Madhya Pradesh News: Hundreds of ‘sacred’ stone balls worshipped as “Kuldevtas (family deities)” by locals in a village of Madhya Pradesh turned out to be fossilized dinosaur eggs after scientists conducted tests on them. According to reports, the residents of Padlya village in Dhar district had discovered these “holy” stones while tilling the land for farming and worshipped them as deities.
The villagers performed puja, offered coconuts, and even goats during rain as they believed that these “Kuldevtas” — locally called “Kakad Bhairav” or Bhilat Baba– would protect their farms and livestock from misfortunes and bad luck.
“Bhilat Baba was worshipped in the village. We offered coconuts and even goats during the rainy season,” a local resident was quoted as saying, according to a report by NDTV.
However, recently, the “sacred” stones were found were found to be fossilized dinosaur eggs after a team of experts of visited the village. The eggs turned out to be around 175-million-years-old, they said.
Vishal Sharma, a local paleontologist, said the eggs were worshipped as family deities for generations and played a significant role in local customs.
“The round stones, believed to be family deities, are not only eggs but also play a significant role in local worship customs. These stones, often placed under fig trees, have been worshipped for generations. As efforts are underway to transform the area into a zoological park, preserving these traditions becomes integral to the park’s cultural richness,” Verma said, according to India Today.
Notably, Dhar district is home to a dinosaur park which was constructed in 2011. The Dinosaur Fossil National Park houses fossilized remains of the earth’s ancient rulers– the dinosaurs.
A senior forest official said the incident is not uncommon as villagers often find fossils lying around and start, start worshipping them as deities. He said that fossil collection and conservation centre is located in Baag area of Dhar district where thousands of such specimens are stored and preserved.
According to reports, over 250 fossilized dinosaur eggs have been uncovered in Dhar district so far.
Experts believe that dinosaurs roamed in plenty in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmada Valley during the Mesozoic era or the ‘Age of the dinosaurs.
Before the advent of mammals, dinosaurs ruled pre-historic earth for hundreds of millions of years before being wiped out by a cataclysmic event around 65 million years ago which nearly extinguished all major life forms present on the planet during that period.
