Rajasthan: Ramgarh Crater to be developed into Geo Heritage tourist destination

The third crater in the country and the first in Rajasthan, the Ramgarh Crater, is being developed as a tourist destination by the tourism department of Rajasthan. Situated at a distance of about forty kilometres from the Baran district headquarters, it is a geo-heritage zone believed to be millions of years old.

Director of the Tourism Department, Dr Rashmi Sharma said that it will emerge as the most favourite tourist destination of the country including Rajasthan as it is a perfect mix of geology, archaeology and history with natural beauty to attract tourists. It has been declared as a protected forest area by the forest department.

Rajasthan govt to spend ₹57 crore on Ramgarh crater

"The state government will spend Rs 57.22 crore to develop it as a Geo Heritage tourist destination. development works are being carried out here for the beautification of the lake, construction of infrastructure and other works," said Sharma.

The state government is working here for the construction of a high-quality road, nature trail, entry gate, information centre, knowledge centre and cafeteria. Beautification of the crater lake, construction of a jetty, development of gardens, development of the green area, a ropeway to reach the temple located here, construction of entrance gate and signage, electricity, drip irrigation and other works.

Other tourist attractions around crater

Besides the crater, there are other attractions also for tourists in the area. Deputy Director of the Tourism Department Dalip Singh Rathore said that among the other attractions, there is an ancient Shiva temple of the tenth century of Khajuraho style situated in the periphery of this crater. It is called Mini Khujraho. There are two lakes located inside this structure which are the natural habitat of many migratory birds. There is also a 950-year-old Devi temple, along with a group of very ancient temples. Migratory birds and animals like chital deer and wild boar are also found here.

Ramgarh crater formed around 600 million years ago

Notably, there are three craters in the country. The first two are Lunar Crater in Maharashtra and Dhala Crater in Madhya Pradesh. Ramgarh is the third one with a diameter of 3.5 km, it was discovered in the year 1869. It is believed that this crater was formed by the impact of a meteorite falling from space around 600 million years ago.