Meteorite fall (>282 g, L4/5, S3) in Khalwat Limgaon (खवळट लिमगाव/खालवत लिमगाव), Wadvani, Majalgaon, Beed district, Maharashtra, India at ~1.45-2 or 2-2.20 pm IST (~8:15-8:30 or 8:30-8:50 UTC) on 3 March 2025

05/03/2025 23:27 · by karmaka · in ordinary chondrite, witnessed fall

Last update: 6 October 2025 (22:15 CEST)

Three meteorite masses or fragments (L4/5, S3) have been found in Khalwat Limgaon (खालवत लिमगाव or खवळट लिमगाव) around location 19°06’19.2″N, 76°04’55.1″E at three fall sites in the village. One mass (282 g, 7.8 cm long, 4.9 cm wide) pierced the tin-shed roof of 38-year old farmer Ramdas Bhikaji Ambure’s courtyard. According to Ramdas Bhikaji Ambure/Bhikaji Ambhore/Bhikaji Gyanoba Ambhore (भिकाजी ज्ञानोबा अंबुरे) the women of the household were sitting outside of their house while eating when they and other villagers heard three loud booms in the sky. According to some villagers it happened between 14:00 and 14:20 IST (Indian Standard Time). Reports say that at that moment Ramdas Bhikaji Ambure was worshipping in the village temple until his wife called him in fear because his 9-year-old son Atharva was injured by a cement slab during an impact on their roof. When he went into the house he saw the hole in the tin roof. A clay stove was also hit by the meteorite. The found mass reportedly felt very cool when it was touched first. According to Bhikaji Gyanoba Ambure two other masses have fallen in the village as well. One intact meteorite (or a fragment of the mass which pierced the roof) fell on the roof of the Ambhore family’s house as well, bounced off and then fell on the village road next to it. This mass or fragment later was broken open by Ambure to see how it locked inside. A third mass fell on a barren field very close to location ~ 19°06’13.0″N 76°04’43.2″E where some children were playing cricket at the time of the fall. This concrete impact on the ground of the field and the booms of the fragmenting meteoroid before were witnessed by these children playing in the field. According to the children the meteorite mass which fell on the field was ‘burning hot’ when they picked it up shortly after the fall. The two larger masses were handed over to the Beed district administration. According to Bhikaji Ambhore, shortly after the meteorites fell everyone got scared, then other villagers came to know what had happened. The villagers were initially afraid that more meteorites might fall during the following night and some did not sleep that night. On 5 March 2025 the director Dr Shriniwas Aundhkar and Abhinav Vitekar from APJ Abdul Kalam Astronomy and Space Science Center in Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) arrived at the fall site to inspect the meteorites. The meteorite, which pierced Ambure’s roof, and the one which hit the field both show some patches of fusion crust. They were taken into custody by scientists and then sent to the Geological Survey of India in Kolkata where they have been analysed scientifically. The third mass or fragment which ended up on the village road was not handed over to the scientists, because the finder had broken it into four fragments to take them to local temples. On 14 May 2025 it was reported that this meteorite mass or fragment was in fact missing. Apparently the family lost track of it while dealing with curious neighbours and the media rush this fall has caused. Ambhore regrets having given the other meteorites to the government officer since only later he learned about the material value of these meteorites. The family has not received any financial compensation for the removal of their meteorites. They later contacted the district collector’s office to try to get the meteorites which they had submitted back, but their request was denied.

दुपारी दोन वाजता आवाज झाला मी बाहेर बसलेलो होतो बाहेरून मध्ये येऊन बघितलं तर पत्राला ढवळा पडून खाली चून फुटली तर त्याच्यामुळे आमच्या इथे बाया पोरं जेवत होते त्याच्यामुळे आम्हाला भीती निर्माण झाली वाटतंय आणि पुन्हा गावात आणखीन दोन तीन जागेवर अशी दगडे पडले होते ते बी (Bhikaji Ambhore)

At 2 pm, there was a noise. I was sitting outside. When I came in from outside and saw that the roof had cracked and the lime had broken down. Because of this, our women and children were eating here. We felt scared. And again, such stones had fallen in two or three places in the village. (Bhikaji Ambhore)

“We were told that these rocks were from outer space. I immediately thought it must have some godly powers. Or some otherworldly magic. Have you watched Koi Mil Gaya? Hrithik Roshan also got these powers from outer space. (Ramdas Bhikaji Ambure)

Image: Sakal News (5 March 2025)

Image: Sakal News (5 March 2025)

Image: Sakal News (5 March 2025)

Photo: Loksatta (5 March 2025)

Photo: Bhikaji Gyanoba Ambure

Impact hole in Bhikaji Ambhore’s roof. Image: Sakal News

Impact hole in Bhikaji Ambhore’s roof. Image: Pudhari News

Impact hole in Bhikaji Ambhore’s roof. Photo: Maharashtra Times

Image: (a) Hole on the kitchen tin roof. (b) Broken pieces of the clay stove. (c) The major mass that fell inside the house that broke the clay stove. (d) An intact clay stove (shown for recreation) used by the villagers. (e) The impact zone marked by a red circle, where a clay stove was present and the exact place where the members of the house were present in the kitchen at the time of impact. Image from ‘short communication’ in Journal of the Geological Society of India, Volume 101, Number 10, 01 October 2025

Second mass which fell on a barren field near a farmer’s house. Image: Pudhari News

Fall location of the meteorite on the barren field at location ~ 19°06’13.0″N 76°04’43.2″E. Photo published by Bharat Adur.

Image: Lokasha TV

The two masses which will be analysed at the Geological Survey of India. The one on the lfet fell through the roof and the one on the right was found in a barren field nearby. Photo: APJ Abdul Kalam Astronomy and Space Science Center