57-645: The Indian Astronomical Observatory ( IAO ) is a high-altitude astronomy station located in Hanle , India and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics . Situated in the Western Himalayas at an elevation of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft), the IAO is one of the world's highest located sites for optical , infrared and gamma-ray telescopes . It is currently the tenth-highest optical telescope in
114-599: A day or two at Hanle (at 4500 m elevation) or Leh. There are many astrotourism locations in India ranging from Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand , South India to Andaman Nicobar Islands . Among these, Uttarakhand has the highest number of public and private night sky observatories, such as Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Devasthal in Nainital district . The Uttrakhand government
171-453: A dedicated satellite link. The Himalayan Chandra Telescope is a 2.01-metre (79 in) optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar . It contains a modified Ritchey-Chretien system with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand low temperatures it experiences. The telescope was manufactured by Electo-Optical System Technologies Inc. at Tucson, Arizona, USA. The telescope
228-408: A monsoon-influenced climate. The summer season from April to mid-June is moderately warm with occasional thunderstorms, whilst the monsoon season from mid-June to mid-September is humid with heavy showers almost daily. This gives way to a warm and sunny autumn season. The winter season brings pleasant afternoons, very cold mornings, and spells of frontal rain accompanied by sparse snowfall. Pithoragarh
285-465: A period of cultural resurgence. Archeological surveys point towards the development of culture and art forms in this period. A Branch of Indian National Congress was established in the region in 1912, and in 1916, many people from Pithoragarh attended the Lucknow session of Congress. The Non-cooperation movement was started in the region in 1921 and in 1930, 10 people from Pithoragarh participated in
342-473: A tree on the sacred ground of the village. Strips of white cloth are tied to the tree and a flag is raised. Hilljatra is a pastoralists' and agriculturalists' festival, which is celebrated in some parts of Pithoragarh districts. The aathon (eight day of bhado) and Gawra Visarjan became part of Hilljatra during the development process. The festival, which originated in West Nepal's Sorar (Mahakali) region,
399-560: A war, which lasted for 12 years, and ended with a victory for the Chands. After the death of Bharti Chand in 1462, Nagmalla, the king of Doti attacked his son, Ratna Chand who was successful in defending himself. Nagmalla was killed in the war and the Bams became feudatories of the Chands. The pargana of Saur came under direct control of the Kingdom of Kumaon in the sixteenth century during
456-589: A winding mountain road that passes through the Photi La pass. The valley is home to approximately two thousand people, of whom about 300 people are living in Hanle village. Hanle is mentioned by name in the settlement document of the kingdom of Maryul in c. 930 AD , as forming one of its frontiers: " Wam-le (Hanle), to the top of the pass of the Yi-mig rock (Imis pass)". To the west of this frontier were
513-656: Is also setting up observatories at Abbott Mount in Champawat district , Pithoragarh , Kausani , Jadhang (or Jadung, under the Vibrant Villages programme ), and Takula (in Nainital). In Uttarakhand, a startup named Starscapes also has private astrotourism observatories at Bhimtal , Kausani , and astrovillage Benital in Chamoli district . There are more than 100 planetariums in India . Nehru Planetarium
570-560: Is an urban town with a Nagar Palika Parishad or Municipal Council spread over an area of 9 square km. It is divided into 20 wards for the sake of administration. It is also part of the Almora Lok Sabha Constituency , thus has BJP MP Ajay Tamta representing the city and is a part of the Pithoragarh Vidhan Sabha constituency, represented by INC's Mayukh Mahar . Pithoragarh town, before
627-541: Is based in five locations at Mumbai , New Delhi , Pune , Bangalore , and Prayagraj . The Kalpana Chawla Planetarium is in Jyotisar , Kurukshetra , Haryana . In 2023, India had more than 15 private observatories for astrotourism that came up in the last five years, many of which have their observatories in multiple locations. Astrostays , a startup, organises astrotourism trips to Pangong in Ladakh. In Karnataka ,
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#1732790107764684-626: Is being constructed by the BRO under Indo-China Border Roads (ICBR) scheme. "Hanle-Zursar-Imis La Road" (HZI Road) was completed by December 2023. Pithoragarh Pithoragarh ( Kumaoni : Pithor'garh ) is a Himalayan town with a Municipal corporation in Pithoragarh district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand . It is the largest hill town in Kumaon Division . "The district
