“A demon?” exclaimed Taran. “…and a lake created by an impact of a meteor! Wow, this is like the plot of a fantasy novel!”
They walked up to a vantage point. “So Lonar Lake was created when a meteorite struck Earth in the Ice Age, about 56,000 years ago. It is supposed to be the world’s third largest crater. This site has seen many geologists and scientists poking about. “It’s almost a perfect circle,” observed Amma, looking at the lake’s circumference from a height.
“And was the demon in the lake?” asked Taran while taking some pictures.
“Let’s walk to the Daitya Sudan Vishnu temple and get some answers,” said Appa. The temple was ancient and built to look like a star. A board said it had been built by the Chalukyas around the sixth century CE.
Mythical background
The priest explained that the image of Vishnu in the inner sanctum was made of a metal that looked almost like stone. “Lonasura was a demon who lived here with his sisters. He had become a nuisance to humans and the Gods. Lord Vishnu came down to Earth as Daitya Sudan and befriended Lonasura’s sisters. He learnt of the demon’s hiding place nearby. It is said that he uncovered the den with his little toe and destroyed the demon in a single combat. The blood and remains of the demon are supposed to have created the lake. Some versions say that the demon lived in the lake.”
Taran listened intently. “Wow! This beats the Scottish Loch Ness Monster myth,” he whispered. The priest said there were many other ancient temples scattered around the lake and recommended a visit to the Gomukh temple. “This temple is at the rim of the crater, which has a continuous source of sweet water all through the year.”
They climbed down a steep descent to see this wonder. “Look amma, the water source has an opening like a cow’s mouth. I guess that’s why it’s called Gomukh.”
Some children were splashing about in the temple pond. The water was clean. Taran decided to join the merry revellers. Soon they were back at the lake trying to take some more shots at sun set.
Scene of collision
“I cannot believe a meteorite struck this point some 56,000 years ago! Makes me feel so small and insignificant; like a speck in the universe,” sighed Taran.
“I read there was a study conducted that concluded that the soil from this region is very similar to lunar-moon rocks. Perhaps due to the crashing meteorite. Though for a long time, geologists thought the crater was caused by a volcano, till they figured out it was a foreign object,” noted Amma.
The setting sun created an orange-red surreal atmosphere. Taran looked up to the sky, “It’s so quiet here. It’s hard to imagine all the intergalactic activity. And here we are standing where the Earth collided with a rock from outer space. How cool is that!”
Amma and Appa nodded. Sometimes no words were needed. They all huddled in silence just a little bit longer before making their way to the car.
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