A God Descended from Heaven

Summary

J. J. Rawal’s article blends myth and science to describe Maharashtra’s Lonar crater lake. The near‑perfect circular crater, two kilometres across and 250 metres deep, is locally associated with legends: Bhima is said to have bathed there, and some believe it is the skull of the demon Lavaṇāsura. The lake is mentioned in Skanda and Padma purāṇas. Scientifically, Lonar is an impact crater created when a 50–100 m meteor struck the basaltic plateau about 50,000 years ago. Rawal explains that impact craters differ from volcanic craters and notes that meteoroids leave craters on planets and even spacecraft. Earth’s atmosphere burns up most meteors, but large bodies survive; the Lonar meteor entered at a shallow angle, creating a crater with a gently sloping eastern wall and steep western wall. Visitors can enter via the east and encounter temples along the path. Inside, the enclosing walls evoke the sense of a black hole; the high walls block wind, keeping the lake’s surface calm. A smaller crater east of the main lake may mark where a fragment landed. Local people believe the lake’s water cleans clothes well. During a recent dry spell, villagers saw a Śiva linga in the lake bed and glassy basalt chips. Basaltic rock from the crater is magnetic and used in houses and a Jain temple. Drilling by scientists found soil similar to lunar regolith. Rawal speculates that a Pārśvanātha icon carved from a magnetic rock may originate from the meteor itself, suggesting that “a god descended from heaven.”