Magical Sunrise at Puri

From the Sun Temple at Konark, we now move to the magical sun rise at Puri Beach in Odisha. Watching the sun rise from a clean, unpolluted and exclusive beach has its own charm. The forest department of Odisha controls the 3 to 5-kms deep and more than 20-kms long stretch of forest along Puri beach. Visitors to the Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary are allowed entry in a controlled manner between 8.30 am to 5 pm. Courtesy Toshali Sands (the resort where we were staying), we obtained special permission for early morning entry. A forest guard accompanied us through the forest till the beach head.

We have captured the sunrise in various stages and hues. Apart from the glory of the sun and the surf, tiny crabs also caught our eye. Our story includes few pictures from an afternoon visit to the same beach, courtesy K Gopu, fellow Navy Veteran. Let the pictures and the videos tell the story.

Wave after wave! Watching the sea waves ashore is very soothing. It can be interpreted in many ways. Each wave washes part of the shore. Like wiping off your worries and problems in life! Enjoy a short video below.

Here is how the Veterans felt after the mesmerising sunrise! See the short video

The agility of the tiny crabs is seen to be believed. See the short video clip below.

East coast of India is home to red coloured sand bubbler crabs. Fascinating to watch, they forage for food in the sand. The following stories by Ghumakkad have appeared on the top in Google search for last several years:

Red Crabs of Surya Lanka

Sand Bubbler Crabs and Sand Galaxies 

Surya Lanka Where You Encounter the Sand Galaxies

Sunrise and sunset are the favourite subjects of every photographer. Apart form the sea coast, there are several spots for spectacular views of a sunrise or a sunset. Few of these are:

Tiger Hill, Darjeeling- from where you see the first rays of the Sun illuminate the highest point on earth i.e. Mount Everest

Sunset Point, Mount Abu, Rajasthan

Sunset Point, Hampi, Karnataka. You may browse our earlier story 'Charm of a Sunset' to enjoy the sunset at Hampi.

Some of our other stories featuring sunrise as well as moon rise are listed below. Just click to browse the picture story.

Why do People Shoot the Sun? - Even a nine-year old got up at 4.45 AM to shoot!

Moon's Magic at Sea - Moon rise is as spectacular

The above visit to Puri beach was part of the Golden Jubilee of Navy Veterans of their Commissioning into the Indian Navy (1972-2022). All the stories of the Golden Jubilee Reunion and associated travel can be browsed by clicking the links below:

Magical Sunrise at Puri Beach - The panorama, the waves, the surf and tiny crabs- the story has it all.

Konark Sun Temple - Stories in Stone

Chandrabhaga Beach- The Blue Flag Certified Beach

Sunset Years to Sunrise - Friends Make the Difference

Meet the Navy Veterans- Intro and pandemic positivity video

Veterans' Choice at Puri Odisha - where to stay

Trees by A Railway Line - Learning from the Trees

We close with Gautam Buddha's famous quote superimposed on a picture of the sunrise.

More stories of our Reunion will follow. Thanks for browsing and stay connected.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with K Gopu/ Secunderabad/ 13th Dec 2022

#puri #Sunrise #beach #Odisha #NavyVeterans #Reunion #GoldenJubilee #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #litterfreebeach #forestonthebeach #risingsun #sandbubblercrabs #eastcoastofindia #moonrise #tinycrabs 

Moon's Magic at Sea

The Moon and the sea have a special relationship. Mariners like me have spent countless nights at sea-- adoring the moon and its reflection. It gave time for introspection.

Last week we were on a family holiday at Suryalanka beach, Andhra Pradesh India. It was a full moon and as it rose from the sea late evening, it cast a magic spell. The glow of the moon, reflection on the wet beach, fading light, silvery surf-- all of it added to the magical impact. Many a poet have written about the moon. Ghumakkad will refrain from further writing. Let the pictures do the talking. 

 Beaches are meant for strolling apart from a swim. I was returning from a walk as it was getting dark.

And behind me the magic was unfolding-- full moon was rising from the eastern horizon. 

 As I came closer to the sit out area where Neeta had been relaxing, she took this shot. Don't miss the picture credit to her!

 And then both of us were busy admiring the scene and taking few pictures. Does it cast a spell on you also?

Despite full moon, the night got darker. You may have to strain your eyes to see the silhouette of the palms through which the moon was shot.

 It was time to return to our rooms for the night. Early next morning on a walk, I spotted the moon on the western horizon, yet to set. Gradually as the day dawned, the moon faded away and the Sun took over.

Being located on a east-west axis, Suryalanka offers a unique treat to witness a sun rise and a moon set on the same beach. The beach at Suryalanka which is exclusive and unpolluted, is also home to the Sand Bubbler Crabs (Click to browse our earlier story on the crabs). 

We also shot a 30-second video to give you a panoramic view of the beach and the excitement of watching a sun rise and moon set at the same time! The video also shows Ankur, Akanksha, Nikhil and Naman doing their own thing at the beach.

More on the beauty of a sun rise and crabs-at-work in next stories.

Postscript: Dr M Sitaram, a retired Colonel from Army Medical Corps, renowned cardiologist in Hyderabad and a shutter bug like Ghumakkad wrote:

Dear Ghumakkad, Thanx for the lovely pictures of the real "Honey Moon"!

By intention or accident you have caught the images of the famous 'Strawberry Moon', an important celestial event which occurred on 20 Jun 16 when the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) coincided with the full moon. Astronomers the world over / nature lovers were waiting for the moon rise that evening at many places for the magnificent sight (while I watched it from terrace of my humble home) and you were correctly positioned with a camera at Suryalanka Beach to capture a rare event which I believe occurs only once in 68 years! 

Hearty Congrats! Please read all about it at #FullMoonSoistice on the net (twitter I think). Of Course you might be knowing all about it even when you planned your holiday!

____________________________________ 

Thanks for this revelation Dr Sitaram. We had planned to be at the beach on full moon but did not know that it was once-in-68-years opportunity! Wow!

Thanks for browsing.

       - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 24th June 2016