[imagesource:wikicommons]

The Taj Mahal and spicy curry aren’t the only things that will blow your mind in India.

The Well of Death, called “maut ka kuan” in Hindi, is a terrifying show where drivers prove their courage and lack of sanity to ride their bikes and cars inside a giant wooden barrel-like structure.

The drivers are all professional and the ‘sport’ has been going for years. More recently there are only a few remaining participants as a younger generation seems reluctant to risk their lives in the spin-cycle version of racing.

The Well of Death, also known as motordrome or velodrome, began as a carnival sideshow. Like most insane stunts, the stunt started in the United States in the early 1900s, with the very first carnival motordrome appearing at Coney Island amusement park (New York) in 1911.

Initially, only motorcycles took part in the gravity-defying trick, but soon stuntmen introduced cars into the mix for an extra little bit of craziness.

Spectators view the action from the top, or rim, of the silo looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the centre, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough speed to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction.

It is as scary as it sounds, take a look:

[source:bbc]