Lonar

Lonar Lonar
city
Population  (2001)
• Total	20,082

Lonar is a town and a municipal council in Buldhana district of the division of Buldhana of the region of Vidarbha in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Lonar is a taluka of the district of Buldhana and is located near Mehkar. It is an important place in Buldhana district and is famous for Lonar crater and Lonar Lake, which is located at 19°58′N 76°30′E.

Lonar is situated around 550 km from Mumbai, around 160 km from Aurangabad and around 140 km via Buldhana with about 4½ hours drive southeast of the famous Ajanta Caves.

Geography

Lonar is located at 19°59′06″N 76°31′23″E. It has an average elevation of 563 metres (1847 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Lonar had a population of 20,082. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Lonar has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 58%. In Lonar, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

The nearest train station is Malkapur near Bhusawal railway-junction, on the Mumbai - Bhusawal - Nagpur route of Central Railway of Indian Rail and is around 100 km from Lonar. Buses also run to Lonar from Malkapur and Jalna.

Notable features

Meteorite crater at Lonar shot from the edge of the crater on the side of the MTDC resort.

Lonar Crater in the evening

The Lonar crater is the world's only salt water lake in basaltic rock, believed to have been caused by a meteorite hitting Earth around 50,000 years ago. It is surrounded by jungle with a large variety of birds, particularly peacocks, owls, red-wattled Lapwings and ducks. Thirteen temples surround the lake.

lonar is 11 km from Sultanpur

Side profile of the Daitya Sudan temple

The Daitya Sudan temple is carved in a style similar to Khajurao temples. It has an idol that is composed of a stone-like ore with a high metal content.