Shobhan Mandir

Around an hour’s drive from campus, lies Shobhan Mandir, a popular one in and around Kanpur. Being around 20 \(km\) away from the light pollution of the city, the sky has very less light pollution and on a clear night, you can even see the milky way!

Every year, we organize a trip to Shoban Mandir, leaving campus around 6 PM via a chartered bus, usually on a weekend night, loaded with around 30 people, reaching our destination by 7 PM, and spread the tarpauline we carried all the way from the clubroom on the field, lay down and observe the stars for the better part of the night.

We chit-chat, explore the surroundings, have multiple bulla sessions and of course use the telescopes to watch the wonders of the night sky. Filled with fun, joy and laughter, we dine together. A few of us get tired and turn in early, others roam around the village, exploring it under the moonless night sky. Early morning around 6 AM, we pack up our things and head back to campus, reaching our halls by 7:30 AM, just in time for breakfast and then head straight to sleep. If it’s a particularly hot or humid weather, the air-conditioner inside the planetarium breathes a new life into us and we sleep there.

If you want to plan a trip there, you can look up “Observation Hub at Shobhan, Astro-Club IITk” on Google Maps and you’ll get the location. Alternatively, here it is: