Lonar Crater Lake

Lonar is a small town in Buldhana district of Maharashtra close to Aurangabad. It is famous tourist place for Lonar lake formed in a crater from a meteorite hit some 50,000 years ago.

Bus or motor vehicle are the only means of transport to get to Lonar itself. The closest major city is Aurangabad approximately 3hrs / 160 km away by road and is connected among others to both Mumbai and Hyderabad with regular express rail and overnight coach services. The cities of Shegaon, Akola, Janla, Nanded and Washim are all reachable from Lonar and are well connected by road, rail and air. If travelling from Aurangabad try to get to Jalna which is nearer. From Jalna many buses are available. In case a direct bus to Lonar is not available, try to go to Sultanpur on Mumbai - Nagpur highway. The conveyance is better from there as both long distance and local buses are available from there.

Lonar is the pre-historic site of a meteor which crashed on earth some 50,000 years ago and formed a large crater in the ground. Though there are other impact craters in the world but this one is the only in basalt rock. The pH value of water in the lake which has formed in the crater is 10.7 which points to its alkaline nature. There are no living organisms in the lake and even trees whose roots get into the lake water die. This site is must visit for scientifically inclined and for others just for curiosity sake. Hang out by the lake and explore the flora and fauna of this beautiful place.

It is best enjoyed before sunset. One could go down upto water level and experience the water which is harmful. There is also a temple of Kamalja Devi at the edge of lake. Apart from lake one could visit Daityasudan Surya temple which is a small ruin of Khajuraho like temple. Gaimukh is a perennial source of fresh water with some masonry work done by Peshwas to channelize the water. Motha Maruti is a Hanuman temple built around a magnetic rock supposedly formed from meteor effect. One could visit the retired principal of the local school who accompanied various scientific expeditions in the region, including the one by NASA and has some research material with rock samples. There is an MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) resort near the crater and one could stay there for its absolute peaceful surroundings.

Lonar is a small town so most of the places are within walkable distances, there is also a Lonar Darshan bus every day which shows you around the important tourist attractions in Lonar, it is recommended to get the ticket the day before if possible.

How to Reach: By Air : Aurangabad, 122 km. By Rail : Jalna 90 Km - Washim : 75 Km.

Road distances from major cities : Mumbai-Aurangabad-Jalna-Lonar: 600 Km; Buldhana-Lonar: 95 Km; Aurangabad-Lonar: 145 Km.