Context:
A stone deity worshipped by the Bhils in Madhya Pradesh’s Bagh was recently proved to be a fossilized dinosaur egg.
News Summary:
- Generations of Bhils had worshipped this sunbaked, reddish-brown Kakad Bhairav or Bhilat Baba.
- India – largest-of-its-kind dinosaur hatchery on Earth that stretches 10,000 sq. km across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
- Tribes that resided in the Narmada Valley worshipped fossilized Titanosaurus eggs.
The word kuladevata is derived from two words: kula, meaning clan, and devata, meaning deity, referring to the ancestral deities that are worshipped by particular clans.
Bhil Tribes:
- Popularly known as the bow men of Rajasthan (derived from the word villu or billu)
- Comprise 39% of Rajasthan’s total population.
- Classification – Central or pure bills and Eastern or Rajput Bhils.
- Bhils States – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tripura
- Bhil finds mentioned in the great epic called Mahabharata and Ramayana in context of Eklavya.
- Language – Bhili, an Indo Aryan language.
Dinosaur Fossils National Park:
- Location – Madhya Pradesh
- Renowned for its rich fossil deposits.
- Approximately 6.5 crore-year-old rare dinosaur fossils are found.
UNESCO Global Geopark tag:
- Geopark tag – given to territories for sites with global relevance to geology, geomorphology or paleontology.
- Dinosaur Fossils National Park – Nominated for India’s first UNESCO Global Geopark tag.
- Awarded by – United Nations
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
The word ‘Denisovan’ is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]
(a) fossils of a kind of dinosaurs
(b) an early human species
(c) a cave system found in North-East India
(d) a geological period in the history of Indian subcontinent
Answer: (b)
