Moonrises, sunsets and sunrises at Kinner Kailash

Posted on by sudhagee

Before my trip to Himachal Pradesh, everyone who knew I was travelling there had something to tell me about the place. More so because this was my first trip there and also because I would be seeing the Himalayas for the first time.

So, I got to hear about the weather, the roads, the people, the rivers, the food, the vegetation, the various mountain ranges, the monkeys, the treks, the hotels, the temples, the local culture, apples, snow, wildlife… But all of them missed out on telling me about the breathtaking Himalayan sunrises and sunsets or for that matter, Himalayan moonrises and moonsets.

The first sunrise and sunset that I saw were at Fagu and Sarahan respectively. They were beautiful and I may have even termed them as spectacular, if I had not gone to Kalpa and seen the sunrises, sunsets and moonrises over the Kinner Kailash range; they redefined the words “spectacular” and “breathtaking” for me.

On my first evening at Kalpa, our group visited a gompa at Kalpa village. Our visit ended around sunset after which we were generally wandering about. Suddenly I heard Doreen, our tour leader, call out to us in an urgent voice to hurry and see the moonrise.

We all rushed to where Doreen was standing and saw a bit of the moon from behind a mountain peak getting ready to make its appearance for the night. And over the next few minutes, I was witness to a moonrise like none that I had seen before and, perhaps none that I am likely to ever see.

Kinner Kailash, Kalpa, moonrise

Kinner Kailash, Kalpa, moonrise Kinner Kailash, Kalpa, moonriseKinner Kailash, Kalpa, moonriseA couple of days later, it was the full moon night and I saw the moon rise again at Kalpa. But this time, I saw it from the 5th floor observation deck at the hotel we staying in — The Hotel Grand Shangri-La. The sight of moon bathing the entire valley with a silvery light as it rose was a magical and unforgettable sight. (Apologies for the rather terrible photograph below)

Kinner Kailash, Moonrise, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shangri-La

Before I start waxing eloquent on the sunsets at Kalpa, I must clarify that I never actually saw a single sunset there. What I saw was the light of the setting sun play out on the snow-clad peaks of the Kinner Kailash range. While I was oohing and aahing over the moonrise, the sunset colours on the mountain and snow were equally mesmerising. Words are inadequate to describe what I felt like, but this extract from one of my favourite books, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, on an Alpine sunset comes very close to how I felt and how I behaved when I saw the “sunset”.

And thus imperceptibly the day had crept on to its close, and now the sun was on the point of sinking out of sight behind the high mountains. Heidi was again sitting on the ground, silently gazing at the blue bell-shaped flowers, as they glistened in the evening sun, for a golden light lay on the grass and flowers, and the rocks above were beginning to shine and glow.

All at once she sprang to her feet, “Peter! Peter! everything is on fire! All the rocks are burning, and the great snow mountain and the sky! O look, look! the high rock up there is red with flame! O the beautiful, fiery snow! … Everything,everything is on fire!”…cried Heidi, as she ran backwards and forwards to look first one side and then the other, for she felt she could not have enough of such a beautiful sight.

Kinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, Sunset, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-La

The sunrises were no less spectacular and I saw three of them at Kalpa. Every morning, I would be up before sunrise, wrap myself up well against the cold, climb up to the observation deck of The Hotel Grand Shangri-la, make myself comfortable on one of the seats there, and wait for the sun to rise.

It would begin with the gradual lightening of the skies and the peaks of the Kinner Kailash range getting highlighted as jagged silhouettes. The first rays of light would start appearing from behind the peaks lighting up portions of the valley. And then a tiny sliver of the sun would become visible and within a couple of minutes the sun would be out bathing the entire valley in a soft golden light. That would be the cue for me to get a cup of tea and enjoy the morning sunlight for a little while before getting ready for that day’s explorations. 🙂

Kinner Kailash, sunrise, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, sunrise, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaKinner Kailash, sunrise, Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, The Grand Shanri-LaI enjoyed all the moonrises, sunrises and sunsets that I saw during my stay in Himachal Pradesh. But the ones I experienced at Kalpa were really special and left me feeling really blessed and lucky. 😀

Have you been moved by a similar moonrise / sunrise / sunset? Do share your experiences with me.

Published by sudhagee

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35 thoughts on “Moonrises, sunsets and sunrises at Kinner Kailash”

  3. The pictures are absolutely stunning…especially the sunset ones with the mountain tops on fire. The passage from Heidi is so apt. Yes, I have seen sunrises/sunsets and moonrises in the Himalayas and also in the Nilgiris and Western Ghats…..at the seafronts, too, but I have never ever managed to capture such amazing photographs.
    Are there any more posts on Himachal?

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    1. The passage from Heidi immediately popped into my mind when I saw the flaming light of the setting sun on the mountain. And I behaved like her too 😛
      I have also seen some great sunrises, sunsets and moonrises at different places, but the Himalayan ones are definitely special.

      And yes, there are more posts on Himachal coming up – at least 6 to 7 🙂

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  8. I had been there with Doreen a year ago and your mind-blowing pictures and very apt description brought back the memories and the poetry I too had witnessed in the abode of bliss. Thank you for sharing this precious experience.

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    1. A very warm welcome to my blog, Katie. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting and also for your appreciation. There are more posts on Himachal coming up and I think you will enjoy reading them as well. Do keep visiting 🙂

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    1. Welcome here, Binda. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. You did indeed miss a very eventful trip. I hope you can get travel to Himachal with Doreen in the coming months.

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  13. Amazingly beautiful pics, Sudha. Loved them all! The `rocks on fire ` pics reminded me of my first visit to the Himalayas,back in 1990. And the moon rise makes me Understand why it is believed that Shiva carries the moon on his head!!!

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  17. Lovely post. Even we had met Mr Prithvi and stayed in 301 room of Shangri-La. Please have a look at our post here. Would be glad to get feedback.

    Cheers to the Kalpa moon/sunrise.
    mahesh and aparna.

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    1. Hello Mahesh and Aparna.
      A very warm welcome to “My Favourite Things”. So happy that you liked my post. 🙂
      Cheers indeed to the moonrises, sunsets and sunrises at Kalpa.

      I saw you post on The Grand Shangrila’s FB page, when Prithvi shared it. He’s really something, isn’t he?

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