EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED

AT INDIA’S FIRST ASTRO-VILLAGE IN BENITAL, CHAMOLI, NESTLED IN THE MIGHTY SHIWALIKS, RARE METEORS AND STAR SIGHTINGS WILL BE ALL THE EXCITEMENT YOU NEED

- ARMAN KHAN

High-range telescopes, guitars, bonfires, sightings of the deep sky and luminous alpine meadows, which locals call bugyals—India’s first-ever astronomical village, Benital, in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is a palimpsest of your childhood dreams stretched across blue nights.

After local authorities zeroed in on this village to curate a stargazing experience for proper enthusiasts in early 2021, astronomy outfit Starscapes Experiences, founded by Ramashish Ray and Paul Savio, eventually came aboard to develop Benital as India’s first astro-village.

“The choice of Benital is apt because it ranks very low in terms of light pollution,” says Ramashish Ray, founder and product head, Starscapes Experiences. “During the recce, we also realised that it is one of the rare bugyals that is easily accessible by road.”

Alongside a team of seasoned astronomers and trekkers, equipped with solar lights and the most advanced telescopes—the inauguration event for the astro-village at a chilly two degrees is a spirited ode to humanity’s perpetual childlike curiosity to see the past and present coalescing in the mysterious skies.

TOUCH THE SKY