Astro Tourism in India – Nakshatra Sabha 2024

With increasing interest in tourism across the world, tourism trends are also changing. One of these new trends is Astro Tourism in India, in which tourists can look at the shining stars in the sky while lying in the lap of the mountains, away from the noise of the city.

Astronomical tourism ‘Nakshatra Sabha’ will start in Uttarakhand in June. Nachhatra Sabha promises a complete astronomical experience in Uttarakhand with activities like stargazing, unique solar viewing, astronomical photography competitions, and camping under the stars in the dark sky.
The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board has partnered with star tourism company Starscapes to launch ‘Nakshatra Saba’ – India’s first annual campaign dedicated solely to promoting star tourism.

The Nachhatra Sabha will begin at George Everest in Missouri in early June and continue till mid-2025, with a wide range of programs at different locations in Uttarakhand.

Apart from seminars and webinars with experts, potential black sky locations in Uttarkashi, Pathurgarh, Nainital and Chamoli districts will be covered. Nakshatra Saba promises a complete astronomical experience with stargazing, special sunsets, astrophotography contests, camping under the stars and much more.
With the goal of strengthening the local economy, the campaign provides residents with job training and skill development opportunities.

“Uttrakhand has great potential to become the destination of choice for all things related to astronomy travel,” said the Tourism Minister, Uttarakhand government. This is India’s first astronomy tour and we would like to invite visitors from all over the world to experience the magic of the universe and glimpse the unique heritage of Uttarakhand.
“Over the past few years we have organized several astronomy camps in association with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board,” said Ramesh Roy, founder of Starscapes. We have responded to each of our previous events and the response to the events has been great and that’s when we decided to make the annual astronomy campaign even bigger.”

The campaign will strengthen a group of ambassadors in Uttarakhand who are engaged in dark sky conservation efforts by advocating for dark sky conservation. This includes establishing and implementing a year-round dark sky policy.

The main attractions of the Nakshatra Sabha include stargazing with special instruments, expert lectures on astrological tourism, an astrophotography competition and special solar observations in line with the high activity of the Sun and the active Aditya Mission.

With its unique geographical features and low light pollution, Uttarakhand is poised to become a major tourist destination in India.

Benital, situated at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level in Chamoli district, is busy preparing to welcome tourists these days. A three-day ‘Astro Party’ is being organized here, in which programs like star gazing, astrophotography, solar observation, astronomy tambola, rocketry making, and constellation darshan are being organized. For this, astronomers from Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are coming with state-of-the-art machines, that will share their experiences with the tourists.

Also, this event will provide a unique opportunity for tourists inclined toward astronomy to admire the beauty of the night sky. Ramashish Ray, Founder, of Starscapes, who is organizing the Astro Party, says, that after the success of Astro Party last year, this time we have included many new experiences in Astro Tourism in India. Minimal human activities and low light pollution make Benital an ideal location for a ‘Dark Sky Park’, says Ramashish. It will give the tourists a wonderful experience of the magic of the night sky.

What is Astro Tourism in India?

• Astro tourism is a new trend in tourism, which is based on astronomy.
• Through this, tourists are made to see celestial objects and stars.
• For this, a place is found in a remote area where there is very little light pollution so that the sky is clear at night.
• Besides, its objective is also to arouse interest in astronomy among the youth.

How to reach there?

• One can reach Benital by covering a distance of 27 km on the Simli-Benital motor road located on the Karnaprayag-Ranikhet highway.
• The velvety bugyal (grasslands) spread far and wide here adds to the beauty of nature.
• There is also a pond located in Benital, which is just a 100-meter walk from the road.
• However, this pond dries up during the summer season.

Taste local cuisine in a homestay

Keeping in view the tourism potential in Benital, homestays have been opened in the roadside villages of Bangaon, Airwadi, Ratura, Simtoli, Chulakot, and Mathkot. Here you can taste the best local cuisine and get acquainted with the mountain lifestyle and culture. Apart from this, homestay and hotel facilities are also available in Karnaprayag. If you want, you can pitch your tent and spend the night in Benital also.

This is the second program being organized at Astro Village Benital by the District Administration Chamoli under the auspices of the Tourism Department to show the captivating and mysterious scenes of astronomical events very closely. Last year also Astro Party was also organized. Astronomy lovers from different states across the country are participating in the program. After this, there will be a training program for the youth to provide information about astronomical events through instruments. This is the first Astrovillage in North India.