Mohansinh Sodha (Fig. 1) is the founding father of the Kutch Fossil Park situated in Kutch, within the state of Gujarat in India. The park displays invertebrates, together with ammonites, belemnites, nautilus (Fig. 2), brachiopods, gastropods (Fig. 3), corals (Fig. 4) and echinoderms. Marine fossils, together with brachiopods and echinoderms, have been sourced from the rivers of the Kutch area.
Fig. 1. Mohansinh Sodha, with considered one of his exceptional fossils.
Fig. 2. A lovely nautilus exhibit.
Fig. 3. Gastropods on the Kutch Fossil Park.
Fig. 4. Corals displayed on the park.
Plant fossils, like Gondwana plant fossils, 136 to 293 million-year-old leaf fossils (Fig. 5) and petrified wooden, may also be seen on the park. Vertebrates embody sea cows, tortoises (Fig. 6) and crocodiles.
Fig. 5. A 136 to 293 million yr outdated leaf fossil.
Ammonites (Figs. 8 and 9) are known in Gujarati, the chief language of the state of Gujarat, as Gokulgai and, in Hindi language, as Saligram. They are considered a representation of Lord Vishnu. The first ammonoids appeared during the Devonian period.
Fig. 8. Ammonites are known in Gujarati as Gokulgai. Ammonites are considered to be a representation of Lord Vishnu.
Fig. 9. [THERE IS NO WAY THESE ARE AMMONITES – THEY ARE GASTROPODS???]
It took 83-year-old Sodha greater than 40 years to gather the fossils. He has travelled over eight hundred thousand kilometres throughout Kutch to seek out them.
About ten years in the past, he was humbled by the honour he acquired after he found a brand new vertebrate fossil species in western Kutch, which was named after him. He found the fossil in Hirapar Village in Nakhtrana Taluka. In depth analysis was carried out by scientists on the Division of Earth Science of the Indian Institute of Know-how, in Roorkee, on what turned out to be a fossil of a sea-cow. Because it was a brand new species in India, it was named after Sodha and the sea-cow fossil is now referred to as Dommingia Sodhae (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10. The ocean-cow fossil (Dommingia Sodhae).
As he says:
I imagine fossils [Figs. 11 and 12] are God’s creation and it’s our obligation to respect and protect them. Once I began the park, my endeavour was to make it a complete website for fossil lovers. I’m comfortable that guests get to view a wide range of fossils [Figs. 13 and 14] right here. My assortment is my life and it is going to be a legacy for coming generations to teach themselves on fossils.”
Fig. 11. Fossil show of quartz and different minerals.
Fig. 12. Fossil exhibit of some extraordinary hint fossils.
Fig. 13. Fossils belonging to Mohansinh Sodha.[THESE LOOK LIKE MINERALS.]
Fig. 14. Kutch Fossil Park exhibit, together with of belemnites.
His son, Vikramsinh, presently takes care of the fossil park.
The Kutch Fossil Park is open from 9.00am to six.00pm every day. It’s open all days of the week, even on public holidays.
