Lonar Crater - Only Known Hyper-Velocity Impact Crater on Earth

No matter how big or small any state of India is, definitely, a corner of it would be having a hidden gem, so is the case with Maharashtra. The state proudly boasts Lonar Crater as it is just one of its type on the Planet but still remains unexplored. The moment I read CRATER, I could feel my adrenaline rush at the highest level. The Crater can never be count in the places which you can visit on one of your innumerable usual trips. Perhaps it is my obsession for the offbeat places, that Lonar Crater attracted me like a magnet until I was sitting on its corner one fine morning.

Overview

In the first glimpse, it looked like any other lake in India, but Lonar Lake is a saline soda lake formed by a meteor impact. The lake maintains its mystery by not allowing anybody to identify its true age. Although people say that it is some 55000 years old but some new studies claim that it is much older. Until studies come to the conclusion, mystery remains unfolded. As the name itself suggests, it is created due to some meteorite impact, which hit the earth with a high-speed, itself weighed a few million tons. Due to this, the heat got released which was so tremendous in amount that it melted down the nearby rocks and water got deposited over time thus forming the lake.

Lonar Lake

Not sure about which came first -  Lonar Crater or Lonar Town but Crater is there just at the outskirts of the small town of Lonar in Buldhana district of state of Maharashtra, India. I could have a chance to explore this Earth’s largest and only hyper-velocity impact Crater in Basalt Rock during my Shirdi Trip. From Aurangabad, I and my friends planned to take a detour to Lonar.

How it happened                                 

                                                                                                    

It all happened when we were having lunch for the day on some road side Dhaba after visiting Ajanta Caves. It took us some 20-30 mins to come to the conclusion to leave for Lonar instead of spending one more night in Aurangabad. We hit the road only to find out that it was going to be a bumpy ride. But nothing matches the natural scenery, from a moving car, which includes myriad of green farms on both sides of the road, people working hard under the sun, and it was sufficient to divert my attention from the road to the beauty of my country.

It took us around 5 hours to reach Lonar. By that time sun had already set. Lonar being a small town has a limited number of hotels/guest houses. Although MTDC has one of its resort on one side of Crater, but it must be booked well in advance. So the usual hunt for the hotel started which ended on a small lodge named Gitam Lodge. We got two rooms; one of them was for Rs. 300 and another for Rs. 600 for a night. Lonar crater was about 3kms from our guest house.

First View of Lonar Lake

We decided to watch the glory of rising sun over the Crater and woke up pretty early in the morning. Unfortunately, we could not find any auto-rickshaw which we could hire to reach the crater for initial 15-20 mins. We were staring helplessly on every passing vehicle, but all in vain, so we started to walk. After 10 mins, fortunately, one auto-rickshaw stopped by our side and agreed to take us to the Lonar Crater. For him, it was a big fact to digest that we were there to explore the Crater but not for any kind of research.

   

The Trek

Either you can plan to trek on its periphery which is a total of 6 km or you can trek downwards in the Crater itself or try both. We chose the downward trek in Crater, which starts from the entrance gate of MTDC resort. No need to mention, with every step you get a closer view of the green lake. Lake is surrounded by the not-so-thick forest which offers you an additional opportunity to spot few of the rare species of the birds. Of course, people come here to spot a variety of birds, but we were not so lucky that time and could rarely spot few of the birds. Nevertheless, the forest was unusually calm and soothing, probably because of early hours of the morning and it was more than sufficient for us to enjoy the quiet surroundings. By that time, no other human soul was around but we three. We all kept moving, we with few inches and cameras with few clicks.

Way through Forest around the Lonar Lake

The Ancient Temples known as Yadava Temples

We could hardly walk for some meters only to find a few of the abandoned buildings which were looking like temples. In an attempt to sneak into one of them, we came across a ruined hall, which was quite intact in shape but so infested with bats that no single bat was visible owing to the darkness inside but screams of them had filled the whole of it. This condition of the ruin which seemed to be more like one of the oldest temples in the area was enough to pop up the thoughts if there is nothing that we can do to maintain our heritage, is this what we are going to leave for our future generations etc etc.

