Uttarakhand’s Nakshatra Sabha puts dark sky tourism on India’s celestial map

In a landmark initiative by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board in partnership with Starscapes, Nakshatra Sabha brought India’s pristine night skies to the center of tourism. Over the past year, this celestial campaign drew astrophiles across the length and breadth of India, including some from as far as Norway, France, the USA, the Middle East, tourists, schoolchildren, scientists, influencers, and even locals who had never seen Saturn’s rings or the craters on the Moon before. The result? A groundswell of interest in stargazing, citizen science, and rural discovery, all rolled into a dynamic, inclusive tourism experience. Nakshatra Sabha 1 Spanning seven picturesque locations: Mussoorie, Jageshwar, Takula (Nainital), Kartikswamy (Rudraprayag), Benital (Chamoli), Corbett, and Pithoragarh, Nakshatra Sabha offered immersive experiences through telescope viewings, mythological sky tours, astrophotography workshops, and solar observations. Participants ranged from curious villagers to international astrophiles, influencers, students, and scientists. Strazgazing Nakshatra “I saw Jupiter’s moons with my own eyes. I never thought something like this would happen in our little village,” said Rohit Arya, a participant at the Mussoorie Nakshatra Sabha.