India is a vast country with varied landscapes, cultures, and mysteries too! Being a religious country, it houses several religions and places of worshipping deities. With the majority of Hindu people in the country, there are thousands of temples in India.
With rich culture and traditions, people in India believe in stories that came from their ancestors. This can be experienced at certain places, particularly mysterious temples in India. If you want to know more about these temples, go through the following article. Here, are the top 20 mysterious temples in India that instantly grab attention.
1. Kamakhya Devi Temple (Guwahati, Assam)
Source: HANS INDIA
This temple is situated at Nilachal Hill in Assam, and Goddess Shakti is worshipped here in the form of a yoni or vagina. It is believed that the Goddess menstruates annually for 3-5 days when the temple is shut for devotees. During these days, the underground spring flowing in the sanctum of this temple turns red. There’s no scientific explanation for this religious event.
2. Mehandipur Balaji Temple (Dausa, Rajasthan)
Source: Navbharat Times
This mysterious temple is well-known for the exorcism practiced by priests. Thousands of devotees visit this place to free themselves or their relatives from negative spirits in any form. Due to its strange rituals, this isn’t just a common temple in India. Although this place can be quite a disturbing experience for some people, the evening aarti dedicated to Lord Hanuman on Tuesday is very pleasant and peaceful.
3. Meenakshi Amman Temple (Madurai, Tamil Nadu)
Source: Tour My India
Due to its historical and mythological importance, this temple is considered one of the most mysterious temples in India. This is where Lord Shiva turned into Sundareshwar to marry Goddess Meenakshi. This is the only place in India where you can find Lord Shiva with a smiling face. Despite being dedicated to both Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Meenakshi Amman is worshipped first by locals.
4. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
Source: EaseMyTrip
This temple is one of the richest and most mysterious temples in India. You cannot enter the temple without professing Hindu faith; hence, no other religious people can visit the temple. Also, devotees have a specific dress code to enter the temple. The mystery of the 7th chamber in this temple has no scientific answer or explanation yet.
5. Venkateshwara Temple (Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh)
Source: EaseMyTrip
This is another richest temple with an aura that cannot be explained in words. The entry procedure is mysterious for many people as they cannot enter the temple without submitting a declaration form of their faith in the deity. In this temple, devotees can hear sea waves crashing when carefully placing their ears on the backside of the deity’s image.
6. Lingaraja Temple (Bhubaneshwar, Odisha)
Source: Bhubaneshwar Tourism
The Shivalinga in this temple is supposed to be self-originated, and because of the optical illusion factor, this temple looks much larger than it is. When this temple was on the verge of completion, the presence of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu was felt since the Jagarnath cult started taking its shape. Isn’t this Swayambhu Shivalinga temple quite mysterious?
7. Veerabhadra Temple (Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh)
Source: The Hindu
This temple from the 16th century has 70 huge pillars, out of which one pillar dangles from the roof. There is a recognizable space for devotees to test it with a cloth. The reason why so many people visit this temple is the belief that passing a cloth under the floating pillar brings prosperity to their lives. Mysterious yet interesting, right?
8. Kailasa Temple (Ellora Caves, Maharashtra)
Source: Vedic Feed
This largest rock-cut Hindu temple from the 16th century is built on an amazingly carved mountain with intricate details. This three-story tall temple is a monolith which means this structure is built on a single rock. The intricate carvings in this temple make it mysterious since they are examples of refined craftsmanship.
9. Kaal Bhairav Nath Temple (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)
Source: LATESTLY
Have you ever heard about Prasad being offered in the form of alcohol? Yes, you read it right. In this temple of Kaal Bhairav Nath, devotees offer Prasad in the open mouth of the deity in the form of wine or whiskey. In almost all other temples across India, you might have seen stalls selling flowers and sweets as Prasad. However, here you’ll find wine and whiskey stalls before entering the temple.
10. Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple (Kavi Kamboi Village, Gujarat)
Source: Hindu Temples of India
Situated near Vadodara, this is another mysterious temple that appears and disappears throughout the day. Those who dare to venture into this temple get blessings from Lord Shiva since he is believed to reside here. You can only visit Stambheshwar temple during the hours of low tides. When there are high tides, the temple disappears in the sea and reappears when the water descends.
11. Ananthapadmanabha Lake Temple (Kasaragod, Kerala)
Source: Indian Express
This temple’s mystery will shock you if you consider crocodiles as the most ferocious meat-eating creature. This temple rests in the middle of the lake and is guarded by a vegan crocodile named Babia. The temple Prasad in the form of cooked rice and jaggery is the food for Babia. The crocodile hasn’t ever harmed any of the devotees or the several fishes in the lake.
12. Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple (Kodungallur, Kerala)
Source: Kerala Tourism
This temple is known for the Bharani festival conducted annually in March-April. The biggest mystery in this temple is devotees enter the temple chanting abusive words to the goddess. The story doesn’t end here; they carry swords in their hands and hit themselves in the head with them. Once this festival ends, the temple remains shut to clean bloodstains.
13. Devji Maharaj Temple (Malajpur, Madhya Pradesh)
Source: Indianness
This mysterious temple is famous for “bhoot mela,” or ghost fairs conducted annually. This is considered one of the unsolvable mysteries in India. Also, devotees come to this temple every month during the full moon to rid themselves of demons, ghosts, and evil spirits. Some strange practices are being followed as penance.
14. Nidhivan Temple (Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh)
Source: Shri Mathura Ji
Dedicated to Lord Krishna, this temple is among India’s most mysterious temples. It is located in a dense forest where trees are intertwined with each other. Despite being in the dry region, these trees flourish with green leaves throughout the year. People believe Lord Krishna arrives at the temple after sunset to do raasleela.
15. Jagannath Temple (Puri, Odisha)
Source: Telegraph India
Along with its tremendous spiritual significance, Jagannath Temple is also known for several mysterious facts. The flag mounted on the temple flies in precisely the opposite direction of the wind. This is the only place where the evening breeze comes from the sea, whereas the morning breeze comes from land. Birds don’t hover over this temple. Truly a miracle, right?
16. Bullet Baba’s Temple (Pali, Rajasthan)
Source: The Divine India
Even if it’s weird, India has this temple where no god but a bullet bike is worshipped. This mysterious temple is dedicated to Om Singh Rathore, who died in an accident riding that bike. This bike mysteriously traveled to the spot of the accident from police custody for several days. Later, the local people built this temple around the bike.
17. Karni Mata Temple (Deshnoke, Rajasthan)
Source: Webdunia
This mysterious temple is home to over 20,000 rats, and no visitor is allowed to kill, hurt, or scare them. Also known as ‘kabbas,’ these rats are considered auspicious and protected. People here believe these rats are reincarnated relatives of the deity; particularly, the white mice are her sons.
18. Shani Shingnapur Temple (Shingnapur, Maharashtra)
Source: Herzindagi
Dedicated to Lord Shani, this whole village is full of door-deprived houses and commercial buildings. It is believed that Lord Shani protects their houses and wealth. People also believe that the near-zero crime rate is due to His Blessings.
19. Jwala Ji Temple (Kangra, Himachal Pradesh)
Source: TV9 Bharatvarsh
The central pit of the hollowed stone in this temple holds a flame that has been endlessly burning for over 100 years. Some scientists say that this flame has a supply of natural gases such as methane under its surface.
20. Balaji Temple (Chilkur, Hyderabad)
Source: Holidify
If you are expecting a U.S. visa but have failed several times, visit Lord Balaji in Chilkur. He’ll grant you one. Be it the poor or the elite, people come here and bow before the visa god and beg for a visa. The mystery here is that all of them end up getting a visa.
These mysterious temples in India must have boosted your curiosity to its peak. Many of you might have already started planning a trip to one or more of these religious places. You can share your experiences with us and visit Deshpee India for more informative posts about India.
