India's Jurassic Park: How dinosaur fossils in Central India are treasure for science
Bagh in Madhya Pradesh is set to become India's first UNESCO Global Geopark, with numerous finds of dinosaur fossils, eggs and bones putting it on the map as Asia's oldest dinosaur fossil site and a treasure-trove of extraordinary stories of evolution, making the region a magnet for the country's leading geologists and palaeontologists vying to have it awarded the tag of geopark status from UNESCO
- The Bagh dinosaur site in Madhya Pradesh is Asia’s oldest dinosaur fossil site
- More than 400 dinosaur bones have also been found at Raiyoli in Gujarat, near Bagh
- Can Bagh become India’s first UNESCO Global Geopark?
- India’s leading geologists and palaeontologists are brainstorming to prepare a dossier
- The fascinating story of a storehouse of extraordinary stories of evolution
Bagh, a tribal area around 150 km from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, is Asia’s oldest dinosaur fossil site and a storehouse of extraordinary stories of evolution.
“Dig anywhere in Bagh and you will find a fossil,” says Sameeta Rajora, CEO, Madhya Pradesh Ecotourism Development Board. “Fossilised trees, basaltic columns are found lying on the roadside. People dig them out for construction and other development work, and discard them without knowing their value.”