Gondwana Marine Fossil Park inaugurated as major tourist attraction

 

 

 

Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal on Monday inaugurated the Gondwana Marine Fossil Park, situated in the Manendragarh Forest Division. This park is rapidly emerging as a significant tourist destination, showcasing 290-million-year-old marine fossils. Notably, India has only four other locations with such fossils: Subansiri (Arunachal Pradesh), Rajhara (Jharkhand), Darjeeling (West Bengal), and Khemgaon (Sikkim). The Gondwana Fossil Park stands out as the largest and oldest among them, and it holds the distinction of being the largest marine fossil park in Asia, stretching across approximately one kilometer along the banks of the Hasdeo River. It has also been recognised as a National Geological Monument.

 

The fossils were discovered in 1954 by geologist S K Ghosh during coal mining activities. The park contains fossils of ancient marine creatures such as bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, crinoids, and bryozoa, making it a center of attraction for researchers and tourists nationwide. This significance was further confirmed by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeontology, Lucknow, in 2015. Scientists believe that the area was submerged under the sea during the Permian era. The rise in sea level due to melting glaciers led to marine creatures being buried in rocks and transforming into fossils over millions of years, which were later exposed due to the receding water levels.

 

The park is considered a crucial site for understanding the geological history of the Gondwana continent. Until five years ago, the area lacked protection. However, the forest department took the initiative to develop it. Manendragarh DFO Manish Kashyap has spearheaded tourism-focused developments, a scale reportedly unmatched by any other fossil park in the country. The park is being developed as a major tourist destination, modeled after the Dinosaur Fossil Parks in Gujarat and Jharkhand. Artworks of ancient creatures are being created by carving natural hard granite rocks along the Hasdeo River, attracting visitors. So far, 35 statues of ancient land, water, and amphibian animals have been sculpted, offering tourists a glimpse into the giant creatures that once inhabited the Earth before human existence. This will be Chhattisgarh’s first rock garden of its kind. An interpretation center has also been established, allowing tourists to view fossil stones and learn about the fossilization process through paintings.

 

Visitors can also gain insights into the Earth’s formation 4.5 billion years ago and its subsequent changes. Additionally, a cactus garden and bamboo setum are under development, and bamboo rafting will be offered in the Hasdeo River. The park will also feature a nature trail, facilities currently unavailable in other fossil parks in India. Previously, most tourists in the Surguja division primarily visited Mainpat. This innovative initiative by the forest department is expected to elevate the Gondwana Marine Fossil Park as a major tourist destination in Chhattisgarh. Praising the forest department’s efforts, Health Minister Jaiswal predicted that the park would become the most prominent tourist destination in Chhattisgarh in the near future.