741-545: Is categorised as an excellent dark astronomical site with Bortle colour key "Black". The dark sky is important for the conservation of nocturnal animals and ecology. To minimize light pollution and to ensure dark skies, Hanle preserve has many restrictions such as lights being indoors only in certain places, mandatory light-blocking curtains on windows and doors, street light colors limited to yellow, no high-beam headlights on vehicles, no vehicle movements at night, and more. To avoid altitude sickness , tourists must acclimatize for
798-516: Is connected to the rest of Uttarakhand by all-weather motorable roads. The total road length in Pithoragarh is 80 km. Haldwani and Tanakpur are two entry points for entering Pithoragarh by road. Both are connected by railway services, the nearest railway stations being Tanakpur (151 km) and Kathgodam (212 km). Regular state bus transport services along with private taxi services are available at both places. Buses, which are
855-494: Is deemed to be excellent for visible, infrared and submillimeter observations throughout the year. Specifically the observation conditions yield about 255 spectroscopic nights per year, approximately 190 photometric nights per year and an annual rain-plus-snow precipitation of less than 10 cm. In addition, there are low ambient temperatures, low humidity, low concentration of atmospheric aerosols, low atmospheric water vapour, dark nights, and low pollution. The preserve extends to
912-641: Is home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory. The location of the village and the observatory are highly sensitive due to the close proximity of the Tibetan / Chinese border. India set up the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, a 2m gamma ray telescope at Hanle. The Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE), which is under construction in Hanle, will be the world's highest Cerenkov telescope and
969-671: Is in the valley of the Hanle River, which originates near the Imis La pass [5.290m or 17,355 ft high saddle , south of Ukdungle Indian Military base, Zarsar & Tradole peak] on the India-Tibet border and joins the Indus river near Nowi and Loma north of Hanle village, close to the town of Nyoma . A road running through the Hanle valley from Loma is the quickest way to reach Hanle from Chushul and Pangong Tso side. In 2012,
1026-463: Is linked to ropai (paddy planting) and other rainy-season agricultural and pastoral labours (Hill = mud, Jatra = Jaat). It has also been linked to the Champawat ruler's victory. The small town was extensively described in a novel by American author Bradley Swift, From Pithoragarh to Pittsburg . Major parts of the Bollywood film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar have been shot in the city. Pithoragarh
1083-529: Is mounted with 3 science instruments called the Himalaya Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR imager, and the optical CCD imager. The telescope is remotely operated via an INSAT-3B satellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter. The GROWTH-India telescope is a 0.7-meter wide-field optical telescope that had first light in 2018. It is the country's first fully robotic research telescope. It
1140-615: Is named after its headquarters town, Pithoragarh. Tradition has it that during the reign of the Chand Rajas of Kumaon , one Piru, also called Prithvi Gosain, built a fort here and named it Prithvigarh which, in the course of time, got changed to Pithoragarh." Pithoragarh city and its surrounding areas were part of the Manaskhand region, which extended from the Kailash Mountain in the north to Bhabar & Terai in
1197-633: Is no nationwide plan to systematically develop more dark sky areas with the mandatory lighting restrictions. The Observatory has several active telescopes. These are the 2.01-meter optical-infrared Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), the GROWTH-India telescope, a Cassegrain telescope, and a High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR). The HCT is remotely operated from Bangalore from the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) using
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#17327901077641254-500: Is not connected by any direct train services ; however, it is well connected by road, and it also has an airport. The National Highway 9 passes through Pithoragarh. Landslides and cloudbursts , caused by heavy rains that fall during the summer monsoon, often interrupt transportation networks. The Pithoragarh Airport , also known as the Naini Saini Airport, is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of
1311-637: Is situated in the centre of the western half of the Saur Valley . The valley is spread across around 50 square kilometers. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards , on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone V . It lies in the Moderate damage risk (B) area in Wind & Cyclone Zone and is declared a No Flood Zone. Pithoragarh has
