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.
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