Fossils of prehistoric dinosaur, Narmada man find home at Gwalior museum

Fossilised remains of prehistoric dinosaur Rajasaurus and the first man known to have lived in India got permanent home on Sunday as the country’s first Geoscience Museum opened in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior.

In the works since 2016, the state-of-the-art project led by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) tells the fascinating story of life, tracing its origins to the rise of Homo sapiens.

Seven meticulously designed sections at the museum inaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar today invite visitors to explore ancient ecosystems, the process of evolution and mass extinction events.

The most striking part of the museum are fossils and immersive exhibits that foster scientific curiosity. These include the remains of dinosaur Rajasaurus which walked the earth 65 million years ago.

Its fossils were discovered in the Narmada river valley in Gujarat by paleontologist Suresh Srivastava of the GSI between 1982 and 1984. Rajasaurus derives its name from the word “king of lizards.”

Also to go up for display at the museum are fossils of the first man known to have lived in India, also called ‘Narmada Man’. Experts associated with the museum remember December 5, 1982, a momentous day for Indian prehistory and the day when, on the banks of the Narmada river at Madhya Pradesh’s Hathnora village in Sehore district, GSI scientists led by Arun Sonakia found fossils of a human-like ancestor.

Before this discovery, only stone tools used by Home erectus had been found but not the actual fossil. The fossil was the first hard evidence of human evolution in this part of the world and this discovery changed many perceptions about Indian prehistory.

Country’s first Geoscience gallery

Starting from the beginning of primitive life forms on the earth to the appearance of Home sapiens, the entire story of evolution through the geological time scale is portrayed at the museum through appropriately designed exhibits. It promises to allow visitors to get up close and personal with fossil samples of several species.

This fossil commonly known as Narmada Man — a skull consisting of a completely preserved right half of the skull cap with part of the left parietal attached — will now be part of the exhibits.

The main differences between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens are in the shape of their skulls, their cranial capacity and their teeth.

A second gallery at the museum called Planet Earth will highlight phenomena such as volcanoes, meteorites and magnetic fields.

“With cutting-edge multimedia displays, interactive models, digital storyboards and rare geological specimens, this gallery transforms into a vibrant platform where science comes alive. It features a collection of a wide variety of gemstones, spectacular zeolites from Deccan Trap and different varieties of dimensional stones along with prime attractive exhibits such as rocks from Antarctica, volcanic rocks of Japan and Barren Island, fossils and rocks from Himalayas,” GSI experts say.