Sanctuary | Wild Destination
KAUSTAV PATEL
By Purva Variyar and Gaurav Shirodkar
OF ALIEN ORIGINS AND
EARTHLY SPLENDOUR
Sanctuary’s Senior Editor and Science
Communicator Purva Variyar and Photo
Editor and Senior Naturalist Gaurav
Shirodkar talk about an obscure, yetenchanting destination in Maharashtra
called the Lonar crater, which they
recently visited. Extra-terrestrial origins,
unique soda lake, rare microbial life and
thriving forest, they discuss it all!We stood on the rim of a large bowl and looked
down at its spectacular contents. There it was, the mystical
place we had been meaning to visit ever since we had read
about it. The Lonar crater sat draped in its fi nery of green
forest circling the still lake at its center, as if protecting it
from alien intruders, who would fi rst have to brave their way
through the steep, dense vegetation, almost as if having to
earn the right to reach the lake.
It was about two years ago that we had fi rst read about
the formation of the Lonar crater. It was admittedly the alien