DEBOLINA ROY
The Tamil Nadu Government has established the very first Dark Sky Park in Tamil Nadu, in the Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest at Kolli Hills, to maintain pristine night skies as well as promote astronomy and responsible tourism. Visitors will be able to view the stars, planets, and the Milky Way from a site with minimal amounts of light pollution.
When sky-watchers think of where to go for some great solar and nocturnal viewing, they often think of Ladakh with its unspoiled beauty and excellent visibility. Recently, though, those interested in astronomy now have another option in India to experience these as well. The first Dark Sky Park in Tamil Nadu is located in the beautiful Kolli Hills, which are part of the Eastern Ghats. The Kolli Hills are situated at approximately 1,000 - 1,300 metres above sea level in the Namakkal district.
Kolli Hills is well known for their winding ghat roads, lush forests and wonderfully scenic landscapes. With the new park, the new thing to do in this area is to go stargazing, practice astronomy and seek out and enjoy these sights. The announcement to create a Dark Sky Park was made in the Legislative Assembly on 25 June 2024. The location was chosen after careful consideration of ecological conditions and visibility of the night sky in the Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest area.
The park was built with a budget of Rs. 1 crore and was inaugurated by the Forest Minister in Tamil Nadu, Mr R S Rajajaganathan.The project aims to create areas with little or no artificial light at night and thus preserve the natural night-time landscape.
In the park, there are three state-of-the-art telescopes that can be used for skywatching programs. Visitors can participate in these events through a guided experience and clearly observe such items in the sky as stars, planets, and Milky Way galaxy clusters. Additionally, to help reduce its environmental impact, the facility also has solar panels that provide electricity for all the equipment used at the site.
The state government have created a series of ongoing programs for stargazing, during the day and night. The aim of this program will be to promote science literacy and create greater astronomical awareness to the general public, especially with students and young people.
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