Shiva Temple

The thoughts did not end there & we found another temple in the vicinity which was damaged badly but we could go inside it and with the help of phone light could spot a Shiva Lingam in the sanctum. It was quite predictable that nobody had ever cared to even clean it. We stood there for some time drowned in our own thoughts but then like everybody else we also moved further.

Shiva Lingam

On the side of the lake, few other ruined temples still stand, probably waiting for their situation to get better in future or they might join other ruins which are already half submerged in the water of the lake.  

Other ruins on the side of the Lake

By that time, we realized that we had actually forgotten about the sunrise, got so engrossed in the beauty of the Crater and the surroundings. The color of the water is green due to the presence of algae. Water of the lake is highly alkaline. This alkalinity of water gives it a unique feature of being highly productive ecosystem and that’s why Lonar Lake is home to the several medicinal and aromatic plants and shrubs. Later we got to know that it is sunset, not the sunrise which is best viewed from the Lake. Probably next time I would be able to embrace it.

Kamalja Devi Temple

Eventually, we reached to the Kamalja Devi temple and relaxed for a while by the side of it. Kamalja Devi Temple is probably the only temple on the periphery of the lake which is still well maintained. The presence of so many temples, seemed more of an outcome of religious sentiments of the people living around in the older era, most likely because they were not aware of the uniqueness of the lake.

Kamalja Devi Temple

We entered inside the premises of Kamalja Devi Temple to seek blessings of the Goddess, a local deity of Lonar. Outside the temple is standing a statue of Lord Hanuman on the back of which a weird looking tree structure is standing. A gate is there, which is used to reach the main temple, which has a big bell on the top of it. Just opposite to the main temple on the side of the lake is standing a big pillar made of bricks & cement. It must definitely have some significance but I’m not aware of it. The architecture of the temple is still intact depicting the creativity of the people of that era as it is one of the oldest temples standing in Lonar.

Outside the temple, there is a big banyan tree which is having certain things tied up to its branches by the people who have their belief in the deity and wished her for the fulfillment of their wishes. Under the tree, two pairs of stones are kept on one another painted in orange color same as Lord Hanuman’s. Initially, we just noticed them but thought to enjoy the beauty of the Lake and went by the shore of it to take pictures. While we were busy with our cameras, we noticed a group of locals came and sat by the side of those stones.

Out of curiosity we reached there and asked them what they were doing. They told us that if they would move one of the stones of one of the pair, then other stone on another pair would move automatically. If it happens then their wish will definitely be granted by Kamalja Devi. We stood there and noticed their moves for a while. You can also try the same when you go there and let me know if you could move the stone.

The locals trying their luck

The Watch Tower

We started to ascend to the periphery by a different route which lies on the side of the Kamalja Devi Temple. The route was told by the locals. This route directly took us to the Watch Tower which is standing there to provide a full bird's eye view of Lonar Crater. We got to the top of the Watch Tower so that our camera could make good use of itself.

We came back to our rooms, got ready for the day and checked out the guest house only to explore Lonar further.

Other Places which you must visit with Lonar Lake:

• Daitya Sudan Temple: It is a must visit if you are interested in Khajuraho Temples as it is said to be a mini replica of them. Built by Chalukya Dynasty anytime between 6^th and 12^th century AD.
• Gomukh: It is a perennial source of fresh water with some masonry work done by Peshwas to channelize the water.
• Motha Maruti Temple: As per legends, Hanuman Statue is said to be the actual piece of the meteorite and has magnetic properties.
• Kamalja Devi Temple: The local deity temple on the bank of Lonar Crater Lake.

Bhangarh Fort – An unsolved mystery or really spooky?

So infamous for its paranormal activities since centuries, that locals have started calling it Bhoot Bangla or Bhoot Bhangarh instead of Bhangarh. Infact many sites/blogs rate it as the top most haunted place in India or some say that for Asia. You search in Google – “the most haunted place in India”, and every other link on first page itself, will start boasting about Bhangarh and its tales.

Today only ruins exist in Bhangarh but it is said to be a sprawling area once. Built in later half of 16^th Century by Man Singh I for his younger brother Madho Singh I, it got demolished in quite surprising way for which no written evidence is available till today (The day I’m writing ;) ) but there are two stories which are quite famous among locals.

