Under the Jurassic Skies of Dholavira, time felt frozen between prehistory and the cosmos. Standing beside this symbolic Ichthyosaurus structure, inspired by the marine reptile whose fossils were discovered in Kutch, it genuinely felt as if some ancient creature was watching silently beneath the rotating stars.

There was no mobile network, and our phones kept switching to the Pakistani time zone near the border. Around us was absolute silence except for the wind and the endless desert night.

As the camera recorded the star trails above, my colleague and I suddenly heard the heavy footsteps and loud panting of a Nilgai somewhere nearby. The sound kept getting closer, but nothing was visible in that pitch darkness. Not knowing from which direction it was approaching was genuinely frightening.

I switched on my head torch and started shouting into the darkness. The Nilgai gave a couple of mock charges, understood only through the sudden rushing sound coming toward us, before finally retreating back into the night.

Even after it left, we kept looking around nervously, just waiting for the star trails to finish so we could leave. Nights like these make Dholavira feel less like Earth and more like stepping back into a prehistoric world beneath the stars.

Gears Used

Sony A7IV

Sigma 24-70 f2.8 DG DN Art lens @24mm

Leofoto LS-365 C Tripod

Aodelan Intervalometer

Capture Details

197 Frames x 30 Seconds

ISO 800 | F2.8

Processing Details

Star-Trails created in StarStax

Post Processing in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop