Return to frontpage
  • ePaper
Return to frontpage
15
Return to frontpage
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • International
    • States
    • Cities
  • Opinion
    • Cartoon
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Interview
    • Lead
    • Readers' Editor
    • Comment
    • Open Page
    • Letters
  • Business
    • Agri-Business
    • Industry
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Budget 2022
    • Stock Quotes
  • Sport
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Hockey
    • Tennis
    • Athletics
    • Motorsport
    • Races
    • Other Sports
  • Entertainment
    • Art
    • Dance
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Reviews
    • Theatre
  • Crossword+
  • Science
  • Life & Style
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Motoring
    • Travel
    • Homes and gardens
    • Luxury
  • thREAD
  • Start Trial
  • SUBSCRIBE NOW
  • Log In
Return to frontpage
The sky is the limit for astro tourism
    Share On
  • Life & Style
  • Fashion
  • Fitness
  • Food
  • Motoring
  • Travel
  • Homes and gardens
  • Luxury
Congress chooses Channi | Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar
  • Life & Style
  • Travel
CLOSE THIS MENU
TRENDING TODAY
  • Chennai
  • Hyderabad
  • Bengaluru
  • Videos
  • Entertainment
  • Subscription
  • Latest News
  • Today's Paper
  • ePaper
  • Housing
  • Coupons
  • News
    • National
    • International
  • Coronavirus
    • Video & Podcast
    • All Reports
  • States
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Other States
  • Business
    • Agri-Business
    • Industry
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Budget 2022
  • Real Estate
  • Crossword+ "Free Games"
  • Cities
    • Bengaluru
    • Chennai
    • Coimbatore
    • Delhi
    • Hyderabad
    • Kochi
    • Kolkata
    • Mumbai
    • Kozhikode
    • Madurai
    • Mangaluru
    • Puducherry
    • Thiruvananthapuram
    • Tiruchirapalli
    • Vijayawada
    • Visakhapatnam
  • Elections
    • Goa
    • Manipur
    • Punjab
    • Uttar pradesh
    • Uttarakhand
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Lead
    • Comment
    • Columns
    • Interview
    • Cartoon
    • Open Page
    • Readers' Editor
    • Letters
  • Sport
    • Athletics
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • Hockey
    • Motorsport
    • Other Sports
    • Races
    • Tennis
  • Entertainment
    • Art
    • Dance
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Reviews
    • Theatre
  • Society
    • Faith
    • History & Culture
  • Books
    • Reviews
    • Authors
  • Children
  • Life & Style
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Motoring
    • Travel
    • Homes and gardens
    • Luxury
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Internet
  • Sci-Tech
    • Science
    • Technology
    • Health
    • Agriculture
    • Environment
  • Education
    • Careers
    • Colleges
    • Schools
  • Multimedia
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Podcast
  • Data
  • Specials
  • Resources
  • Tags
  • thREAD
  • Theatre - Fest
  • November Fest
  • Lit for Life
  • Tamil Nadu Smiling
  • Newsletter
  • Archive
  • Classifieds
  • eBooks
  • Subscribe
  • Social
  • About Us
  • CONNECT WITH US
CLOSE THIS MENU
Travel

The sky is the limit for astro tourism

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
January 26, 2022 01:16 IST
Updated: January 26, 2022 01:16 IST
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
January 26, 2022 01:16 IST
Updated: January 26, 2022 01:16 IST

Travel plans on hold again because of the pandemic? Look up, as astro tourism grows, inspiring star gazers and photographers

    Share Article
  • PRINT
  • AAA
Stargazing through the telescope at Astrostays, Ladakh

Stargazing through the telescope at Astrostays, Ladakh | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Travel plans on hold again because of the pandemic? Look up, as astro tourism grows, inspiring star gazers and photographers

In April 2022 the Phyang monastery in Ladakh will welcome stargazers. Monks here suggested promoting the site as an astro hub after visiting Astrostays, a homestay on the banks of Pangong Tso.

The homestay is an initiative of the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), which is facilitating solar energy projects in remote Himalayan villages. “The monastery felt that a stargazing experience from the Buddhist cosmology point of view would generate interest. We are working towards setting up an observatory at the monastery by March,” says Sonal Asgotraa, founder of Astrostays.

Astrostays was established in 2019 in Maan village in Ladakh and in a few months, nearly 350 visitors looked through their GoTo Dobsonian telescope to track stars, planets and constellations. Guides are locals who have been trained in astronomy and taught to use the telescope. The revenue generated from the astro tourism facility was pumped back into the community to build solar water heaters.

Also Read | All you need to know about astro tourism in India

A new observatory to come up at the Phyang monastery, Ladakh

A new observatory to come up at the Phyang monastery, Ladakh

With international travel getting tougher during the pandemic, more domestic travellers are discovering the joys of astronomy clubs, local campsites and accessible destinations with spectacular night views. Astro tourism enthusiasts plan ahead and travel to experience solar eclipses, meteor showers and other celestial events.

