No artificial lights, just billion of stars: How Nashik’s tribal village is turning darkness into tourism gold

For most tourists, a village is a place to experience rural life, local food and landscapes. In Maharashtra’s Nashik district, one tribal village is offering something far more unusual: a chance to experience the night sky as it was meant to be seen.  

Udmal, a Kokna tribal village in Surgana taluka, has emerged as India’s first community-led Dark Sky Community initiative, putting its naturally dark skies at the centre of a new model of sustainable and astronomy-focused tourism. The village’s biggest attraction is not a monument or resort. It is the Milky Way stretching across an otherwise almost untouched night sky.  

A village where darkness is an asset

Udmal sits on a hilltop with no urban area within roughly 5 km, giving it an important advantage: very little artificial light. Instead of treating darkness as a limitation, the community is seeking to preserve it as a natural resource.  

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, or PESA. More than 232 residents voted to pursue Dark Sky Community status. DarkSky International subsequently confirmed that Udmal met the eligibility criteria for the community programme.  

The idea is relatively simple: keep unnecessary artificial lighting under control, preserve the darkness of the night and build tourism around astronomy without turning the village into another heavily commercialised destination.  

Milky Way becomes the main attraction

At a time when artificial light has made the night sky increasingly difficult to see in cities, genuinely dark locations have become valuable destinations for stargazers.  

The difference can be dramatic. India’s major cities often have skies dominated by artificial glow, with only the brightest celestial objects visible to the naked eye. At dark-sky locations, the Milky Way can become a clearly visible band across the sky, while stars and other celestial objects that disappear above urban areas emerge without the need for sophisticated equipment.  

The problem is global. Research has shown that artificial night-sky brightness has been increasing rapidly, making naturally dark skies increasingly rare.  

That gives places such as Udmal a tourism proposition built around something that cities cannot easily manufacture: darkness.  

From tribal settlement to astro-tourism destination

The Udmal initiative is also significant because it places the local community at the centre of the project.  

Rather than building a tourism destination first and bringing residents into the process later, the dark-sky effort began with a community resolution. The model is intended to combine conservation with local economic opportunities, including astronomy experiences and tourism-related activities.  

Maharashtra has already demonstrated the potential of dark-sky tourism at another location. Pench Tiger Reserve became India’s first International Dark Sky Park in January 2024, highlighting the growing interest in protecting night skies for both conservation and tourism.  

Udmal represents a different model: a living tribal settlement seeking to protect its darkness while using it to create a new economic identity.  

Why dark skies matter beyond tourism

The appeal of dark skies goes beyond photographing stars. Artificial light at night can interfere with astronomical observations and alter natural ecosystems. For scientists and amateur astronomers, excessive illumination makes it harder to observe faint celestial objects. For wildlife, artificial night lighting can disrupt behaviour and natural cycles.  

India’s existing dark-sky efforts show why community participation matters. At Hanle in Ladakh, the country’s first Dark Sky Reserve, local residents have been trained as astronomy ambassadors, creating livelihood opportunities linked directly to protecting the night sky.

As cities expand and artificial lighting spreads, an unobstructed view of the Milky Way is becoming increasingly unusual. If the village can protect its night sky while ensuring that tourism remains community-led and environmentally responsible, the experiment could offer a template for other rural and tribal communities with similarly pristine skies.

Udmal is attempting to build on that idea in a tribal setting in Maharashtra.