Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Moonrise & Moonset Times

Bhopal, the City of Lakes in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, drapes over rolling hills between the Upper and Lower Lakes, two vast bodies of water whose combined surface gives the moon a reflective stage rivalled by few inland cities in India. Today's moonrise is at 20:59 and moonset at 06:44. From the Taj-ul-Masajid, one of Asia's largest mosques, the moon rises above the eastern hills and its light pours down the pink sandstone minarets before spreading across the Upper Lake's broad surface, where it stretches in a luminous band from the Van Vihar shoreline to the boat club on the opposite bank.

The Lower Lake, separated from its larger twin by a narrow causeway, offers a more intimate moonlit scene where the water reflects the moon between the overhanging branches of neem and banyan trees lining its banks, and the Bharat Bhavan arts complex, cantilevered over the lakeside, catches the moonlight on its angular concrete terraces. Van Vihar National Park, running along the Upper Lake's southern shore, provides a rare experience of wildlife under moonlight: spotted deer and wild boar emerge from the dry deciduous forest to drink at the lake's edge, their forms silhouetted against the bright water while jackals call from the scrubby hillsides. During the clear winter months from November to February, Bhopal's continental climate produces still, cold nights when the lakes become perfect mirrors and the moon's reflection appears as sharp as the moon itself, with the Gohar Mahal's crumbling Mughal arches framing the scene from the northern shore.

Knowing moonrise and moonset times helps boaters on the Upper Lake time evening sails for maximum moonlit visibility, assists birders at the lakeside wetlands in spotting night herons and painted storks active under the brighter phases, and guides visitors to Sanchi Stupa, fifty kilometres northeast, in planning evening visits to see the Great Stupa's dome gleaming under the moon. Bhopal's twin lakes ensure the moon is always reflected somewhere in the cityscape, a double presence that makes this green, hilly capital one of India's most rewarding cities for moonwatching.