THE LONAR ENIGMA There was atime, many millenniums ago when planet Earth was one huge 'Jurassic Park' wheredinosaurs roamed and ruled the land. One fine day, it is said that a huge meteorite came hurtling through space and rammedinto our planet. So great was the impact, that the aftermath of the collisionsaw the end of the era of the dinosaurs, each and every species being renderedextinct. There is a question though. Where is this meteorite and where on earthis any sign of this great cataclysmic collision? I would liketo think that it may well have happened here, in this remote area about 130 kmsto the east of Aurangabad, though according to scientists this collision happenedaround 52000 years ago many eons after the demise of the dinosaurs. These are thefacts. The meteorite that hit this area was around 2 kms in diameter. Theimpact of the collision was so great that it punctured a perfectly round hole,which is now a lake, with acircumference of 6 kms, at least 800 ft. deep. The meteor is presumablyembedded deep into the earth but it is probably responsible for the salt waterlake that has formed itself across the surface. Popular legendhas it that one or two small portions of the meteorite was found and an artisanof his time sculpted a statue of the Lord Hanuman, which lies under carefulgrills in a rather non descript temple, right next to a Muslim graveyard inthis little village. Many centurieslater, the Hoysala dynasty ruled a portion of South and Central India with thevillage of Lonar occupying a rather remote outpost. Yet, the Hoysala's thoughtthat there was a significance to Lonar and its co-incidental proximity to the Ellora caves (Ajanta having been lostin time and had yet to be discovered). And they built an exquisite temple closeby with a dedication to a god I am unable to identify. Here lies theenigma. (a) If it is truethat a meteorite resulted in the demise of the dinosaurs and this one here isnot the meteorite that caused their demise, then what was the effect of thishuge meteorite strike? (b) Is it just a coincidence that the wonders of Ellora and Ajantaare situate just a short distance, the way the crow flies, from what is said tobe the meteorite strike? (c) Was it ameteorite that struck planet earth with no visible after effects, or is thereanother explanation? While I don'thave any answers to the questions, a visit here makes for very unusualsightseeing. And an MTDC provides very reasonably priced accommodation. A great sidevisit to close out on Aurangabad sightseeing. Do see the pics. Munir Visram -- Munir H.VisramAdvocate & SolicitorHooseinally Visram & Co.211, Yusuf Building,49,Veer Nariman Road,Mumbai 400 001.Tel.No.22049723/22040664
