Lonar Crater – The Bowl of Mystery

Lonar Crater or lake

India is a land of beauty, mystery, and worldliness. This gets proved by our very own “Lonar Crater – The Bowl of Mystery” located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra.

So, let's learn more about the unique miracle where science and religion merge.

This lake is Earth’s largest and only saltwater lake in basaltic rock. Also, This area is covered by dense forests. It is home to reach flora and variety of animals and birds. Each part of this region is considered unique and the lake itself is the “Bowl of Mysteries”.

Lonar lake 50,000 years old when a meteor hit this spot in Lonar and created a 1.8 km wide crater(depth of 150 m.). The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has declared this place as a National Geological Heritage Site. This lake has been visited by many researchers, astronomers, geologists, ecologists, ISRO and even NASA. and research on it is still ongoing. It is the only Hyper-Velocity Crater on Earth. It has been formed in the Deccan Plateau’s hard basalt rock, the only of its kind on Earth. During the Ice Age, a large meteoroid weighing 2 million tons crashed into this part of earth at an extreme speed of 90,000 km/hr. The hypervelocity impact led to a massive crater formation in the basaltic rock that is 1.8 km wide and 150 meters deep.

Though locals knew about the crater for centuries, The lake was first mentioned in ancient scriptures such as the Skanda Purana, the Padma Purana, and the Ain-i-Akbari(mughal time). it was first scientifically documented in 1823 by British officer J.E. Alexander.

A further study conducted on the spot under the leadership of Prof. K. Fredrikson by officials of Geological Survey of India, United States Geological Survey and other institutions, proved that the lake was created by a meteor hit 0.5 million years ago. In 1896, American geologist G.K. Gilbert conducted studies to prove that Lonar was created due to meteor strike.

Microorganisms that are rarely found on Earth are found in this lake. When a compass is taken here, it does not work. And the most surprising thing is that the water of this lake is saline and alkaline at the same time. Since the lake's crater is somewhat oval in shape, it is likely that the meteorite hit the ground at an angle of 35 to 40 degrees. The surrounding area of the lake is surrounded by a circle of trees. Surprisingly, the outermost part is covered with date palm trees. The middle part is covered with tamarind trees and the innermost part is covered with acacia trees. The water in the coastal part of the lake is alkaline with a PH level of 7. And the water in the central part is saline with a PH level of 11. Rare coexistence of both alkaline & saline water in the same lake. Lonar is the third-largest natural salt-water lake in the world. During a study by IIT Bombay, it was found that the same minerals found in the soil samples brought back by NASA's Apollo missions are found in the soil of Lonar Lake. About a decade ago, scientists discovered a special organism in the waters of Lonar Lake.

The study revealed that it contains bacteria that use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate.

Since 2004, Dr. Shawn Wright has been researching Lonar and other lakes around the world. He says that initially scientists believed that the Lonar crater was 52,000 years old. You can still see that in some old articles or on You Tube. In the last decade, the discovery of a meteorite impact was made through argon dating. The Deccan Plateau was formed from volcanic lava about 60-65 million years ago. Later, a meteorite hit and formed the crater here. This happened about 0.5 million years ago.

Slowly, scientists were discovering the lake. Suddenly, a mysterious phenomenon occurred that had never been seen before. In June 2020, the water in this lake suddenly turned pink (And surprisingly, the peak of Corona had increased at that time.). This pink color remained the same for almost a month. Researchers wondered how this happened. For some time, it remained a mystery to them. The summer of 2020 was very hot. This caused excessive evaporation of water from the lake. Halophilic Archaea, a type of bacteria, is found in large quantities in the water of Lonar Lake. Due to the increase in the amount of salt in the water, the growth of these archaea increased in large quantities. One of the features of these bacteria is that they produce pink pigment. And due to this pigmentation, the water got pink color.

There are many temples around the lake. Among them The Daitya Sudan Temple, one of the best-preserved and most prominent temples near the lake, stands in Lonar . It’s dedicated to Vishnu as "Daitya-Sudan" and is built in the Hemadpanthi architectural style (probably dating from the late 13th to early 14th century). Though partially unfinished, its carvings make it a focal point of cultural and architectural significance. There is one of the oldest idols of Lord Narasimha, which dates back to the 5th century, during the Vakataka period.


Mythological Relevance

In Hindu mythology, It is mentioned in Hindu mythology. According to local belief, this lake is named Lonar after the mythical demon Lonasura. This Lonasura used to oppress and torment people. Therefore, when the son of sage Kashyap prayed to Lord Vishnu to kill Lonasura, Lord Vishnu took an incarnation, raised Lonasura and buried him in the underworld. This lake is also mentioned as Panchapasar in Valmiki Ramayana. And around 16th century ago, the great poet Kalidasa wrote about it. He called it Panchasar Sarovar in his famous book 'Raghuvansh'. Panchapasar means 5 source. And surprisingly, there are actually 5 springs supplying water to this reservoir. It is mentioned that when Lord Rama was flying on viman from Sri Lanka to Ayodhya, he praised this lake to his wife Sita.

Around the lake, there are about 30+ ancient temples. and their ruins can be found there from the 5th to the 18th centuries.

Many temples are built from black basalt rock and carry fine carving.

Papahareshwar Temple

Kumareshwar Temple (a.k.a. Vedshala)
Yajneshwar Temple
Ramgaya Temple
Bagicha Temple
Wagh Temple
Mora mahadev Temple
Kamalja Devi Temple
Amberkhana Temple
Mungla Mahadev Temple
Gomukh (Gomukha / Sita Nahani) Temple
Chopda Mahadev Temple
Daitya Sudan Temple


How to go:

By Air

Nearest Airport:
Chatrapati Sambhaji maharaj Airport (150 km)
Nagpur Airport (300 km)
From the airport, hire a cab or take a bus to Lonar.

By Train
Nearest Railway Stations:
Jalna (90 km away)
Chatrapati Sambhaji nagar (150 km away)
Akola (100 km away)

By Road
From Chatrapati Sambhaji nagar → 4–5 hours (via Jalna).
From Akola → 3–4 hours.
From Nagpur → ~6 hours (via Akola).
From Pune → ~9–10 hours.
Regular MSRTC buses and private buses run from Chatrapati Sambhaji nagar, Jalna, and Akola to Lonar town. From Lonar town, the lake is just 1.5–2 km.