Legend I: As per this famous legend, Bhangarh got cursed by an ascetic named Baba Balak Nath. The city was said to be established with the permission of him with one condition which said that any building inside the fort should not be taller than his place. But fate always plays its role, one descendant, who was unaware of this condition, raised height of the palace, and it shadowed the place of the ascetic. The alleged prophecy stood fulfilled and fort got devastated in no time. By then it is said that all those spirits have haunted the area and no one dares to build a house with roof nearby.  Even if they try, it gets collapse the following night.     

Legend II: This second legend is more famous than first one, which says that Princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh was so beautiful that a black magician fell in love with her. He used his black magic and replaced a ittar (scent) bottle which Ratnavati was supposed to use, to make her fall in love with him. She was being not only beautiful but intelligent too, sensed it and threw the bewitched scent over a big boulder. The boulder started rolling towards the magician and crushed him. Before the last breath, he cursed that Bhangarh would be destroyed soon such that no one would ever be able to live here and see morning sun. 

Within a year, Bhangarh fort was invaded by Mughals and city got sacked. All the people in the fort were killed in that war. The place is said to be haunted since.

Following above legend,some of the locals also believe that Bhangarh will come alive once Ratnavati, the cursed princess, will enter into its boundaries again. She has said to be taken birth in one of the households. Good luck Bhangarhis!!!

Chattri of Baba Balak Nath at the Top

I am so fond of haunted places, that the moment I got to know about Bhangarh, I was sure that I was going to visit it very soon. Somehow plan got delayed a little, but I got more curious to reach Bhangarh with every passing day.

Then came the D-Day when I with 3 other friends of mine planned for Jaipur trip. Thanks to Asit who used to work in night shifts those days so we could only start by early in the morning which actually triggered the opportunity to see some of the places en-route Jaipur including mysterious Bhangarh Fort.

It is located on the border of Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar District of Rajasthan, India. From Delhi, it’s just 300 kms drive away while from Jaipur, it’s around 100 kms which makes it a perfect location for one-day trip anytime when weather is not too hot. Since it is located in Aravali valley, so going after monsoon can be a good idea to encounter its beauty with the greenery.

We crossed Sariska around 2 in the afternoon. Not sure about the reason, but I started to feel little eerie once we were in the nearby village, Azamgarh. In the village, most of the houses are having temporary roofs and because of no proper roofs, balconies are not at all there. I was constantly thinking that walls of the houses are straight in a strange way but then noticed the roofs and understood that they can’t have balconies at all with the temporary roofs. It was ultimately making houses to look little different & creating background for one of the legends of haunted Bhangarh.

House with temporary roof in nearby village Azamgarh

After the village Azamgarh, roads were almost lonely and that creepy feel inside me continued. Since I already knew the haunted stories of Bhangarh; so I guess my mind was playing with me. Anyways we reached to the entrance of the Fort by 3:15PM, in excitement, I forgot all those strange feelings & started to look for the famous ASI board which has timings written on it. As expected it was clearly written on the board that no human is allowed inside the fort after the sunset. But to me, it looked like any other board outside ASI protected sites.

ASI has placed a map of whole fort inside the main gate according to which fort has 5 Gates in total – Lahori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Hanuman Gate, Phulbari Gate and Delhi Gate. Hanuman Gate was the one through which we entered inside the fort walls. But as far as I could understand, it is the only gate through which entry is allowed inside the fort now.

The very first thing to notice from the gate is Lord Hanuman Temple. It is quite surprising to believe if Bhangarh is really haunted if Lord Hanuman is sitting at its entrance.

We were quite excited to ‘what happens next’ and were walking in enthusiasm. Next was a long dilapidated pavilion which is called as “Jowhri Bazar”. It is said that in old times this place used to have market where diamond and gold jewelers used to sell their ornaments. We encountered some of the peacocks there :) as a symbol of beauty in current era.