In 2020 and 2021, Chennai-based astronomer and astro-photographer Neeraj Ladia, CEO of Space Arcade, led sessions for astro-photographers and families that wanted to stargaze. They travelled to Yelagiri in groups of 20 to 30.

“The hilly areas away from the city have darker skies that are conducive for stargazing. Between the first and the second waves of COVID-19, we observed people showing interest in these short trips. The open space and small gatherings made it safer,” he points out. He also recommends Kodaikanal and Jawadhu hills for astronomy getaways. “There are a few secluded, darker spots while driving from Chennai to Pondicherry via ECR; these are also good for astro-photography.”

Join the astro party

At an astro session by Starscapes

At an astro session by Starscapes

In India, there are efforts to tap into the growing potential of astro tourism. Plans are afoot to turn Benital village, located around 2,600 metres above sea level in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, into an astro village. The Chamoli district administration and Gurgaon-based startup Starscapes conducted a two-day ‘astro party’ in Benital in December 2021, with about 50 visitors.

Also Read | Sachin Bahmba on astroports and astro-tourism

An astro park is in the works in Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, and in Jaipur, the State Department of Art and Culture introduced a Night Sky Tourism project after the first wave of COVID-19, to encourage visitors to look up through the telescopes set up at Jawahar Kala Kendra and Jantar Mantar. The Ladakh administration, in association with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, plans to promote astro tourism in Hanle village.

Meanwhile, Starscapes is expanding its footprint by setting up observatories in Jaipur, Coorg and Udhagamandalam, among other locations. Their journey began from an observatory in Kausani, the hill station in Uttarakhand located 1,890 metres above sea level, which is a hotspot for astro-photographers

Dark, clear skies

Local women in Ladakh operate the Astrostays facility in Maan

Local women in Ladakh operate the Astrostays facility in Maan

Technically speaking, all you need are cloud-free, dark skies without light pollution emerging from the cities.

Astro-photographers lead expeditions for photography enthusiasts, while the locals trained in astronomy do the honours in other cases. Sonal recalls being guided on a late evening trek by locals in Ladakh who knew their way merely by gazing up at the sky: The guides have the knowledge of traditional astronomy. With some training, we realised we could tap into the potential and help them earn additional income.”

Starscapes and Astrostays hope to tie up with hotel chains and eco tourism operators. In the event of overcast skies, there is always the backup plan of showcasing recorded videos or teaching astro-photography. Paul Savio, co-founder and CEO of Starscapes, says the potential of astro tourism in India holds promise: “The rise in disposable income has made people look for new avenues of experiential tourism.”

So far, Starscapes has had more than 40,000 look-ups (people who have purchased tickets and looked through their telescopes).

“This is still a small number for a large population like ours. But there are signs of growth,” says Savio. At stargazing events, stories from science and mythology merge to form narratives like the ones screened at planetariums. Only, the live narrative changes according to the patterns on the sky.

Stargazing in Jaipur

Stargazing in Jaipur

Starscapes is looking to tap into unexplored stargazing locations. “For instance, tourists in Goa can try stargazing in South Goa, where it is possible to view darker skies,” says Savio.

The start-up whets the appetite of new stargazers by organising watch parties in different cities with portable telescopes. Savio adds that stargazing can be driven with the enthusiasm of children and hence tie-ups with schools and universities will also help. In Chamoli and Jaipur, for instance, they hold fun practical sessions where students stargaze and also make pin-hole cameras.

Soak in a meteor shower

In Gujarat, Narendra Gor has been working with the Kutch Amateur Astronomers Club since 1991, and later as part of Stargazing India team. He recalls the enthusiasm when stargazing was included in the itinerary of Rann Utsav in 2008. “Since then, several families that have come for Rann Utsav have enjoyed the astro tourism experience. I’ve met people who travelled all the way from Mumbai and Bengaluru to track meteor showers.” Stargazing India is active also in Maharashtra, Odisha (during the Konark beach festival in winter) and Chhattisgarh.

Calling stargazers

    Ajay Talwar has been a stargazer since the mid 1980s and took to astrophotography in the 1990s. He talks about leading budding photographers on expeditions and singles out experiences in the Himalayas, with its dust-free dark skies. He also suggests visiting the northern states during winters. “In the South, often clear skies are restricted to December and January. In Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, there are many remote locations with no citylight pollution. Indore and Ujjain are also conducive for stargazing since they are on a plateau.”

    When the second wave of COVID-19 was on the decline, Gurgaon-based HR professional Sudha Reddy Patnaik and her friend Nupur Chakraborty, a marketing professional, headed to Kausani, not knowing what to expect. The hill station offered a few sightseeing experiences during the day. After dark, they visited the Starscapes observatory only to be disappointed due to the cloud cover. On day two, however, they eagerly peered through the telescopes and were awed by Jupiter and Saturn with its clearly visible rings, as well as the Andromeda galaxy. “The planets and stars moved as we gazed into the telescope,” says Nupur.

    The experience whetted her appetite for astro tourism. She rues having visited Ladakh in the past but not being familiar with stargazing possibilities.

