthan

In Dausa district of Rajasthan, thousands of devotees turn up at Mahendipur Balaji Temple to rid themselves of ghosts, demons and other evil spirits every day. The penance offered are in extreme ways. They pour boiling water on oneself, chain themselves to walls, and bang their heads against the walls. These things are done to rid a person of all things evil. This temple is also famed for being probably the only place in India where exorcisms by priests are still carried out.

It is said that once you leave the temple, you must not turn back to look at it. It is believed that evil spirits might take that as an invitation to inhabit your body!

Maa Kamakhya Devi Temple, Assam

Maa Kamakhya Devi Temple is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in the Indian subcontinents. The temple does not have a sculpture to worship. What it does have is the yoni or vagina of Devi Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva, covered with a red silk sari. Every year during monsoon, the goddess menstruates, and the temple is closed down for three days.

It is also when the Tantric fertility festival or Ambubachi Mela is celebrated here, until the fourth day when the temple reopens. It is said that the underground spring that flows in the sanctum of the temple turns red on these three days. Devotees are offered a piece of the red cloth used to cover the stone yoni during the days of menstruation as ‘prasad’.

Jwala Ji Temple, Himachal Pradesh

Jwala Ji temple is dedicated to Sati, wife of Lord Shiva. There is an eternal flame that is burning in the premises of the temple for 100 years without any source of fuel. It is believed that Sati killed herself after her father mistreated Shiva. After her death, Lord Vishnu divided her body into 51 pieces which fell on different parts of Earth. The tongue is believed to be falling into this place where Jwala Ji temple has been constructed. All the scientific organizations who researched about the source of this eternal flame have failed.

Devji Maharaj Mandir, Madhya Pradesh

During the full moon, every month devotees come to Devji Maharaj Mandir in Madhya Pradesh to rid themselves of ghosts, demons, and evil spirits. As penance, a common practice is lighting camphor tablets on bare palms to scare whatever evil spirit resides within to leave the body. Running around or being smacked by a broom are other options. But the weirdest tradition is the annual Bhoot Mela or ghost fair that is held on the temple grounds, to appease evil spirits.

Veerabhadra temple / Lepakshi Temple, Andra Pradesh

Veerabhadra temple (aka Lepakshi temple) is located in the Lipakshi district of Andra Pradesh. What catches hold of most of the visitors is the hanging pillar of the temple. There are 70 pillars in the temple. But there is this one pillar which lies hanging in the premises of temple which is the piece of wonder. To prove that, many people pass a piece of cloth through the bottom of the pillar. The mystery behind the hanging is an unsolved mystery till date!

Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple, Kerala

The earthly abode of Goddess Bhadrakali, the Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple witnesses a bizarre seven-day festival celebrated annually, the Bharani Festival. Men and women wearing red apparel and carrying swords swarm this temple, running around in a trance-like state. They hit their heads with the sword, blood pours freely, and they enter the temple by abusing and singing lewd songs about the Devi. Offerings are not made in the general fashion, instead, they are thrown at the statue of the goddess.

Venkateshwara Temple, Andhra Pradesh

The Venkateshwara temple is the abode of Lord Vishnu, a god that accepts human hair as a symbol of sacrifice. The temple, actually one of the most historical temples in India, has two huge halls lined by barbers, who are responsible for shaving the hair off more than 12,000 pilgrims every day, reaching nearly 75 tons of hair annually and earning more than 6.5 million USD. These are sold to Italian wig manufacturers and the Chinese who use extracts from the hair for food preservation. And thus, the temple has become one of the richest temples in the country.

Sugali Mata temple, Rajasthan

The deities inside Sugali Mata temple have a tilted neck and remains tilted no matter if you try to change the idol or reconstruct it. People have tried several times to change the deity with a perfect one, but even the perfect idol tilts its neck after some time. And, those who try to change the deity falls sick. Many believe the reason behind the tilted neck is that many freedom fighters used to visit this temple and once, this deity was shot by a Britisher giving it a reason to have tilted neck.

Stambheshwar Mahadev, Gujarat

Located close to Vadodara in Gujarat, the Stambheshwar Mahadev temple shares shores with the Arabian Sea and is believed that Lord Shiva resides in it. The only weird thing about this temple is that it can be visited only during hours of low tides. In hours of high tides, the temple is swallowed up completely by the sea, and it reappears hours later when the water descends.

Bullet Baba, Rajasthan

A man on his bullet died in an accident where current this temple resides. The next day, police took his body and bike away and kept the bike in the police station. Next day, the bike was found in the exact same spot where the person died. Next day, the bike was tied to a chain but still, it made its way to the spot. This kept repeating several times. Finally, the bike was permanently set there and a temple of Bullet Baba was created. The bikers and travelers pray at this temple for a safe journey.

Brahma Temple, Rajasthan

In the earlier times, many Hindu temples were destroyed. There is this Brahma temple which was tried many times to be destroyed, but survived the attacks and still stands. Here the homage is paid to Lord Brahma. The only weird thing about it is that it is the only temple of Lord Brahma in the world, despite him being part of the Holy Trinity of Gods in Hindu Mythology. Made of marbles, the inner walls of the temple are embedded with silver coins that bore the name of the donors and devotees.

So fight with your fear and try out one of these and let us know your experiences. If you have some more to add to this list, feel free to add it here.

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