1368-688: Is the only department in northern India with this unique facility. Since 2011, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has collaborated with the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences of Washington University in St. Louis to operate two 0.5-meter Cassegrain telescopes to monitor active galactic nuclei . One of the observatories is established in Hanle. The facilities, 180 degrees apart in longitude , are together to be called
1425-535: Is the site of the 17th-century Hanle Monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism . Hanle is located in the Hanle River valley on an old branch of the ancient Ladakh – Tibet trade route. Hanle is the home of Hanle observatory (ISO - Indian Astronomical Observatory), the tenth (see List of highest astronomical observatories ) highest optical telescope in the world in India Hanle
1482-525: Is underutilised and underdeveloped. There are numerous places in India that could be developed, designated, and preserved as the dark sky preserves. For example, Madikeri in Coorg is surrounded by coffee plantations and natural forests and rates 3 (rural sky) on the Bortle scale. Just as Project Tiger has immensely helped the conservation of tigers, their surrounding ecology, and reduction of carbon footprints,
1539-774: The "10+2+3" plan . After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Inter Colleges that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education , CISCE or the Department of Education of the Government of Uttarakhand . They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. As of 2011, Pithoragarh had 17 primary schools, 20 middle schools, 22 secondary schools, 14 senior secondary schools, and 1 degree college. Before independence, during
1596-595: The Association of Bangalore Amateur Astronomers (ABAA) meets every Sunday at Banglore Nehru Planetarium and Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS) organizers regular astrotours to the outskirts of cities and to remote locations in India. Starvoirs , a Chennai -based startup, owns private observatories in nine places across the country, including Rameshwaram , Chidambaram , Kodanad , the Andaman Islands , and Nagaland . The astrotourism potential in India
1653-764: The Civil disobedience movement . Subsequently, the Congress won the Pithoragarh seat in the Provincial Elections in 1937 . The Quit India Movement of 1942 found greater support in Pithoragarh and about 150 persons were arrested while several were fined. The Congress won the Pithoragarh seat again in the General Elections of 1945 for the Provincial Assembly, and in 1947, along with the rest of India, this region also won independence from
1710-584: The Kumaoni language . Kandali Festival A flower called Kandali ( Strobilanthes wallichii ) blooms once every twelve years in the Chaudans region of Pithoragarh district, and the people celebrate the Kandali festival between August and October. Local people, known as Shaukars or Rangs, take part in the week-long festival with joy and enthusiasm in various villages throughout the region. The festival begins with
1767-608: The Kurmanchal kingdom , which had its capital first at Jyotirmath and then at Karikeyapura (Modern day Baijnath ) in the Katyur Valley. The Group of Temples at Kasni village (3 km from city centre) were built in 11th century during the rule of Katyuri kings . Upon the disintegration of the Katyuris and fall of kingdom in 13th century, Pithoragarh came under the rule of Bam kings of Saur . The Bam kings were feudal to
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1824-604: The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research , Indian Institute of Astrophysics , Bangalore and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics Kolkata . The facility cost in 2011 was Rs . 400 million. As of 2011, it was the first and only such facility in the eastern hemisphere . The telescope was fabricated by the Electronics Corporation of India and was installed at the IAO in June 2014. This telescope became
1881-588: The 6 hamlets of Hanle revenue village—Bhok, Dhado, Punguk, Khuldo, Naga, and Tibetan Refugee habitation within 1073 sq km Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Changthang plateau . The northern, southern, eastern, and western extremities of the preserve are between 19.6 km and 22 km from the observatory. The darkness of the night sky is classified on the Bortle scale from 1 ("excellent", i.e., extremely dark) to 9 ("inner-city sky", i.e., partially dark). Hanle
1938-560: The Antipodal Transient Observatory (ATO). The High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR) is an atmospheric Cerenkov experiment with 7 telescopes set up at Hanle in 2008. Each telescope has 7 mirrors with a total area of 4.4 square metres (47 sq ft). The telescopes are deployed on the periphery of a circle of radius 50 metres (160 ft) with one telescope at the center. Each telescope has alt-azimuth mounting . A Himalayan Gamma Ray Observatory (HiGRO)