    Her friend Sudha seconds that and says the next time around, she will take her friends and family along: “At Kausani, we were guided by an astronomy expert from the local community who was very enthusiastic. I never knew stargazing could be so much fun.”

    Return to frontpage
    Our code of editorial values

    Related Topics
    The Hindu MetroPlus
    travelogues
    tourism
    tourism and leisure
    eco-tourism
    astronomy
    photography
    lifestyle and leisure
    This article is closed for comments.
    Please Email the Editor

    Printable version | Feb 13, 2022 7:11:11 am | https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/astro-tourism-is-poised-to-grow-in-india-with-astro-villages-and-hubs-coming-up-in-ladakh-uttarakhand-and-madhya-pradesh/article38291601.ece

    © THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.

    Top Picks in The Hindu today
    All about differences The Hindu Science Quiz
    The future of commentary must work harder to get there
    U.K. 'no longer the laggard' of G-7 economies after upgrades
    Modi talks to Mangaluru girl who won PM Rashtreeya Bal Puraskar
    In pictures | A tumultuous journey
    Crime Branch collects Monson’s voice samples
    Vacate villages voluntarily: Collector
    Silverline project: Kerala Rail ropes in Indian Institute of Science, start-up for safety technology
    Tamil prisoners file Fundamental Rights petition at Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court
    69% of India’s adult population has got at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 25% both: Government
    TRENDING TODAY
    • Coronavirus
    • Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022
    • Housing
    11 | News in frames | Hungry nation
    11 | News in frames | Hungry nation
    5 | Crime Branch collects Monson’s voice samples
    4 | Retail inflation for industrial workers eases to 4.79% in August
    3 | Analysis | From Afghan withdrawal to AUKUS, a Biden doctrine takes shape
    3 | Watch | Vietnam's incense village
    1 | Drawings from India
    2 | Mustard seed sowing up 22%; wheat slightly down this rabi season, says Agriculture Ministry
    2 | 69% of India’s adult population has got at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 25% both: Government
    1 | Drawings from India
    1 | From atoms to animal science: The Hindu Science Quiz
    1 | A scheme before its time: On digital health mission
    1 | Horticulture Park in Madhavaram will get nursery, exotic plant species
    1 | Government exempts COVID-19 vaccine from customs duty till December 31
    1 | Brown Paperbag — August 11, 2019
    1 | From Asimov to anaerobes: The Hindu Science Quiz
    1 | New on Amazon Prime in February: ‘Mahaan,’ ‘Gehraiyaan’ and more
    • ePaper
    Return to frontpage
    TRENDING TODAY
    • News in frames | Hungry nation
    • Crime Branch collects Monson’s voice samples
    • Retail inflation for industrial workers eases to 4.79% in August
    • Analysis | From Afghan withdrawal to AUKUS, a Biden doctrine takes shape
    TRENDING TOPIC
    • Kerala
    • Australia
    Trending on our group sites
    Businessline
    • NSE
    • company law
    • Home
    • News
      • National
      • International
      • States
      • Cities
    • Coronavirus
      • Video & Podcast
      • All Reports
      • All Reports
      • E-BOOK
    • Opinion
      • Cartoon
      • Columns
      • Editorial
      • Interview
      • Lead
      • Readers' Editor
      • Comment
      • Open Page
      • Letters
    • Business
      • Agri-Business
      • Industry
      • Economy
      • Markets
      • Budget 2022
      • Stock Quotes
    • Sport
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Hockey
      • Tennis
      • Athletics
      • Motorsport
      • Races
      • Other Sports
    • Crossword+
    • Coupons
    • Entertainment
    • Life & Style
    • thREAD
    THE SITE
    • About Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contacts
    • Archive
    • Print Subscription
    • ePaper
    • Digital Subscription
    • Rss Feeds
    • Sitemap
    GROUP SITES
    • The Hindu
    • இந்து தமிழ் திசை
    • Business Line
    • BL on Campus
    • Sportstar
    • Frontline
    • The Hindu Centre
    • RoofandFloor
    • STEP
    • Young World Club
    • Publications
    • eBooks
    • Images
    • Classifieds
    Contact us Copyright© 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.
    JUST IN
    • Love notes from Vallée de Mai
    • Rannvijay’s wild learning curve
    • This scientist cycled more than a thousand kilometres to explore Kerala’s lighthouses
    • Stock up early for the Sunday lockdown, say the shrikes
    • Watch | Vietnam's incense village
    • Visakhapatnam man treks Everest Base Camp in record time
    • The sky is the limit for astro tourism
    • Notes from Mahesh Khan
    • Little known winter getaways around Visakhapatnam
    • Around the country on cycles in a year and a half
    • Children of Mizoram are now revelling in the page-turning Little Library initiative
    • Cycle around Puducherry and indulge in local flavours and culture
    • The heritage high, hype and hyperbole of Ramappa Temple
    • Sunshine in my rucksack
    • Notes from Petrozavodsk
    CLOSE