Lonar

The only hypervelocity crater in basaltic rock in the world is in Lonar, Maharashtra. This crater was created by a meteor crashing into the earth  during the Pleistocene Epoch.

The Lonar crater has a circumference of around 4.8kms and the circular depression bears a saline water lake in its central portion. The crater's age is usually estimated to be 52,000 ± 6,000 years (Pleistocene), although a study published in 2010 gives it an age of 570,000 ± 47,000 years. The lake was initially believed to be of volcanic origin, but now it is recognized as an impact crater created by the hypervelocity impact of either a comet or a meteorite.

There are a number of temples all around but we visited just a couple of them.

One was of a reclining Hanuman. This temple happens to be on the personal property of the 

Kanitkar family as per the notice outside the temple which also houses a Shiva ling.

Then there is a Vishnu temple dating back to the 13^th century. As per local legend Lord Vishnu battled and defeated some demons in a fierce battle, after which he did not find water to wash the blood off his hands. So he shot an arrow into the ground and got the Ganga river flowing all the

way from the Himalayas. Hence this spot is marked by a spout from which flows ‘Ganga Bhogawati’ into a tank just outside the temple, and flows into the Lonar lake.

The Lonar lake surroundings are magical in the evenings when the sun sets. It is also host to a lot of birds and other wildlife. Indeed an exotic place to spend a day or two.

MTDC has a vast property there with decent enough accommodation and tolerable cuisine.

Lonar is at a distance of around 550kms from Mumbai and 160kms from Aurangabad. Both Mumbai and Aurangabad are well connected to all points in India by rail, air and road.

If you are visiting the Ajanta and Ellora caves, you may plan a day trip to Lonar and you will not regret it. If you have more time, you can climb down to the bottom of the crater, walk around the circumference and am sure you will definitely enjoy being part of nature.

Ellora Caves

The parking lot at Ellora is right in front of the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16). The Great Kailasa is attributed to Krishna I (c. 757-83 A.D.), the successor and uncle of Dantidurga. A copper plate grant from Baroda of the period of Karka II (c. 812-13 A.D.) speaks about the greatness of this edifice. Ellora represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple complexes in the entire world, that too of three different religions - Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism. These caves are hewn out of the volcanic basaltic formation of Maharashtra, known as ‘Deccan Trap’, the term trap being of Scandinavian origin representing the step like formation of the volcanic deposits. The rock formation, on weathering has given rise to the appearance of terraces with flat summits. One can also have a glimpse of the channels (near Cave 32) through which the volcanic lava once flowed. These channels, due to overheating, have a characteristic brownish red colour. The basaltic rock is ideal for rock hewing, as it is soft during the initial excavation and hardens on exposure to environment. This induced the religious followers of various creeds to establish their settlements in them. The Ellora caves are datable from circa 6th - 7th century A.D. to 11th - 12th century A.D. There are nearly 100 caves of which 34 caves are popular and visited by many tourists. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist; Caves 13 to 29 are Brahmanical and Caves 30 to 34 are Jaina. Thus, we have the greatest religious conglomeration at a single place, signifying the religious tolerance and solidarity of different faiths. The caves are excavated in the scarp of a large plateau, running in a north-south direction for nearly 2 km, the scarp being in the form of a semi-circle, the Buddhist group at the right arc on the south, while the Jaina group at the left arc on the north and the Brahmanical group at the centre. A tourist can plan the visit of these caves according to the time available and depending upon the interest in ancient art. If a visitor has at his disposal three to four hours, then Cave nos. 10 (Visvakarma Cave), 16 (Kailasa), 21 (Ramesvara) and 32 & 34 (Jaina group of caves) should not be missed and one can have a glimpse of the representative art of Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism. If a visitor has an entire day at his disposal, then Cave nos. 2, 5, 10 & 12 of the Buddhist group; Cave nos. 14, 15, 16, 21 & 29 of the Brahmanical group and Caves 32 to 34 of the Jaina group should be visited. All this valuable information about the caves has been gleaned from the Archaeological Survey of India’s website We had barely a couple of hours, hence just reveled in the beauty of Cave 16 and visited Caves 10 & 12. The sunset from Ellora is also worth a view and we spent some time gazing at the beautiful sight. On return to the parking lot, we were surprised to see a bunch of langurs being fed peanuts by tourists. We were told by the peanut vendors that these monkeys are harmless and will wait patiently for the visitors to feed them. You buy a packet of peanuts worth Rs.5/- and empty them out on your palm and hold it out to the langur. The langur will then amble towards you, hold your hand and pick out the peanut with the other hand and eat! So friendly! Our only regret was we could not see more of Ellora and missed out on the other two major attractions of Aurangabad – the Daulatabad Fort and Paanchakki. Hopefully will do that some other time. Some important information about Ellora Caves Open from sunrise to sunset Closed on Tuesday Entrance Fee: Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 10 per head. Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head (children up to 15 years free)

