Saturday, October 4, 2008

Lonar crater

A 20-lakh tonne, 60-km wide meteorite travelling at about 90,000 km/hr dented the earth some 50,000 years ago. And we now recognize it as Lonar Crater. At about 145 kms from Aurangabad, Lonar should be in any travel lover’s itinerary for its sheer magnificence. September to March is the ideal time.

Trekking down to the crater will take an hour. For the less adventurous, there are steps as well. The ancient temples along the crater are in ruins. The forest and the lake support a variety for wildlife, though we could spot only some water birds. The rim of the crater stretches around 5 km. The ancient temples in the village also are worth visiting.

The crater


Kali-peeli (black & yellow) taxi-jeep packed full. Three of us were in the front seat, and I lost in the middle one

MTDC overlooking the crater

16-bed dorm for 4 people

Crater as seen from MTDC


Evening stroll along the rim





Back to hotel after the stroll

Next day, trekking down to the crater






One of the temples near the lake






Another temple. Or its ruins .... The guy in green shirt is our guide Anand Mishra. Read about him here





Sand pipers


Another temple. There's regular puja here



Back on the rim

The 5-km walk along the rim. Read a story about this here

Another temple in the village