Ruins of Jowhri Bazaar

After Jowhri Bazaar is “Dancer’s Haveli”, which is believed to be the residence of then Dancers in the palace. Pavilion is long and full of ruins, but ruins have only the walls not the roofs. All these things were compelling us to believe the famous legends.

Then was the 2^nd level gate which is covered with a weird shaped Banyan Tree. Main Palace is still little far from this gate and there is a big open area in between. On the one side of which is Gopinath Temple, standing on a high platform but surprisingly without any deity. Contrast to its surroundings, this temple is quite intact, well preserved. Architecturally it’s a beautiful temple. On the other side is Shiva Temple, which is having Nandi idol opposite to Shivalinga like all other Shiva temples but unlike other temples inside the fort which are not having any idols. There is a pool beside it which is getting water from the perennial stream of water, which according to locals, is originating in the snake infested sandal woods around the area (you can consider it as another mystery).

Gopinath Temple

Another noticeable thing inside Bhangarh is - there are so many temple premises but majority of them are without idols. I tried to find out the reason behind this but failed. Some of them are Mangla Devi Temple, Keshav Rai Temple, Someshwara Temple, Ganesha Temple etc, but all are in ruins. We could not visit all of them as we were running out of time, please visit them and let me know how they are.

Banyan Tree outside 2nd Gate

We walked to the main fort area which was once called the Royal Palace. Here is the 3^rd and final level Gate for the Fort. Since it is located at the base of Aravali Hills, so pavement to reach inside is little sloppy. Every step and every turn was tempting us to click pictures with it.

Royal Palace

We all were exploring it and clicking pictures like we would have done in any other ruin, infact architecturally beautiful ruin, without getting affected of any presence of ghosts there. Some rooms/corridors of it are so dark that sun light is not able to reach there even in the day time. In one of the small rooms, I could find a square opening in the floor with the help of the light of my phone. I tried to go down but it was pitch dark so could not dare to do so. Later in Jaipur, during a conversation, manager of the Hotel told me that that opening is actually the Gateway to Ghostly world inside Bhangarh. According to him, the same palace which exists above the ground, lies below the ground. But once you get down through that hole, you will never be able to come back. This was his part of story, I’m still not sure whether I should trust it or not.

We were so lost in its beauty or to find something haunted, that we did not realize when we reached to the top of the fort until we saw a big terrace full of stones and mesmerizing view of the surroundings along with complete view of the Fort. The Royal Palace is said to have seven storeys, out of which only four are remaining now. Whole Township was protected by three successive fortifications which was quite visible from the terrace. We were enjoying the views but then suddenly Asit said that he was having an unusual uneasy feel in his head (something ghostly), and asking us to move out as soon as possible. Without thinking twice, we started to descend. By the time sun had already set. After coming down, I asked him to stay little more but he was still not interested, so we started towards the main gate.

View from the Top of the Royal Palace

P.S. : On the way to the outer gate, near to the Banyan tree, I noticed a person beside the wall on little distance with his back towards us, his hair was too weird. His overall look was strange & I just kept on staring at him but could not see him moving. I’m still in doubt while writing this post was he just another commoner or someone else?

We then came outside the main gate and started the car which stopped after a little distance.

No, it did not stop automatically but we could see a road side vendor selling the hot spicy pakodas. We were very hungry so it was time to make our stomach full, before embarking our journey to Jaipur.

Some General Details :

• From Delhi, its just 300 kms drive away while from Jaipur, its just 100 kms. But there are very few petrol pumps in nearby areas, so plan accordingly.
• Timings : Sunrise to Sunset
• Entry Fee : No Entry Fee
• Visit Duration : Minimum 2-3hrs, if you are interested in photography and architecture.
• Kind of Place : During day time, it's considered as beautiful ruins but in night, enter at your own risk.
• Take sufficient snacks/water with you as there is no shop/stall outside the fort.
• ASI does not allow to enter this place after sunset, so plan your trip such that you enter the fort by 2 PM.
• Stay Options : There is no place to stay nearby as it is infamous for being haunted especially during night time, so plan to leave this place such that you can reach to nearby town in time.
• For one-day trip, plan to combine it with a visit to Sariska Tiger Reserve, Siliserh Lake and Tijara Jain Temple.