Lonar Crater

 

 

You wouldn’t believe that this site, which should be a world historic site, is simply not preserved in any way. It is thousands of years old and in the U.S.A, it would be visited by hundreds of thousands every year.  Even more mind boggling is the fact that it would generate much needed money for the community it resides in, – significant considering the lack of jobs for youth and the average low income for families. What is even more amazing is that the state of Maharashtra is advertising tourism, sans this site. The lake, “lonar,” was determined to have been created by a meteorite, whose strength was purportedly equal to a 6 megaton hydrogen bomb, and scientists estimate that it happened 50 thousand years ago. There are geologists who have a different opinion, – that it sits on top of a volcano and was created by an eruption, however the area is made of basaltic rock and that differs from the rocks which would form had it been a volcano eruption.

strange green color of lonar lakeblue green color of the lake caused by algae, look closer, you can see the color is left behind as the water recedes….it is the world’s third largest natural salt water lake

lonar crater hike up

the hike back up was no joke..we had to stop every few feet to rest..here is our host rajesh and mr. shaker, yoga instructor taking a break below me

 

 

me at the bottom

made it to the bottom of lonar

 

lonar crater back of  temple at the bottomKamalja Devi Temple at the base of the lake

the inside of the temple – desecrated in my opinion. no historic preservation at all

decimation of ancient tomb at lonar

Anyway, we took advantage of its beauty.  Upon entry, there is a stunning water fountain.  The local people (who have no showers in their makeshift homes) take showers in the ever flowing water fountain…the fountain has been flowing for centuries, and no one knows the origin of the water (to anyone who loves historic sites, you can close your mouth now).  Once we toured the magnificent temples and took in the view at the top, we climbed down the mountain to the eerily green lake,  which was an adventure by itself.  Along the way I witnessed a beautiful waterfall strewn with clothes and debris, temples (ironically being washed by men who were hired by the government.) Once we reached the bottom beach area (for lack of a better description as a large majority of the surface was mud) the most shocking thing to see were the ancient temple columns simply lying on the sand chilling….wait until you see these pictures. by the way, the ancient well, located a few blocks away,  was the playground of the local kids – their  own personal “jungle gym,” if you will.

remple at lonar crater bathersthe local town people take their baths and wash their clothes at this historic temple. the water has flowed for centuries and the source is unknown.

 

We were also taken (by professors and historians who met us there, one even wrote a book and gave it to us…thank you to Mr. S.T. Bugdane, I pray that your work receives the attention it deserves) to a different temple, built by the same architects, in the same area.  The fact that these structures exist within close radius of each other clearly states that this was a planned community, no different from the ancient Mayan cities (which bring in tons of money for the government).  I loved the last temple we viewed because it had everyday carvings on it, like a little boy going “number 2,” and fascinating sexual positions at every corner (yes, lol).

Btw, this site has been studied and excavated by world renown archaeologists, scientists, geologists, and other professionals – including Harvard University….but it sits as a hang out for the locals…the government should be shamed.

steps down to the lake…..the easy part

sreps down lonar

 

The local newspaper man published an article about our visit and stated in marathi that we stated that the crater should be preserved…never talked to the man, but apparently they think our opinion holds more weight..how sad is that?

2 comments to Lonar Crater

  1. Lori says:

    I can’t wait to see pictures. I have a friend who is very active in the Indian Teacher association. They run a summer school program where they teach Hindi to anyone who wants to learn. I went to their performance and ate the celebration lunch yesterday. That’s as close as I will come to traveling in India this summer (it was at Thomas Edison HS- I walked over).
    Anyway the teachers said to invite you to their events (which always includes great food) this school year.
    Post those pictures!
    Enjoy!

    • jfoss says:

      Would love to go! Certainly send me the info, I can continue the relationships and learning that began this summer! thanks for visiting and I will be updating with pictures, taj mahal, etc. tomorrow!

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