Fossil National Park is located in Dindori
district in Madhya Pradesh. The unique thing
about this park is that the vegetations are in
the form of fossils that existed in the country
almost 40 million to 150 million years ago.
About the Park
The total area of the park is about 274,100
square metres and is spread over seven villages
of Mandla District which include Umaria, Ghuguwa,
Barbaspur, Deorakhurd, Chargaon, Chanti-hills
and Deori Kohan.
The fossils of the plants and the trees in this
region enable the archeologists to comprehend
how Madhya Pradesh used to be millions of years
ago. The absence of dicotyledons in the fossil
remains of the Fossil National Park indicates
that plants during those periods were still in
an early stage of evolution. A new fossil
location has been found in the village of
Dhangoan (Babaliya) Mandla. This new fossil
region is spread over an area of about 5000
square metre and contains leaf impressions, wood
fossils, fruit fossils etc.
Tourist information
The park is open all the year round. However the
best time is between November and May. Rainy
season, even though are pleasant and cool, can
really play a spoilsport. Moreover, it is
difficult to recognize a fossil from its
significance and age in the rain. For accurate
information about the fossils the tourists can
visit the Interpretation center that has been
created for the purpose. Proper accommodation
facilities can be found in the small town of
Mandla.
How to reach
Fossil National Park is situated approximately
76 km away from Jabalpur and about 14 km from
Shahpura. The park is located on National
Highway No 11. Mandla is the main gateway to the
park and is well connected by roads with
Shahpura, Jabalpur and other cities and town of
Madhya Pradesh. To reach the park one has to
board Shahpura national bus from Mandla. The
fossil park is located in the middle of this
route.