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One of the strangest, loveliest and least known places in India is Lonar, in
Maharashtra state. It is about 170 kms from the town of Aurangabad which is the
famous jumping-off spot for the World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora. But Lonar
is, if that is possible, at least as interesting as these famous temple sites. In
some ways it is more so, because the central feature of Lonar is a massive crater
lake formed by a meteorite impact over 50,000 years ago! This crater is
the third largest in the world and the only one of its kind in India.
The Lonar crater and lake form not only a spectacular sight but over the centuries
they have evolved an ecosystem that is not replicated anywhere else in the state.
The surface diameter of the crater is 1.80 kms while the crater itself is nearly
132 meters deep. The waters are a unique, shifting combination of azure and turquoise
and parrot green when seen from the view point. This has something to do with the
fact that the meteorite is still dissolving itself into the water, and also contributes
to its enormous ph factor of 10.7.
Going down into the crater from the surface is an energetic business as there are
no handrails or elevators. There is a local belief that the crater itself is the
body of the genius loci, the goddess Lonar Devi and she does not take kindly
to construction on her sides. All previous attempts at making a sturdier staircase
have been washed away in the rains, and given the intensity of local feeling about
it, the authorities have been content with the traditional carved rock path. This
is quite steep and is much more difficult to go down than climb up, but the danger
is more in overactive imaginations than in anything else.
Once down, almost the first sight that greets you is a ruined temple set into a
dense forest. This was supposed to be a Rama temple but only the basic structure
in stone is left now. There are many temples set round the edge of the lake, all
of them constructed in the 12th-13th century in stone but the condition
of all of them is not encouraging. What is amazing is the fact that people transported
the stone down that steep face and then began to carve and build exactly as they
were doing upon the surface at the time. It is an astonishing testament to the energy
that would flame forth whenever the cause was a spiritual one. The Vishnu temple
and Devi temple are in better condition than the rest but unless you are very determined
you will find a full circuit around the lake a tiring business. It can easily take
up to three hours, and the temples are scattered all around the rim. It is best
to make an early descent as climbing back up under the midday sun is not the best
option. Fortunately, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has built a
tourist complex where all facilities are available. The sensible option is to drive
down from Aurangabad the previous evening and make the descent bright and early
the next day. That would give you adequate time to see all the temples, observe
the detailed carving and architectural styles, as well as fully soak in the forest
atmosphere of the crater.
For, the crater is host to many species of aquatic birds like flamingos, moorhen,
coots, and dabchick and so on. Peacocks are to be seen making spectacular glides
from tree to tree. Unlike the rest of the country they do not even need to forage
upon the ground; so plentiful is the insect and small prey population in the vegetation.
The trees grow to be rather tall and they form a canopy that filters
out most of the heat. It does tend to get a bit muggy with the unusual levels
of humidity. You can even see dung beetles the size of your palm busily rolling their
balls, right in your path. There is no danger of snakes but geckos abound. One feature
that has a potential to be a nuisance is the monkey population. They are immensely
territorial and throw fruits and twigs at your heads if you have ventured near the
trees they stake out. If this is close to running water, as the crater has many
little streams with cold water, they become agitated and one monkey actually peed
upon me. This was a pretty remarkable achievement as it was up a tree branch at
least 50-60 feet off the ground. It is also not a good idea to openly display food
as they will learn soon enough that tourists are easy prey.
But, the crater is not the only spot worth seeing in Lonar. A piece of the meteorite
had broken off and smashed into the ground about a kilometer away, forming the Ambar
Lake. It is a pleasant enough spot but entry is regulated by odd timings so just
a look will suffice. Oddly enough the water in this lake is nothing like the main
crater. Close by to the Ambar Lake is a nondescript little temple dedicated to Hanuman,
the Hindu god of strength and intelligence. What is interesting
is that the image of the god is an actual piece of the crater and for long its magnetic
properties had fascinated the people who built a temple to house it. The
god is supposed to be recumbent, resting after his mighty labors, well known in
Indian myth. The meteorite chunk is brightly painted in the orange color that is
preferred in this part of the world. The temple itself is a quiet, quaint little
spot but it has to be reached through a bedlam of a market place. Once you break
through, the landscape is the most flat and open space you will encounter for a
while and the temple is set in the middle of this nowhere. The temple is open all
day and there is no fuss about taking photographs. It is also mostly deserted all
day which makes it an unlikely area of silence in India. There is a well adjacent
to the temple, but the cool water is of dicey quality, so do not let thirst overcome
discretion.
One the way back to, or coming from, Aurangabad, you have to pass Lonar town which
is about 2-3 kms from the crater. 'Town' is not quite the right word, it looks like
something out of a Western, being dignified with township because it is a terminal
for state bus routes. The place is a chaotic, noisy, dusty mish-mash of grey cement
structures and multipurpose shops selling an assortment of useful products, mostly
in garish plastic, but the town also houses an incongruous miracle of sorts.
You take a turn off the main road into the road leading to the Jain temple, which
is next to the mosque. (This is India, such things are not only possible, they are
normal.) You twist past the mosque on a road which is really nothing more than an
alley, make a right turn and suddenly the dense crowded chaos gives way to a vast
stone courtyard, fenced in but open to the sky, and in the middle sits a
little black pearl of a temple built in the 10th century! Only in India are such
astonishing cultural treasures tucked away in such overwhelming obscurity.
This is the Daityasudan temple, dedicated to Vishnu, and in spite of all the obvious
ravages of time – it has no pinnacle for one – still in active daily use. This is
not a fossil but a living temple, and the locals are not only unaware of its antiquity
(the normal guess hazarded is 10,000 years!), they are bemused that anybody would
want to come there for cultural reasons instead of for worship.
The walls and pillars of the temple are full of elaborate and detailed carvings of
significant passages from Indian myth as well as of the other gods who were
in vogue in the 10th century. It is very similar in overall structural concepts
and construction to the famous Ambarnath Shiva temple near Bombay city which is
an exactly contemporary structure. Ask for "The old stone temple" if you want accurate
directions as nobody is aware of its official name. An interesting point about the
sculptures is that some of them manifest erotic features but these are usually partially
concealed in the niches and corners of the temple. That is easy to do as the temple
is one of multiple infoldments, built on the three tier philosophy of earth, sky
and heavenly levels of representation. Walking around the temple or merely taking
up a strategic position upon the platform and observing the sculpture in detail
is well worth the effort.
For those who are determined to squeeze out the maximum from such a trip, 22 kms
away is the town of Mehkar with an ancient temple too but the roads are not of an
encouraging variety. In any case the temples of Lonar are certain to take up most
of your day. Not only is it rewarding in itself, it also makes for a break from
the standard tourist circuit. However, the place is growing in popularity and in
another decade the now welcome absence of any tourist trap trash or touts may soon
become a dream.
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