the villagers of Pipalia Kalan in western Rajasthan were dumbfounded on hearing a thunderous roar from the north-east sky followed by three consecutive blinding flashes of light on the evening of June 20. Hours later, on coming out of their houses, they found a large pitch black stony object about a feet in diameter and weighing about 20 kg, lying in a two feet deep pit. The phenomena of burning of meteorites in the earth's atmosphere is called