Lonar
Lonar
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Village in the Mehkar taluk of Buldana District, Berar,
situated in 19° 59' N. and 76° 33 E. Population (1901), 3,085. It is
a place of great antiquity, standing on a hill amid undulating highlands,
among which lies the salt lake of Lonar, the fabled den of the demon-
giant Lonasur, who was overcome in single combat by an incarnation
of Vishnu. The god assumed the form of a beautiful youth, and, with
the aid of the giant's two sisters, discovered his subterranean abode.
With a single touch of his toe he threw off the lid of the den, and found
the giant sleeping on his couch. A hill near Dhakephal, about '^d miles
south-west of Lonar, is said to be the lid of the lake thrown off by
Vishnu, and to coincide in shape and size with the top of the lake.
Lonasur was buried in the den or hollow now occupied by the great
lake, the water of which is supposed to be the giant's blood. Lonar has
ever since been held in great veneration.
The view of the lake is very striking. It is surrounded by a circular ridge of hills about 400 feet high, among which are several old temples and ruins of other monuments. From a crevice on the southern ridge flows an ample spring of sweet water, wdth a temple at the fountain head. This temple is the finest specimen of Hemadpanti architecture in Berar. The hollow is very nearly circular, a little more than a mile in diameter and from 300 to 400 feet deep. At the bottom lies a shallow lake of water, without any apparent outlet, and charged with sodium chloride and sodium carbonate. The sides of the hollow to the north and north-east are absolutely level with the surrounding country, while on other sides there is a raised rim, from 40 to 100 feet in height, com- posed of irregularly piled blocks of basalt similar to that which forms the horizontal sheets of lava around. The most plausible explanation for this peculiar hollow is that which ascribes it to a violent gaseous explosion, which must have occurred long after the eruption of the Deccan traps, and in comparatively recent times. Similar explosion-craters occur in the Lower Chindwin District in Upper Burma. Lonar is described in the Ain-i-Akbart, where it is mentioned that the Brahmans call the place Bishan (Vishnu) Gaya.
Wetland/ crater
Anil Jadhav, Feb 1, 2026: The Times of India
Lonar Lake, the 50,000-year-old meteorite-impact crater in Buldhana district, has long drawn scientists and tourists for its rare ecology, high salinity and distinctive pH. After years of concern over human pressure on the site, the lake is now facing a more immediate threat: a sharp, unexplained rise in water level that is not only threatening to alter the very character of the lake but also swallowing parts of its shoreline heritage.Since September last year, the water level at the lake has risen 15-20 foot, leaving several ancient Shiva temples and the Kamalja Devi Temple — clustered along the banks — partly submerged. The water level began rising during the 2025 monsoon. Conservationists warn that delays in identifying the source could endanger Lonar's biodiversity and its geological legacy.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the situation and ordered a public interest litigation. A division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode appointed Mohit Khajanchi as amicus curiae. The court also sought replies from various state departments.
In absence of an official, scientifically-backed explanation, experts remain divided. One view attributes the rise to sustained freshwater inflow from four perennial springs around the crater, a change that could dilute salinity and alter the lake's chemistry. Some also point to reports of fish appearing in the lake, raising concerns about disruption to an ecosystem considered globally significant for research. Another group says the increase is being driven by sewage inflow.
Environmentalist Prof Atul Bodkhe, who has tracked the lake for years, said the springs are not new and had never been linked to such a surge. He argued that additional water sources must be entering the lake and urged the forest department to undertake continuous monitoring and publish scientific findings.
Rajendra Dhongde, a retired range forest officer who has studied Lonar extensively, said multiple factors require verification: sewage inflow, heavy monsoon rainfall, and possible percolation from the Kini Percolation Tank about two kilometres away. He noted that nearly 700 shanties once stood near the lake but were relocated in 2022, questioning whether sewage alone can explain the current rise. Dhongde also called for a groundwater-current survey, citing increased porosity and altered subsurface flow due to extensive borewells around the crater ridge, where tourism-related development is expanding.
He warned that activity near the eco-sensitive zone is weakening the crater's ridge—its ejecta blanket—through deforestation and land disturbance, accelerating erosion and instability. He urged urgent measures to arrest the water-level rise and safeguard the lake's fragile biodiversity. # Amicus curiae's suggestions: Mohit P Khajanchi, amicus curiae appointed on January 21 by the Nagpur bench of Bombay HC, made his submission on January 28. He prayed for various court directives...— Principal secretary, Water Resources Department and Buldhana collector need to implement an emergency water diversion plan to prevent excessive inflow of water in Lonar crater and further submergence of the Kamalja Devi temple and other protected 1,200 years old temples and heritage structures on the Lake's rimIIT-Bombay should immediately conduct study and publish a report identifying the source of excessive water inflow into the crater and suggest measures to stop it— Principal secretary, Environment and Climate Change, MPCB, and Union of India through its secretary, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, need to establish a real-time Water Quality Monitoring Station at Lonar crater site to crack an alarming drop in pH and salinity levels.— Appointment of an independent expert committee to suggest and implement effective measures for preservation and restoration of Lonar crater to its natural state# UNESCO World Heritage Site Tag Remains A Far CryThe state govt is actively working to secure UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the Lonar Lake, but the development is going on at a snail's pace and falls short of global standards.
Known more as an archaeological site than a wetland, Lonar Lake is a fit case for UNESCO recognition. Despite the lake area having 15 ancient temples, some of them dating back to over 1,200 years, the Lonar Crater Development Committee, constituted on the directives of Bombay High Court, seems to have done little to improve the infrastructure.
Basic infrastructure, from public washrooms to scientific interpretation centre, remains abysmal. The govt framed a `370 crore plan to boost tourism, conservation, and infrastructure in 2022, but very little has been accomplished.
Though the forest department is trying to address the issue, it has to work within the constraints of the Wildlife Protection Act.# Plummeting pH level a concernLonar Lake is a victim of neglect like two other Ramsar sites in Maharashtra — Nandur Madhameshwar in Nashik, and Thane Creek.
The lake, which stood a world apart due to its high salinity and pH level of 11.5, is now on the verge of losing its uniqueness. "Home to unique microbes and biodiversity, the lake threw up a surprise last year when fish were spotted in it," said Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) head Kishore Rithe while talking to the TOI. "Lonar Lake is not known to host fish given its caustic nature. But the inflow of freshwater must have diluted the conditions," he said.
Expressing concern over plummeting pH of Lonar Lake (from 11.5 to nearly 8.5), Rithe suggests that govt should immediately collect water samples and check. "What is more important for Lonar is the unique pH of its wetland," he said.On HC directives, conservation efforts were initiated including ornithology courses through BNHS, wetland management plan by the govt, and awareness and community involvement. But lot more needs to be done.
