There can two main reasons as why a thing glows in the dark – it either has phosphor, a substance that soaks in light and radiates it later during dark or it is luminescent like a firefly. There are quite a few places in India where either of the phenomena occurs, glowing up the place in the dark. Here’s where to look. 

Betalbatim Beach, Goa

Nearly all beaches in Goa are lit up at night by men for tourists. But there is only one beach in Goa that gets lit naturally. Betalbatim beach in South Goa is about a kilometer stretch of golden sand between Colva and Majorda beaches. The beach is filled with palm trees unlike other beaches in Goa. But that’s not the only unique thing about Betalbatim beach

That part of the sea is inhabited by bioluminescent algae and it glows with a blue hue at night. Unlink other commercialized beaches in Goa, Betalbatim is a bit far off and thereby less explored. But of the few tourists who venture there, some have been lucky enough to experience this magical phenomenon of the sea’s wave lighting up on a clear night.

West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Of more than 1.2 lakh discovered species of fungi, less than hundred are known to be bioluminescent. One such rare species locally called ‘electric mushroom’was recently discovered by Indian and Chinese scientists in the old forests of West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya. Apparently, the local tribe knew about it all along and used the glowing mushrooms as natural torches to find their way in the jungle. The glowing mushrooms looks like any other during the day but at night glows with a bright green light. The new species have since been given a scientific name.

Bhimshankar Wildlife Reserve, Maharashtra

Most of us have seen at least pictures of, if not in real life of forests lighting up with fireflies. In India’s Western Ghats, that stretches for more than 1600 kilometers across five states, have a lot of such forests. However, the Bhimshankar Wildlife Reserve near a small tribal village called Ahupe in Maharashtra is a bit different. During monsoon, the Western Ghatsgets very rich in moisture which makes Mycena – a type of bacteria to light up. This has put Ahupe village on the map of many off beat tourist who have come here to witness a light show by fireflies and moisture soaking bacteria.

Bangaram Island, Lakshadweep

Among the Lakshadweep island cluster, there is one small island called Bangaram. It is like any other island in the area – white sands and palm trees surrounded by blue water. But after nightfall, the waves that sweep up to the beaches of Bangaram glows with a bright bluish light putting it in the tourist map. This glowing of the waves is caused by phytoplankton, algae and a particular species of jellyfish found in that area. But knowing the scientific reason behind it doesn’t make it any less surreal.