Ghughua Fossil Park, Fossil research park in Shahpura, India
Ghughua Fossil Park is a national park near Shahpura in Dindori district, Madhya Pradesh, where plant fossils from 31 genera in 18 families have been identified. The fossils include leaves, fruits, seeds and shells, some up to 65 million years old, with palm fossils the most prominent. The park lies near National Highway 11, 14 km from Shahpura and 76 km from Jabalpur.
Dr. Dharmendra Prasad, a statistical officer of the Mandla district and honorary secretary of its district archaeology unit, founded the site during the 1970s. It was declared a National Park in 1983. The park lies near Shahpura in Madhya Pradesh, 14 km from Shahpura and 76 km from Jabalpur, close to National Highway 11.
The park's name, Ghughua, comes from the local village, and the site lies near Shahpura in Dindori district. Visitors look for the palm fossils, the most prominent finds, along with fossil leaves, fruits, seeds and shells set in the rock. A fossil dinosaur egg has also been found here.
Ghughua Fossil Park lies near National Highway 11, 14 km from Shahpura and 76 km from Jabalpur, the nearest large city and airport. The fossil beds are exposed in open ground, so wear sturdy shoes and come in the drier months when the paths are easier to walk.
Within the park sits a petrified wood specimen resembling eucalyptus that may be among the oldest known examples of its kind. The site has also yielded a preserved dinosaur egg, offering further insight into the animal life of the past.
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