Madhya Pradesh villagers' worshipped 'stone balls' identified as dinosaur eggs

In a village in Madhya Pradesh, stone balls revered by locals for generations have been identified as fossilised dinosaur eggs by experts from Lucknow's Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, according to a TOI report.

Dhar district's Padlya village resident Vesta Mandaloi has worshipped these palm-sized balls as "Kakar Bhairav '' or the lord of the land, following a family tradition. Many families in the village also worshipped these 'balls,' believed to protect farmland and cattle.

Recently, experts from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences visited the area and determined that these stone balls were actually fossilised eggs of dinosaurs, specifically belonging to the Titanosaurus species.


Scientists suggest that millions of years ago, the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh served as a dinosaur hatchery zone. In early 2023, 256 fossilised Titanosaurus eggs were also discovered in Dhar.

“We are planning to get Dhar district recognised as a Global Geopark by Unesco. We are trying to preserve all fossils and geoheritage sites. Paleontology expert Vishal Verma informed us that so far around 256 dinosaur eggs have been found in a stretch of 120km in Dhar district,” said BSIP director Thakkar.