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The solar eclipse started at 5:58 am and ended at 11:12 am. It has been warned not to look at the sun without wearing proper eye shielding material as solar filter otherwise it can damage the eyesight.
The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century cast a shadow over much of Asia on Wednesday, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of India and China.
Ancient superstition and modern commerce came together in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which could end up being the most watched eclipse in history, due to its path over Earth’s most densely inhabited areas.
While the well-heeled took to the skies to watch the phenomenon from specially chartered planes, others took to holy waters to purify themselves as the sun’s rays were snuffed out from Mumbai to Shanghai.
The cone-shaped shadow, or umbra, created by the total eclipse first made landfall on the western Indian state of Gujarat shortly before 6:30 am (0100 GMT).
It then raced across India, blacking out the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges, squeezing between the northern and southern tips of Bangladesh and Nepal before engulfing most of Bhutan, traversing the Chinese mainland and slipping back out to sea off Shanghai.
Monsoon clouds in India and bad weather over eastern China spoiled the party for millions who had got up early to watch the solar blackout.
The last total solar eclipse observed in Pakistan was on Aug. 11, 1999 in Karachi. Students and faculty of the astronomy department took an interest in the phenomenon.
The eclipse is met with trepidation and fear by some Pakistanis who believe that it is dangerous to undertake certain acts when an eclipse takes place.
Pregnant women are told to stay indoors and not cut anything, otherwise their child will be born with a cleft lip.
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