Sunfascination is in our DNA

Sunfascination is in our DNA

It is evening in Mount Abu, a hill station in the Indian state of Rajasthan which is better known for its wide expanse of desert sands and camels. A small boy, not more that 5 years is seated on a small rock gazing in awe at the setting sun. He is oblivious to the chatter of his class mates who are with him on a school trip and is least interested in the game they are playing. His entire being seems to be focused on the sun slowly disappearing in the horizon. To his young mind it seems a big ornamental box opens and the sun slowly disappears into it and the box closes and it is night!

That little boy was me, many years ago and my fascination with the Sun continues to this day.

We, me and my partner are avid sun chasers and would walk or travel miles to get a glimpse of a glorious sunset or sunrise. It really seems that this Sunfascination is in our DNA!

The sun has been considered the primordial source of energy right from Vedic times and there are numerous hymns in the Rig Veda which are in praise of the sun and pays obeisance to this vital force.

Coming back to our sunfascination or shall we say fascination for sunrises and sunsets, we just love both, but prefer Sunrises as these have a completely different aura, there is a certain freshness, an air of hope, the beginning of a new day. As the sun rises it casts its benign glow on the earth and signals a new beginning, a new life.

On the other hand though sunsets are equally beautiful if not more, there is a certain sense of melancholia associated with them. Sunsets have a kind of sad or tragic beauty. After seeing a sunset we feel that we have lost something, somewhere, probably because each sunset is a reminder of time running on inexorably and of time that has passed away leaving just a handful of memories to treasure.

We would like you to join us in our tribute to the Sun as we present here a few of the experiences we have had with this celestial body. In this post we shall glimpse some of the most amazing sunrises we have had the privilege to see in India and we shall dedicate another upcoming post to sunsets.

We were in Tea country, Darjeeling, India and one thing we were definitely not going to miss was the view of the rising sun against the backdrop of the Kanchenjunga Mountain Ranges and Mount Everest from Tiger Hill.

It was a chilly November morning, we woke up at 3 in the morning to ensure that we reached our destination in time. Tiger Hill is only about 11 Kms. from the centre of Darjeeling and is a 45 minute drive. We were there well in time and it was pitch dark, there were hordes of early morning risers awaiting the first glimpse of the sun. We kept our fingers crossed as the weather was not all that good and the sky was covered with clouds. Our fears were not unfounded when soon the darkness of night gave way to daylight, but the sun was nowhere to be seen, nor could we see the Himalayan ranges. The sun had risen behind a sheet of clouds. Disappointed we were about to turn back when a loud cheer went up from the crowd around us, we turned around to see that the sun had broken through the clouds. We captured that moment for posterity and cherish that feeling of satisfaction forever with us.

Another amazing sunrise we feasted our senses on was at Dona Paula in Goa, India. It was that kind of morning where you could literally feel the presence of God in the midst of nature, the cool breeze seemed to whisper, “I am here”, in our ears. The sun rose from the sea like a golden orb and soon the water assumed a golden sheen. Two mute sculptures high up in the rocks are daily spectators to this extravaganza of nature. Local legend has it that these are the statues of Dona Paula who was the daughter of a Portuguese Viceroy and her lover, a local fisherman. They were in love with each other the Viceroy forbade his daughter from ever seeing the fisherman. Forlorn and madly in love, Dona Paula flung herself from a cliff into the Arabian Sea, ending her life. The distraught father realized his mistake, but alas too late! From that day he called the place Dona Paula and erected the sculptures in her memory.

To this day some locals believe that Dona Paula emerges from the moonlit waves of the sea wearing only a pearl necklace.

These are stories though fascinating but not true but undoubtedly adding to the allure and aura of the place.

Kanyakumari formerly known as Cape Comorin is a town situated at the southern most tip of peninsular India.

It is indeed a rare experience to witness the Sun rising from the vast expanse of water. We have been here multiple times and each time the thrill and excitement has remained undiminished. The last time we were there, we were driving to Kanakumari from Madurai, another historic temple town of Southern India, and we literally raced to keep our rendezvous with the sun. We were well rewarded by the grand sight that awaited us. The sun rose from the Indian Ocean and cast its halo over the Vivekananda Rock Memorial which is situated 500 meters from the mainland in the waters of the Laccadive Sea. This is a memorial built on a rock where Swami Vivekananda, the great Indian Monk and mystic used to meditate and where he attained enlightenment.

As we looked at the sun shining behind the memorial we could almost visualize the scene of a young and radiant monk sitting cross-legged on a rock deep in meditation as the sun slowly rose behind him lighting up the world and his mind. We were lost in the magic of the moment and wished the spell would never be broken. But alas! it was broken and we made our way back to our hotel, somehow feeling enriched in every sense.

We leave you with one more picture of a glorious sunrise which was snapped on our way to Rameswaram from the Pamban bridge which links Mainland India to Rameswaram.

We invite you to share what emotions are evoked in you on witnessing a sunrise?

What is the most amazing sunrise that you have had the privilege of experiencing? Do you also have a Sunfascination is in our DNA?

You might like to read our article on Sunset. Do You Know Why We Love The Splendid Sunny Moments? Click here to read the article.