India is a land with great tourism potential. It’s a land with dazzling beaches, dramatic temples, exotic rain forests, colossal mountains, eternal deserts, lively cities, and the Indian peninsula creates an ultimate allure for the travelers across the globe. Vivid and diverse in culture, heritage and language, India is bestowed with rich natural beauty that adds to its tranquility.
The picturesque hill stations, the pristine beaches, the unique and halcyon pilgrim destinations, the vast deserts, historical buildings to contemporary structures and from snow capped mountains to boat rides on the serene backwater yards; India is a land of endless opportunities for explorers who want to explore best of India.
If traditional destinations don’t fancy you enough, we have compiled a list of best of India travel offbeat destinations for you.

NORTH INDIA

Haughty mountains, plunging valleys, gushing rivers and jittery wildlife make for enough action to put the northern part of India on top of your priority list for offbeat places in India. While historical monuments, desert life and royalty add to the charm of Rajasthan, the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Himalayas segregate the country from Tibet and Central Asia.
North India also host amount of offbeat destinations for adventurous activities to add thrill to your life. Mountain biking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, skiing, trekking are few amongst the various activities you can undertake.
Here’s a short list of some of North India’s best off beat travel destinations:
 1. Roopkund Lake – The Mysterious lake of Skeleton:
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Image Source: Sanjeev Asher – Flickr
Roopkund Lake, better known as “Skeleton Lake,” is one of those dreadful secluded places, located in the most inhospitable regions of the Himalayan Mountains. This extremely frightening area of Himalayan Mountains is known for the hundreds of corpses between 300-600 skeletons, which date back to the 15th century AD.
What would have killed these people and why were so many of them on such a gruelling journey in the middle of nowhere? Did they die in ritualistic suicide or in an epidemic? According to the local folklore, the entourage earned the fury of the local deity, Latu. They were caught in a dreadful hailstorm and were thrown into the Roopkund Lake.

2.  Khajjiar – The Mini Switzerland of India:

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Image Credit: Ramnath Bhat – Flickr
Khajjiar, often called as India’s Switzerland, is a hill station in Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh. The hill station is picturesquely set in the midst of magnificent ‘Deodar’ forests. The clump of reeds and the green meadow add an exquisite charm to this place. A small plateau in its green turf of dense pine and Deodar forests along its fringes adds to the pastoral scenery.
This offbeat place in India has the rarest combination of three eco systems. The lakes, the pastures and the forests come together to make a visit to this place a unique experience. Hence, it is also popularly called theMini Switzerland of Himachal Pradesh.
[Discover more about unique experiences in Himachal]

 3. Experience the frosty Drass:

You may have heard about Markha Valley, but very few people know about Drass. Drass, a charming valley bustling on riverbanks, starts from the base of the Zoji La pass. It is often referred to as ‘The Gateway to Ladakh’ and is situated in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir. It has a wide-spread of extensive copse along the river. The valley is situated at an altitude of 10990 feet from sea level and the mountain ridges range from 16,000 to 21,000 feet.
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Image Source: ZeePack – Flickr
This offbeat destination  is famous as the “Second Coldest Colonized Place in Asia” by virtue of the sheer cold that cascades upon it along with the intense snowfalls during winters. The temperature can tumble as low as 60 degree Celsius below freezing point. However, during spring and summer, the valley becomes very picturesque as the hillsides turn into lush green pastures with variety of vivid and vibrant wild flowers.

4. Magnetic hill – The magical mountains of Ladakh:

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Image Source: Rohit Ganda – Flickr
Can you ever imagine a vehicle moving up a steep hill with the ignition off? Sounds astonishing? The Magnetic Hill is located near Leh in beautiful Ladakh, at a height of 11,000 feet above sea level and is known to possess strong magnetic properties which have the strength to pull cars up-hill.
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Image Source: Kiran SRK – Flickr
Magnetic hill is one of the famous offbeat destinations of India. In reality, it is just the optical illusion effect and there is no magnetic disturbance at all. This self-profound magnetic hillis one of the popular stops for domestic tourists to experience nature’s mysterious ways.
[Win A Free Trip To ladakh: Register Now]

5. Malana – The Little Greece of India:

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Source: Joachim Götz – Flickr
Malana is a tiny unique village with about 100 houses and is situated to the north-east of Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that one of the finest Charas or ” Malana Cream” is grown in this region. It is believed that Malana Cream is the most strongest and top-notch Charas till date.
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Image Source: hermesmarana – Flickr
This ancient solitary village in Malana is isolated from the rest of the world. The majestic peaks of Chandrakhani shadow the village and it is among the must visit offbeat places in India. They are considered to be one of the first democracies in the world and do not follow the Constitution of India. They follow an indigenous system and they believe they are independent and superior. Malana is also called as the “Little Greece in Himachal Pradesh” as the Malanis believe that they are the descendents of Alexander-The Great!

