12 Lesser-Known Facts of India That Would Surprise You

India is an ancient land with an interesting history of the human race, age-old traditions, and legends cherished by people living in far-flung areas of the land. You have been adequately briefed about the well-known landmarks and facts of India but for a change, you should direct your attention to interesting lesser-known facts and places of India that will without a doubt give you a memorable and lifetime experience. Given below are a few such facts to get you moving.

Amazingly The Wettest Inhabited Place Of The World Is Right In India

Young and old, all love to frolic in the first shower of rain, especially after a hot spell. Imagine you are in a place that receives the highest recorded average rainfall in the world. Yes, we have such an amazing place in India in the state of Meghalaya. Mawynram, a village in Khasi hills is known to be the wettest inhabited place on our planet earth. 

A Holy City In India 5000 Years Old

Banaras or Varanasi situated on the banks of the river Ganges is at least 3000 years and is among one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, a fact very few people know. As per Hindu Mythology, the city was founded some 5000 years ago by Lord Shiva. 

A Temple Of Rats In India

Rats and rats everywhere rats. It is an interesting fact to note that the Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan, is home to thousands of rats. The rats in the temple are considered by pilgrims to be their ancestors and are worshipped along with the deity of the Temple. The rats of the temple make it a strange attraction and one of the most unknown facts about India.

The Hills In India That Defy Gravity

You will be amazed to hear about an unusual activity related to a road stretch near Tulsi Shyam in the Amreli district of Gujrat. If you keep your car in neutral/free gear on this stretch of the road, the car starts rolling uphill by itself defying normal gravitational logic. It is really scary for people not familiar with the special gravitational pull of the area. A similar magnetic hill with an anti-gravitational effect is also found in Ladakh. This strange phenomenon leaves a lot of people in awe. 

World’s Only Floating Post Office Located In India

Another interesting fact about India that is known to a few is that it has the largest network of Post offices and it’s the only country to have a Floating Post Office in the world. The Floating post office is situated on Dal Lake in Srinagar perched on a houseboat.

World’s Highest Rail Bridge Located In India

Among the little-known facts of India, the highest rail bridge is one of them. Constructed over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir the bridge is arch-shaped and stands at a height of 11178 feet, about 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower of France.

A Village In India Where Houses Have No Doors

The people of Shani Shingnapur a village in Maharashtra have a very unconventional way of living, making it worthy to be added to the list of interesting facts of India.  They live in houses without doors and locks.  They that Lord Shani is the guardian of the village and under his protection, they do not feel the need for doors and locks for their establishments. This legend is some 300 hundred years old and it attracts thousands of devotees to the village each day. 

First Rocket Launched In India Transported By Bicycle

The first-ever Rocket launched by India was transported to the Launchpad on a humble bicycle. ISRO in the year 1963 launched the rocket from a church in Thumba, on the outskirts of modern-day Trivandrum and the rocket head was carried on a bicycle. What a humble yet impressive beginning. 

Most Visited Place In The World Located In India

An amazing fact about India is it has a place awarded by the World Book of Records as the most visited place. Yes, The Golden Temple of Amritsar with one lakh devotees flocking to the shrine every single day is stated as the most visited place in the world. Every day, the Temple serves free simple vegetarian meals, often to over fifty thousand people/visitors. The interesting fact is that almost all the ingredients are donated.

India’s Untouched Places On Earth

One of the little-known facts about India is that it has places that have been kept untouched by visitors from the outside world. North Sentinel Island of the Andaman Islands is such a place that has been kept out of reach of any visitors by the Government of India. No one is allowed to go within three miles of the Island. The Island is home to the Sentinelese, an indigenous people in voluntary isolation from the outside world. The indigenous people have defended their isolation often by force and made it very clear that they do not want to be disturbed. It is now considered as one of the last places untouched by the outside world.

Origin Of Snake and Ladders Game

Most of us have once enjoyed the Snake and Ladders games with our friends and family members. But did you know that this game was invented in India?  This game played across the world has its roots in India. What is interesting is that it was first created to teach morals and lessons about karma in a way the young mind would understand.

First Country In The World To Mine Diamonds

India was the first country to mine diamonds. India from as early as the 4th century BC for around 1000 years was the only source of diamonds in the world. The diamonds were mainly found in the Krishna River Delta.  It was only in the 18th century that diamond deposits were discovered in other parts of the world.

India is an ancient land filled with interesting facts to be explored. The above are a few of the facts that many of us probably not aware of. It is fascinating to delve into the history and geography of the length and breadth of our country to more interesting facts.

Also Read: Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About India’s 7 Sister States