World’s Third Largest Crater – Lonar Crater Lake

By George On

Lonar Crater Lake is an oval-shaped Saline Soda Lake in the Buldana District of Maharastra, India. It was created due to a meteor or comet impact called the Pleistocene epoch. This lasted from about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago.

Lonar Crater
View of the meteorite crater at Lonar Crater.

Lonar Crater Lake is the world’s third-largest crater, a  vast expanse of sky-blue water-filled lake set within a magnificent forest.

The lake is a combination of alkaline and saline in nature. Biological Nitrogen fixation, a process by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into ammonia, occurs in this crater. The pH of Lonar Crater water is 11. The pH value of pure water is 7. This means that the water in Lonar Creator Lake is highly alkaline, unlike other lakes in India.

Lonar Crater Lake has a mean diameter of 3900 feet and is 449 feet below the crater rim. The meteor crater rim is about 5,900 feet in diameter.

Lonar Crater and surrounding forests are home to diverse flora and fauna.

Nearby Temples to Lunar

There are many ruins of ancient temples in and around Lonar. There are a few ancient temples in and around Lonar.

The most famous temple at Lonar is the Daitya Sudan Temple. It is a Vishnu temple built during the Chalukya Dynasty period between the 6th and 12th centuries. It is in the Hemadpanthi style of architecture.

Kamalja Devi Temple, located very close to the lake, has many carvings.

Gomukh Temple is situated along the crater’s rim with a perennial stream where pilgrims can take baths.

How Do I Go to  Lonar Crater Lake?

Jalna railway station is the nearest railway station. Its station code is J. Single alphabet station codes are rare in India. It is around 80 kilometers from Lonar.

There are many interesting facts about Indian railways. Some examples are two sides of a track having two station names, stations spread across two different states, stations inside a station, two coach passenger trains, etc. If you want more interesting facts about Indian Railways, please check The Indian Railways Fan Club.

Malkapur, with station code MKU near Bhusawal Junction station, is approximately 100 kilometers from Lonar. Shegaon, with station code SEG in Bulanda District, is 122 kilometers away.

The Nearest airport to Lonar is Aurangabad, which is at a distance of 122 kilometers.

Regular bus services are available from the Shivajinagar bus station in Pune. An online booking system for private buses is Redbus.