Sonbhadra News: There are such secrets hidden in the womb of the earth, in search of which scientists all over the world have been busy for centuries. But there is a place in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, which contains within itself the story of the beginning of life. Salkhan Fossil Park, situated amidst the hills of Kaimur, has today become not just a tourist destination but a living document of the 160 crore year old history of the earth. It is claimed that this is the world’s largest and oldest fossil park, which is millions of years older than America’s Yellowstone National Park. Now the efforts to include it in UNESCO World Heritage to give it global recognition have intensified. But it is also important to know what the ground reality says.
This fossil park of Salkhan, located on the Varanasi-Shaktinagar road, at a distance of about 15 to 17 kilometers from Sonbhadra district headquarters Robertsganj, is spread over about 24 to 25 hectares. This site, discovered by the Geological Survey of India in 1933, surprised scientists. Later in 2002, scientists from more than 40 countries of the world reached here and did research and included it among the oldest fossil sites on Earth.
Research revealed that about 160 crore years ago, the sea used to wave here, where life started in the form of algae i.e. moss. And this moss later became the basis for the development of life.
signs of life one and a half billion years old
The fossils found in Salkhan are not just stones, but they provide living testimony of the earliest form of life on Earth, cyanobacteria. There are round ring-like structures here, which the local people call stone flowers or stone trees. These are signs of life that is one and a half billion years old. According to experts, these structures are stromatolites which belong to the period when oxygen was not fully developed on Earth. That means this park of Salkhan is an invaluable geological heritage not only for India but for the whole world.
Now plans are being made to develop this confluence of history and science from tourism perspective also. The tourism department is expanding the basic facilities here at a cost of about Rs 2 crore, which will include facilities like canteen, toilets, drinking water, cleanliness and museum. The administration believes that if this place is developed properly, it will not only become a major center of tourism but will also give a new direction to the economy of the district.
Global tourist destination
District Magistrate B.N. According to Singh, the fossils of Salkhan have already been included in the probable list of UNESCO and now the process of developing it as a World Heritage Site has been expedited. The plan is to develop international level facilities here and make it a global tourist destination so that tourists from all over the world can come here and experience the early history of the Earth closely.
There is still a shortage of basic facilities
At the same time, when an attempt was made to know the ground reality of this park from the tourists visiting here, the picture appeared a little different. The tourists said that cleanliness was seen in the park but there is still a lack of basic facilities. There is no proper arrangement for pure drinking water, there is a lack of better places to stay, food facilities are not adequate and a lot of work still needs to be done in terms of security. Tourists clearly say that if these shortcomings are removed then this place can become a world class tourist centre.
That is, on one hand, the administration and government are taking rapid steps towards giving global recognition to this heritage. On the other hand, many challenges still exist at the ground level. However, the District Magistrate has talked about development keeping all these aspects in mind, which we have already shown you, now it has to be seen how fast these plans come to fruition.
Will stone turn into gold or will history be buried?
Today, when the world is trying to understand its past, the Salkhan Fossil Park of Sonbhadra has emerged as a mirror which clearly shows the history that is millions of years old. Now everyone’s eyes are on whether this precious heritage will be able to make its real mark on the world stage with the seal of UNESCO, or will this mystery remain buried in the stones.