What’s the science behind Chir Batti, the ghost lights of Gujarat?
Imagine going through marshy wetlands at night and suddenly seeing bright lights moving in all directions. Seems like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, right? But this happens in reality in Gujarat’s Banni Grasslands. These marshy grasslands are formed after monsoon rains in the southern edge of the Rann of Kutch. Locals have noted strange pear-shaped or round, dancing balls of lights hovering over the land during the night. What are they, actually? Let’s find out.
The ghost lights at a glance
The enigmatic dancing lights witnessed in the Banni Grasslands Reserve are called Chir Batti, in the local Kutchhi-Sindhi language. These thin-to-thick lights are easily visible at night (after 8 pm) and are as bright as mercury lamps. These lights float at 2–10 feet above the ground and even change colours from blue to red and yellow. According to a local legend, this odd phenomenon has been occurring here for generations.
People have seen these lights moving quickly in random directions but often hanging out in one spot for a while before fading. These lights, according to some, can move as quickly as an arrow but can also occasionally come to a complete standstill. Some eyewitnesses have felt the lights play hide and seek with them. Many visitors, including a group of local and American ornithologists and Indian Border Security Forces personnel, deployed close to the sensitive India–Pakistan border, claim that the lights occasionally seemed to follow them.
What’s the science?
Although it may appear to be something supernatural, scientists say there is nothing mysterious about these thin moving lights. They are the light flares caused by the organic decay of flora matter. Yes! According to some scientists, the strange phenomenon occurs due to the methane produced from wetland marshes. When the plants and other organic matter in the marshlands decompose, methane is formed.
In mythology, these lights are commonly known as ‘will-o'-the-wisp’ (a mysterious ghost light that travellers see at night, over bogs, swamps or marshes). They are a familiar sight in agricultural fields where farmers make natural fertilisers from the compost by decomposing organic waste such as plants, tree leaves and stalks. The glowing lights are caused by the low level of methane produced in such areas. The amount of methane formed determines how long lights will last.
Also observed in West Bengal
These lights are known as Aleya (or jack-o-lantern) in West Bengal, and fishermen from both Bangladesh and West Bengal have reported seeing them in the marshes. However, the local fishermen here fear these flashes because they associate them with supernatural beings. Local fishing communities in the area believe that these bizarre, swiftly-moving, marsh lights are ghosts of fishermen who tragically passed while fishing in the marshlands. The locals believe that Aleya lights are responsible for the deaths of people who previously washed up on these marshes.