Ajanta caves

Though we had planned to leave from the MTDC resort in Aurangabad by 0700hrs for Ajanta caves, we could leave only around 0830hrs, thanks to their laid-back restaurant service. It took us two and a half hours to cover the 105kms to Ajanta. The roads and signage all the way were pretty good. Four kms from the caves there is a huge parking lot where all vehicles have to be parked. From hereon you have to use the environment friendly buses run by the authorities. The charges for the shuttle service are Rs7/- one way by non-aircon and Rs.15/- one way by the aircon buses.

The distance between the parking lot and the Bus Bay is filled with stalls selling souvenirs, snacks and bottled water. At the base of the caves too, there is an MTDC restaurant, just after you purchase the entrance tickets. Since the usage of flash for photography in the caves is prohibited, they have installed fibre optic lights, which will be switched on for you on production of a Rs.5/- ticket that has to be purchased at the time of purchasing entrance tickets. The caves attained the name from a nearby village named Ajanta. Apparently, these caves were discovered by an Army Officer in the Madras Regiment of the British Army in 1819 during one of his hunting expeditions. The official guide’s charges are Rs.600/- (non negotiable) or you can avail the services of the freelancers at the door of every cave who will do the job per cave (Rs.20/- to Rs.50/-) or all caves for Rs.300/-. All rates negotiable.

The caves, famous for its murals, are the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting. They were excavated (circa. 2nd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.) in the shape of a horseshoe, overlooking a narrow stream known as Waghora and each cave was connected to the stream by a flight of steps, which are now almost obliterated.

Totally, 30 excavations were hewn out of rock including an unfinished one. The earliest excavations belong to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism. These caves are datable to the pre-Christian era, the earliest among them being Cave 10 dating from the second century B.C.

The object of worship is a stupa and these caves exhibit the imitation of wooden construction to the extent that the rafters and beams are also sculpted even though they are non-functional.

The world famous paintings at Ajanta fall into two broad phases. The earliest, in cave nos. 9 & 10, are datable to second century B.C. The second phase of paintings started around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. and continued for the next two centuries. These exemplary paintings of the Vakataka period can be seen in cave nos. 1, 2, 16 and 17. The main theme of the paintings is the depiction of various Jataka stories, different incidents associated with the life of Buddha, and the contemporary events and social life.

The ceiling decoration invariably consists of decorative patterns, geometrical as well as floral. The paintings were executed after the elaborate preparation of the rock surface by chiseling grooves so that the layer applied over it could be held in an effective manner. The chief binding material used here was glue. These paintings are not frescoes as they have been painted with the aid of a binding agent, whereas in frescoes, the paintings are executed while the lime wash is still wet and acts as an intrinsic binding agent. It took us about three hours to explore Ajanta so on return near the parking lot, we fortified ourselves with some hot ‘Puri Bhaaji’ and ‘Aloo Parathas’ at one of the ‘fast food stalls’.

Grishneshwar

Grishneshwar Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and a must visit for all Lord Shiva devotees. It is located just ½ km from Ellora Caves and has some interesting legends. One of them is about how, while playing chess, Lord Shiva lost to Parvati and on a whim, he went south to the forest of Kamyavana. Parvati followed and wooed him resulting in the two deciding to stay there for a few days.

One day Parvati was thirsty and there was no water nearby so Shiva pierced the earth with his trident and created a lake. This lake came to be known as Shivalay. The legend continues with Parvati preparing sindur. Sindur is a paste made from vermilion powder, which married women apply in the hair parting on their forehead, to indicate that they are married. As Parvati was rubbing the vermilion powder and water with her thumb, the vermilion turned into a lingam and a great light appeared in it. Parvati installed the lingam there and called it Grishneshwar, because it was created by “grishna” or friction of her thumb.

