The Interesting Villages of India

Don't be surprised if you visit the village Bhadrapura, ask for coffee and get to meet a man claiming to be the coffee you're looking for. The nomadic tribe 'Hakki-Pakki' in Bhadrapura names children after everyday things here. If you thought this was unusual, you need to visit 'The Twin Village' Kodinhi. Boasting of 220 sets of twins, the oldest pair of twins in this village was born way back in 1949.

India has numerous villages across its length and breadth. Quite a few of these villages have interesting stories to tell you. There's a spooky village called Kuldhara where it is believed no one survives beyond a fortnight. Have you heard of Snapdeal.com Nagar? No, the village doesn't sell any of the products on the popular e-commerce website. Shiv Nagar changed its name to Snapdeal.com Nagar to thank the website for giving them a luxury - water!

There are many such strange stories from across villages in India. Have you heard of these?

The Twin Village: Kodinhi in Malappuram, Kerala has got doctors baffled with a set of 220 twins! The unusually large number of multiple births in this village lead to the world’s first association of twins in the country called ‘The Twins and Kins Association’. The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown. It has also been reported that women from Kodinhi married off to far away villages have also given birth to twins! The oldest known pair of twins in this village was born in 1949.

Bhadrapura: If you visit Bhadrapura village and ask for coffee, you won't get a drink. If you ask them if they know English, the entire village will say yes. The village also boasts of a High Court! Coffee, English, High Court, Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor are names of persons in this village, located on the outskirts of Bangalore. You also have a Congress and Janata! The village of Bhadrapura is full of people with unusual English names. The nomadic tribe ‘Hakki-Pakki’ names their children based on real English words. The villagers get their inspiration from daily life - from objects around them, the places they are currently visiting, film actors, food they like etc.
Picture Courtesy: Quora

Snapdeal.com Nagar: Residents of a remote village in northern India have few connections to the outside world. They live in mud dwellings with thatched roofs. Electricity is available just two hours a day. And a computer -- well, what's that? Yet, Shiv Nagar has become SnapDeal.com Nagar, after the e-commerce website. The residents, none of whom own designer watches, eat at restaurants or use computers, wanted to thank SnapDeal for giving them something that they consider a luxury -- water. The Indian e-commerce company installed 15 hand pumps, so villagers no longer have to walk for miles to quench their thirst. There was no source of potable water.

Shani Shingnapur: The Shani Shingnapur village in Maharashtra places its trust in God like no other. The entrance to the houses in this village has no doors. It is said that ‘Shanidev’ the lord of justice protects this village and no one dares to break in to any of the houses here. The houses only have windows and curtains attached to the door frames.

Barwan Kala: The remote village of Barwaan Kala, west of Bihar in the heart of the Kaimur Hills in India, is the home of some 121 bachelors between the ages of 16 and 80. Since the village is so remote and there are no decent roads to allow outsiders to travel to and from the village, it has become known locally as the “Village of Unmarried People”. The townsfolk have longed dreamed that they would be able to have a road developed so that they could finally attract women from local villages to come and visit them. Unfortunately, the area is within a zone that protects wild life and where guidelines for construction projects are strictly enforced.

Shetpal: In Sholapur district of Maharastra, there is a village called Shetpal where each house has a resting place for live COBRAS in the rafters of their ceilings. There is a temple with a copper image of a seven-hooded cobra over a Shiva idol. In spite of a live cobra moving about the house daily, there has been no case of a cobra bite in that village till date.

Deshnoke: Deshnoke, a tiny village in the Rajasthan desert boasts a strange temple dedicated to the glory and the protection of rats. Thousands of them crown the ornate white marble and silver temple of the Goddess Karni Devi. Temple devotees take care not to injure them, believing that they house the lives of their ancestors, and feed them a sumptuous meal daily.

Kokrebellur: Kokrebellur, a small village in Maddur taluk of Karnataka, offers you an unusual and mesmerizing sight as you’ll find some of India’s rarest species of birds chirping in the backyards of these village homes. The villagers here adopt and nurture rare birds even if they harm the crops. The village is named after the “Painted Storks” which are called “Kokkare” in Kannada. Apart from Painted Storks, spot-billed Pelicans are also found here. Both of them are included in “near threatened category” in the IUCN Red List of 2009. In addition to these, breeds like Little Cormorant, Black Ibis, Grey Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron and the Indian Pond Heron are also also spotted. The villagers treat these birds as a part of their family and have also created a small area for wounded birds to rest.

Kuldhara: Kuldhara is a spooky village in Rajasthan where it is believed no one survives overnight! The first sight of Kuldhara village reveals it may have been inhabited once. A well planned settlement, the straight and wide streets ran in grids with houses opening into them. All design elements kept both aesthetics and utility in mind. A garage opened into the streets to park carts in. Temples, step wells and other structures were all signs of sound development over the centuries! The village has remained uninhabited after it was believed it isn’t safe for anyone past sunset.

Jatinga: Jatinga, a village on a ridge, is located in Dima Hasao District, Assam State in India. It is most famous for the phenomenon of birds “committing suicide”. Although the birds do not commit suicide and are actually killed, the phenomenon of suicide has spread far and wide among common people. It is believed weather conditions make changes in the magnetic qualities of the underground water in this area. These changes disturb the physiological rhythm of the local birds and they start behaving abnormally towards the sources of light. The most widely accepted reason for mass suicides of birds here is that the birds in distress, mostly juvenile and local migrants fly towards the lights to find refuge. On the way, they collide with bamboo poles, trees or such other sources and are either killed or injured seriously which contributes to their death.