 6.  Paradise of Trekkers – Sandakphu:

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Image Source: Bappaditya Dasgupta – Flickr
Located at an altitude of 3,636 metres, Sandakphu is the highest peak located in Darjeeling district in the eastern part of India.The name Sandakphu means ‘Height of the Poison Plant’ because of the poisonous aconite plants that grow near the peak. The patronizing peak of the Singalila Range, Sandakphu is the most audacious point of many trekking routes in the Darjeeling-Sikkim region.
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Image Source: Nicolas Mirguet – Flickr
Sandakphu exemplifies the wild elemental splendour of the snows and the vista from the mountain peak is worth all the adversity endured on the way. It can be rightly called the “Paradise of Trekkers” as one can see four of world’s five highest peaks- Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Lhotse from this place.

7. The Spell-bound Spiti Valley

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Image Source: Animesh Singh – Flickr
Spiti Valley is located in Himachal Pradesh and is a paradise in itself! Situated at the altitude of 12,500 feet above sea level, it is surrounded with mountain ranges, high-altitude alpine lands, soaring peaks enveloped with snow and one of the oldest and most beautiful monasteries.
[Discover beautiful Spiti Valley with Spiti Safari tour]
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Image Source: Nikhil Mehta – Flickr
Spiti is the biggest district and shares the international boundary with Tibet.This place possesses the unique religion of Tibet – Tibetan Buddhism. Ki Monastery and Tabo Monastery, which are some of the oldest monasteries in the world and  favorites of the Dalai Lama, are located here in the Spiti Valley.
[Experience a thrilling trekking adventure to Kanamo Peak in Spiti Valley]

8. Believe it or not – Gravity Defying Palace:

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A man made wonder and a complete offbeat destination, the Gravity Defying Palace at Lucknow, capital of the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, is known for its mystifying palace complex. This marvelous creation of 18th-century by the monarch Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, is a blend of European and Arabic architecture. Bara Imambara’s superlative central arched hall is almost 50 meters long and about three stories high without any pillars or beams.
[ Visit the wonder of world Taj Mahal withGolden Triangle Tour]
The main hall was constructed exclusively with interlocking brick-work and is famous for its mysterious architecture of “Bhulbhulaiya- a dense maze”. This labyrinth is made of more than 1,000 narrow staircase passages meant to prevent any possible intruders. One can roam around the clandestine maze; preferably with an official guide. And alongside one can also explore the adjacent mosque and stunning gardens.
9. Serenity personified – The Phugtal Monastery:
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Image Source: Bob Witlox – Flickr
The Phuktal Monastery is a massive cave Monastery held high-up in the steep mountains. It is this demeanour which makes this Monastery unique amongst all others in the Zanskar Valley. The foundation of this monastery is primarily made of twigs and mud. It was found way back in the 12th century and is home to around 70 monks.
The frescoes and ceiling decorations of the monastery connects to the same era of Alchi Monastery and Tabo Monastery – one of the oldest monasteries. The most attractive aspect is the hollow in the rock in the cave over the monastery. The level of the water in this hollow never spills regardless of any amount of water being drawn from it and is believed to have healing powers!

10. Artistically adorable –Andretta:

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Image Source: Aleksandr Zykov – Flickr
Some places in the world are made for inspiration.Kangra Valley, in the amazing milieu of the mighty Dhauladhar, the Milky Mountains, has been always known to attract artists. The “Kangra School of Miniature Painting” being just one remarkable exemplar.
What Kangra was to art some 200 years ago; Andretta, a tiny village 14 km south of Palampur, is to artists in the present century. Andretta, with its Italianate sounding name, is a quiet and sleepy village known as a hodgepodge of culture. It nuzzles amongst the undulating plains of Kangra Valley, with a wide panorama of hoary mountains.
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Image Source: supercake – Flickr
Andretta has attracted artists of many hues and was brought to fame by Ms. Norah Richards, the famous writer and dramatist whose writings exhibited deep sensibility to life and people around her. Other attractions include the Andretta Pottery and Crafts society which portray miniature paintings and pottery. Students can also enroll here to learn the art of pottery making.


Contd...... Part II