Where fossils meet faith in a Madhya Pradesh district

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

In the news:

In Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, scientists recently confirmed that a revered Bhil deity, Kakad Bhairav, worshipped as a sun-baked stone, is actually a 66-million-year-old fossilized egg of a titanosaur, a herbivorous dinosaur. The discovery challenges long-standing local beliefs.

Details:

The region has been rich in prehistoric discoveries since the 1980s, with fossils of sauropods, dinosaur eggs, and extinct marine creatures indicating an ancient past.
Eminent palaeontologist Ashok Sahni describes this area as hosting the largest dinosaur hatchery on Earth, spreading across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
Over 256 fossilised dinosaur eggs, including recent discoveries of 20 nests, have been found in Madhya Pradesh’s Bagh region.
There’s hope that this latest confirmation could aid in obtaining UNESCO’s Global Geopark status for the Bagh site, further enhancing its scientific significance.
Vishal Verma, a physics teacher, has played a pivotal role in safeguarding over 100 fossilized dinosaur eggs and various other ancient treasures in the region.
The scientists and local community are acknowledging the vital role of the Bhil community in protecting this significant heritage site.

Historical aspect:

Research indicates that dinosaurs existed in India from the Late Triassic (200 Mn years) to the Cretaceous Period (65 Mn years ago).
Historical discoveries of dinosaur remains in India date back to the 19th century, with the country witnessing significant fossil excavations, including the identification of a new species of carnivorous dinosaur named Rajasaurus narmadensis.
Captain William Sleeman, posted in the Narmada Valley, discovered the skeletal remains in Jabalpur cantonment’s Bara Simla Hill in 1828. As a tribute, a town in MP, 40 km away from Bagh, was rechristened as Sleemanabad.
The region’s fossilized treasures, including ammonites, shark teeth, and titanosaurs’ eggs, provide crucial insights into ancient marine life and geological evolution, shedding light on the cataclysmic forces that shaped the planet millions of years ago.