1995-478: The British Rule. Pithoragarh is located at 29°35′N 80°13′E / 29.58°N 80.22°E / 29.58; 80.22 . in the district of Pithoragarh , Uttarakhand , India. It lies in the revenue Division of Kumaon and is located 188 km northeast of Nainital , the administrative headquarters of Kumaon. It has an average elevation of 1,627 metres (5,338 feet ). It
2052-456: The HCT data archive. The operations are controlled using a remote satellite link. Hanle (village) Hanle (also spelt Anle ) is a large historic village in the Indian union territory of Ladakh . The revenue village of Hanle comprises six hamlets — Bhok, Dhado, Punguk, Khuldo, Naga and Tibetan Refugee habitation —within 1100 sq km Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Changthang plateau . It
2109-603: The Hanle basin teem with migratory birds including Bar-headed Goose and the Black-necked Crane . One can easily see scores of Tibetan wild ass grazing on the sedge-meadows along the Hanle River. Nyoma Air Base in northwest and Fukche Air Base in east are 74 km and 24 km away, respectively, and Ukdungle town is in South. Hanle is important stopover from mainland India to Ukdungle, Chumar sector and Demchok sector . "Hanle-Kaza-Tabo Road" (HKT Road)
2166-581: The Raikas of Doti and was a branch of katyuri kings, and had their capital at Udaipur near Pithoragarh, However, the Rajas used to come down to Rameshwar and Bailorkol during the winter months. The Bam kings, who ruled over Saur were: In the fifteenth century, King Bharti Chand of Champawat amassed a huge army, and started plundering and killing in the regions ruled by the Doti Kings. This resulted in
2223-484: The board under the U.P. Municipalities Act of 1916. There was no elected body and the affairs were supervised by an Officer-in-charge (a deputy collector) to whom the powers were delegated by the District Magistrate. Pithoragarh Mahotsav has played a significant role in conserving and sharing Pithorgarh's unique culture. It showcases local culture through music and dance, often featuring performances in
2280-469: The city. The airport, which was constructed in 1991 for administrative use, was previously mainly used by the Indian Air Force for defence purposes. The airport was upgraded in 2016 at an estimated cost of Rs 64.91 crore. Bareilly Airport is located around 249 km from Pithoragarh is a major airport nearby which is connected to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Pithoragarh
2337-485: The creation of a Municipal Board, was administered as a Town Area by a committee consisting of 10 members and a chairman. The Municipality of Pithoragarh came into existence on 24 Nov 1962 and the members and the chairman of Town Area Committee became its members. The board was, however, dissolved on 12 Mar 1963, and the town was then administered by the District Magistrate , who was the ex-officio chairman of
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2394-669: The highlands of Rupshu and, beyond it, Zanskar . Sengge Namgyal ( r. 1616–1642 ) built the prominent Hanle monastery in association with Tatsang Repa ( Stag-tsang-ras-pa ), the notable Buddhist priest of the Drukpa ("red hat") sect. Sengge Namgyal died here in 1642 after his return from an expedition against the Mongols who had occupied the Tibetan province of Tsang and were threatening Ladakh's possessions in Tibet. Hanle
2451-495: The issue of conservation of dark skies could help conservation of ecology and nocturnal animals, but there is very low awareness of this in India. The designation of dark sky preserve by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a 3-year process, which involves identifying dark sky areas, preparing a development and conservation plan, and submitting a proposal to IDA for the designation. There
2508-464: The late 1980s, a committee chaired by B. V. Sreekantan recommended that a national, large optical telescope be taken up as a priority project. The search for the site of the observatory was taken up in 1992 under the leadership of Arvind Bhatnagar . The scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics found the site at Hanle. The first light was seen by the Observatory 2-metre telescope on
2565-459: The middle of the 19th century when Pithoragarh was part of Almora , there were only two middle schools in Pithoragarh. LSM Govt. Post Graduate College is the only government college in the town providing studies up to post-graduation. It was previously affiliated to Kumaun University , Nainital . With the growing impact of I.T. , the government opened SIT Pithoragarh in 2011. Almost a dozen of privately owned computer centres opened up later in
2622-450: The midnight hour between 26 September and 27 September 2000. The satellite link between the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Bangalore, and Hanle was inaugurated by the then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on 2 June 2001. The Observatory was dedicated to the nation on 29 August 2001. In September 2022, the area surrounding Hanle became India's first dark-sky preserve . The Hanle site
