People to get feel of Lower Jurassic period as Maharashtra Fossil Park to bring alive dinosaur era
A full-fledged skeleton of a dinosaur was found in 1959 near the Godavari basin in Kothapalli-Pochampally village that borders Telangana. The fossil has since then been kept in a Kolkata museum.
A group of amateur archaeologists have unearthed fossils in the Maoist-hit Sironcha in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra's Vidarbha, which they claim date back millions of years and are believed to be of dinosaurs.
Sironcha is among the five places in the country where dinosaur fossils have been found in large numbers. A full-fledged skeleton of a dinosaur was found in 1959 near the Godavari basin in Kothapalli-Pochampally village that borders Telangana. The fossil has since then been kept in a Kolkata museum.
Taking note of the pre-historic fossils, the forest administration in Sironcha has now decided to build a Fossil Park, where the dinosaur fossils will be on display. Besides, the remnants of other animals and plants dating to that era will also be kept.
"A lot of fossils are found in Sironcha. These are still intact. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has also carried out studies here. However, there is lack of awareness among people about these ancient fossils," said Raghunath Shukla, a senior forest official who is credited with conceptualising the Fossil Park.
He said when people enter the soon-to-be built Fossil Park, they should get a feel of the era when dinosaurs and trees of that age existed. "We have demarcated 25 hectares of area. We feel that there is a great possibility of fossils being found in this area. We will also put up big caricatures of trees and animals found during that period," Shukla said.
An amateur fossil researcher said fossils of herbivorous dinosaurs are found in some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. "In Maharashtra, the fossils of dinosaurs are found only in Vidarbha and in particular Sironcha. The fossils found belong to Lower Jurassic. The Lower Jurassic is the first geological epoch in the Jurassic that began 201.3 million years ago and ended at 174.1 million years ago. In 1959, the GSI had conducted a survey and found large number of dinosaur skeletons," said Prof. Suresh Chopne. In a recent excavation carried out by the amateur fossil researchers, bones of dinosaurs were found which are believed to be its legs and back.
M. Dhananjay, scientist at the Nagpur University, said: "The fossils are of Jurassic period. We are studying about the origins of dinosaurs. Besides, how their evolution took place and what was their habitat? A study is being conducted to find the type of dinosaurs found during that era."