While in Nepal, I had the opportunity to photograph the sunrise over the Langtang Range from a very special location. We were staying at Dwarika's Sanctuary, the mountainside retreat above the old Tibetan trading town of Dhulikhel, about an hour from Kathmandu. This hotel is the sister property to the Dwarika's Hotel we stayed at in Kathmandu. We really enjoyed our stay there, but the “Sanctuary” was even more unique and special.
Fiery Sunrise I Dwarika’s Sanctuary I Dhulikhel
Dwarika's Sanctuary offers forty suites in bungalows across some 22 forested acres built into the side of a mountain at about 1,700 metres or 5,577 feet facing the Himalayas — the Langtang range on the horizon; Everest is visible on clear days. A wellbeing retreat rather than a conventional hotel, it is built around Himalayan, Ayurvedic and Buddhist traditions featuring a salt house, seven chakra sound chambers, and a meditation maze ringed by 84 Shiva lingams. A Shiva lingam (or linga) is the symbolic, non-figurative form of the Hindu god Shiva — a smooth, rounded cylindrical stone set upright in a circular base called the yoni.
I had been promised by our tour director that the sunrise from the Sanctuary is truly spectacular. The morning of October 11th did not disappoint. We were awakened before the sunrise to allow ample time for us to be whisked up the steep mountainside to the top of the Sanctuary in golf carts. The paths are very steep and not advisable to climb in the dark. The golf carts brought us to the top of the Sanctuary overlooking the beautiful mountains in the distance that were layered in white puffy clouds below us.
Sunrise I Dwarika’s Sanctuary I Dhulikhel
Usually, when I am photographing the sunrise I am by myself or with some other ambitious photographers who are willing to rise at 4 or 4:30AM to capture the sunrise. And, of course they risk seeing a sky that is just not that compelling. On this morning though, I was joined by my wife and many other of my new travel companions. This made the experience unique from two perspectives. First, the clouds in the sky were truly amazing (no disappointment here!) and second, it was nice to share it with others. And, since Sunrise at the Sanctuary is an “event”, there were waiters who served us cappuccinos while I was capturing the sunrise. This was truly a first (and probably the last for me) for a sunrise photo shoot!
This sunrise photo shoot was different in another way, as well given that we were there for a relatively long time. Because of how the clouds had formed in the sky I actually captured two images that were noteworthy. One when the sun was at the horizon and one when the sun was higher in the sky. Usually, images with the sun higher in the sky are not very compelling. However, due to the cloud cover in the sky and the way the sun was shining through, the image was beautiful.
Meditation Maze I Dwarika’s Sanctuary I Dhulikhel, Nepal
While at the Sanctuary, we immersed ourselves in a Yoga class, a couples massage, an early morning walking meditation and the “Navagraha Shanti Puja” — the nine-planet balancing ritual“. This was a truly unique experience. The Sanctuary offers a daily Navagraha Shanti Puja at the Navagraha Garden, a morning blessing ritual. In Vedic tradition, nine celestial bodies called the Navagraha are believed to influence human life, health, and fortune. The puja honors all nine: Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), plus Rahu and Ketu or the north and south nodes of the moon, which aren't planets astronomically but count as grahas in Vedic astrology.
This trip was a surreal adventure, from Delhi to Kathmandu with visits to funeral pyres and temples, the Taj Mahal and the safaris in Chitwan and Bandhavgarh, and the amazing Temples at Khajuraho. I will treasure all of these amazing places and experiences, however I chose to document the Sunrise experience at the Sanctuary in Dhulikhel. I would definitely like to visit this magical place again, although 20 hours on a plane is a long ride to get there!