2679-400: The most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators. Agencies operating long-distance bus services include Uttarakhand Transport Corporation , K.M.O.U, and various private operators. Schools in Pithoragarh are run by the state government or private organisations, Hindi and English are the primary languages of instruction. Schools in Pithoragarh follow
2736-410: The road terminated near Hanle (see "Transport" section for new road connectivity), the traditional trade and pilgrimage corridor formerly ran up the Hanle valley to Imis La, crossed into the Indus valley via Charding La near Demchok and Dêmqog , and proceeded to Tashigang in Tibet. This traditional trade route to Tibet is now closed. Hanle is also connected to Koyul river valley to the east via
2793-592: The rule of King Balo Kalyan Chand, when it was given to him by the Raika king of Doti as dowry for marrying his Daughter. In 1790, the Chand kings built a new fort on the hill where the present Girls Inter College is situated. This fort was destroyed by the Indian government in 1962 after China attacked India. The Chand rule, at its zenith, is seen as one of the most prominent empires in Kumaon. Their rule also coincides with
2850-545: The second largest Cerenkov telescope in the world. It was originally scheduled to become operational by 2016, but plans were pushed back to begin operations in 2020. Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arcs were observed in Hanle in April 2023 and November 2023, as well as during the May 2024 solar storms . Hanle is an important area for wild animals. It harbours the only population of the Tibetan gazelle in Ladakh. The wetlands in
2907-417: The second-largest gamma-ray telescope in the world and the world's largest telescope at the highest altitude. The Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) is situated 35 km to the northeast of Bangalore near Hoskote town. The Center houses the control room for the remote operations of the 2-meter Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, and
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#17327901077642964-409: The south, as mentioned in the Skanda Purana . The Asuras and Nagas appear to be the earliest inhabitants of the region, who were later superseded by the Kiratas , Khasas and the Kunindas . The Kuninda Kings of the region may have become the feudatories of The Kushana Kings, who held their sway over the region in the last quarter of the 1st century AD. The region subsequently came under
3021-428: The world. The Indian Astronomical Observatory stands on Mt. Saraswati, Digpa-ratsa Ri, Hanle in the south-eastern Ladakh union territory of India. Accessing the observatory, located near the Chinese border ( Line of Actual Control ), requires a 250-kilometre-long (160-mile) ten-hour drive from Leh city, the headquarter of Leh district. Nyoma , 75 km northwest from Hanle, has an Indian military airbase. In
3078-408: The worship of a Shiva linga made of a flour mixture of barley and buckwheat. During this festival, local liquor is traditionally consumed. It is performed in a decorated corner of the courtyard by each household. People pray for good fortune. The individual Poojas are followed by a community feast. Then, the women and men, in traditional dresses and laden with gold and silver ornaments, assemble around
3135-439: Was first introduced to the valley in Kumor village, Pithoragarh.The hiljatra of Urai (Dewalthal)is the most famous.Tha tableau of the Lakhiya bhoot is the main attraction.On the evening of hiljatra,worship of goddess Mahakali is performed tableaux are tajen out.The people of Bajethi, another village near Pithoragarh, accepted the Jatra, and it was modified and introduced as Hiran chital in the Kanalichhina and Askot regions. Hilljatra
3192-443: Was set up as a part of the international GROWTH program, and has been widely used for time-domain astronomy . The telescope is operated jointly by IIT Bombay and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics . In the 1980s, a 24-inch (61 cm) Cassegrain telescope was installed at a 90-foot (27 m) height in a huge dome on the observatory in the Punjabi University, Patiala campus. The Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala
3249-428: Was set up at Hanle in collaboration with Tata Institute of Fundamental Research , Mumbai and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre , Mumbai. The Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE) was set up here in December 2012. The Experiment has a 21-metre (69 ft) collector which can collect gamma rays from space. The facility is a result of initiative led by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in collaboration with
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