2 weeks ago
Nashik's tribal village Udmal turns darkness into tourism gold
Some places at night are very dark because they don't have many electric lights.
In most cities, the sky glows so much that you can only see a few stars.
But in a place like Udmal village, the night sky is full of stars.
You can even see the Milky Way, which looks like a bright band of stars across the sky.
Udmal is a tribal village on a hilltop in Maharashtra, India.
In May 2025, the village got together and voted to protect their dark night sky.
More than 232 people voted for the plan.
They want to invite visitors who love looking at stars, called stargazers.
The village doesn't want to become too busy or commercial; they want to keep their darkness safe.
This way, the village can earn money from tourism while protecting nature and animals.
Udmal, a tribal village on a hilltop near Nashik, has little artificial light within roughly 5 km, making it a unique stargazing destination.
In May 2025, the village Gram Sabha passed what AstronEra describes as India's first Dark Sky Resolution under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA).
More than 232 residents voted to pursue Dark Sky Community status, and DarkSky International confirmed Udmal meets the eligibility criteria.
The initiative aims to build community-led astronomy tourism while keeping the village from becoming heavily commercialised.
Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra became India's first International Dark Sky Park in January 2024, and Hanle in Ladakh is the country's first Dark Sky Reserve, where residents are trained as astronomy ambassadors.
- Who
- The tribal community of Udmal village in Maharashtra, supported by AstronEra and DarkSky International.
- What
- The village passed India's first Dark Sky Resolution and is pursuing Dark Sky Community status to build astronomy tourism around its naturally dark skies.
- Where
- Udmal, a hilltop tribal village near Nashik, Maharashtra, India.
- When
- May 2025, when the Gram Sabha resolution was passed.
- Why
- To preserve the natural darkness of the night sky, protect ecosystems and wildlife from artificial light, and create community-led tourism and economic opportunities.
Key facts
- Village
- Udmal
- Location
- Hilltop near Nashik, Maharashtra, India
- Distance to urban area
- Roughly 5 km
- Resolution
- India's first Dark Sky Resolution (May 2025)
- Legal basis
- Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA)
- Residents who voted
- More than 232
- Status confirmation
- DarkSky International confirmed Udmal meets Dark Sky Community eligibility criteria
- Related milestone
- Pench Tiger Reserve became India's first International Dark Sky Park in January 2024
Sources
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