Another legend is from Shivapurana, which narrates a tale about a Brahmin named Sudharm and his wife Sudeha who lived in Devagiri. They lived happily but for the fact that they were childless. Sudeha blamed herself for this and to ensure that her husband’s lineage continued, she got her sister Ghushma married to Sudharm. She also instructed Ghushma to make 101 lingams, worship them at Grishneshwar and then immerse them in the Shivalay Lake. Soon, with the blessings of Shiva, a boy was born to Ghushma after which Sudeha felt neglected, resulting in jealousy and a murder most foul. She killed Ghushma’s son and threw him in the lake. When his wife awoke, she saw that instead of her husband there was a blood stained sheet and in a panic went and informed Ghushma, her mother in law, who was busy praying and so did not respond and continued with her daily rituals. When she went to immerse the lingams, she saw her son emerge from the lake. Then Shiva appeared before her and told her that Sudeha had killed her son. Ghushma requested Shiva to forgive her sister. Pleased with her devotion and generosity, Shiva offered her a boon. Ghushma requested Shiva to eternally reside there so that she could worship him up close. Shiva agreed and decreed that the shrine be named Ghushmeshwar. Hence, the temple is known by both the names ‘Grishneshwar’ and ‘Ghushmeshwar’.

The temple looks as if it is built with redstone. As per the ‘Archaeological Survey of India’, quote, “The Ellora caves are hewn out of the volcanic basaltic formation of Maharashtra, known as ‘Deccan Trap’, the term trap being of Scandinavian origin representing the step like formation of the volcanic deposits. These channels, due to overheating, have a characteristic brownish red colour. Similar rock was used in the construction of the Grishneshwar Temple nearby and also utilised for the flooring of the pathways at Bibi-ka-Maqbara.” Unquote.

There are carvings all over the temple and the pillars within.

To enter the sanctum sanctorum the males have to be topless. Photography in the sanctum is prohibited.

The langurs have a free run outside the temple. Was fun watching and clicking them.

The Grishneshwar temple was re-constructed by Maloji Raje Bhosale of Verul, (grandfather of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) in the 16th century. His Samadhi is outside the temple.

Temple Timings Open 5.30 am - 9.30 pm

During Shravan (Aug-Sep): 3 am - 11 pm

Bibi-ka-Maqbara

Taj Mahal, the pinnacle of Mughal architecture, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658), in the memory of his queen Arjumand Bano Begum. Inspired by this wonder, Emperor Shah Jahan’s grandson Prince Azam Shah, built a similar mausoleum near Aurangabad, in memory of his mother, between 1651 and 1661 A.D.

Bibi-ka-maqbara, as it is called, is a beautiful mausoleum of Rabia-ul-Daurani alias Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707 A.D.). An inscription on the main entrance door states that it was designed and erected by Ata-ullah, an architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer. Though Azam Shah wanted to construct the monument wholly in marble, it was not to be as his father Aurangzeb was not in favor of building a monument as lavish as the Taj and even blocked the transportation of marble that was being procured from the mines near Jaipur. Somehow, Azam Shah prevailed upon his father who eventually relented and ultimately the "Taj of Deccan" was constructed, though a poor imitation, hence also known as the poor man’s Taj!

It is built on a high square platform with four minarets at its corners, and is encased with marble up to the dado level. Above the dado level, it is constructed of basaltic trap up to the base of dome, which is built of marble. A fine plaster covers the basaltic trap, given a fine polished finish, and adorned with fine stucco decorations.

The mortal remains of Rabia-ul-Daurani are placed below the ground level surrounded by an octagonal marble screen with exquisite designs, which can be approached by descending a flight of steps. The mausoleum is crowned by a dome pierced with trellis works and accompanying panels decorated with floral designs.

One enters the mausoleum through the main entrance gate on its south, which has excellent foliage designs on brass plates that cover the wooden doors. A screened pathway that leads to the mausoleum from the entrance has a series of fountains at its centre, which adds to the serene ambiance. As you approach the monument, you notice that there is only one mosque on the main plinth of the Maqbara as against the two mosques on either side of the Taj, giving it symmetry. Apparently, this mosque was a later addition. Legend has it that in 1803, Nizam Sikander Jahan was so captivated by the Maqbara that when Aurangabad and the Marathwada area were annexed to his kingdom he had planned to shift the Maqbara to his capital, Hyderabad. He even ordered the dismantling of the monument, slab by slab, to facilitate the smooth transfer. But then, he had a premonition of some disaster, which would befall him, were he to harm the existing structure. Hence, he stopped the work and got the mosque built as penance. According to the "Tawarikh Namah" of Ghulam Mustafa, the cost of construction of the mausoleum was Rs.6,68,203-7 (Rupees Six Lakh, Sixty Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Three & Seven Annas) in 1651-1661 A.D. It is now a protected monument under The Archaeological Survey of India and a must see when in Aurangabad and is situated just around five kms from the city. Aurangabad is around 375kms from Mumbai.