Ancient Indian skeleton is still waiting for a permanent handling

The 1000-year-old skeleton of a man who buried, sitting in India still remains without a museum to place it because of the bureaucratic interruptions, six years after it was revealed.

The archaeologist Zlizhit Ambkar made a significant discovery in 2019, when he noticed that he was reminiscent of the summit of the human skull in West Gujarat.

Because his team deepened, they found that the remains in the pit were well preserved in what looked like a meditative posture. Similar residues were found only on three other Indian sites.

But officials are still arguing who has to take responsibility for the skeleton. He remains in an improvised shelter – near the new Museum of Local Archeology.

The Amberkar’s flexit says that the skeleton is found in Vodnaya – most likely belonging to the salon period. Salanka dynasty, also known as Shaulukya’s dynasty, ruled parts of modern Gujarat from 940 to 1300 AD.

The right hand of the skeleton leaned on his knees, and the left hand lay in the air, as if resting on a stick.

“The skeleton is an extremely valuable find not only for the water, but for the whole country. It can help us understand how our ancestors lived, and reveal the details of the past, which is still unknown,” says D -Rambekar, who heads the archeology division (ASI) in Mumbai, and managed the team.

What else needs to be found for the rest, despite archaeological importance, seems to be reduced to the red tape.

Mr. Ambarcar says the Gujarat Government plan for all artifacts excavated from Vodnora had to place them in local museums.

He says that about 9,000 artifacts, including the skeleton that had been excavated from Vodnora from 2016 to 2022 and were handed over to the Gujarat government, were located in local museums – with the exception of the skeleton.

However, the state government states that the skeleton is still in the possession of ASI.

“Because the proper process was not fulfilled, it was not placed in the museum,” said Panki Sharma, director of the State Archeology and Museum, BBC.

Yadubir Singh Ravat, CEO of ASI, did not answer BBC questions on the subject.

Mennarasan, Chief Secretary of the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities, said the BBC that the authorities worked on the skeleton switching to the museum as soon as possible.

Mr. Ambcar says the excavation of the skeleton was a time-consuming process, adding that it took two months at the end. Different tools were used to carefully cleanse the soil and liberation of the skeleton from the ancient grave.

Currently, it is located in a shelter with a tarpaulin in Vodnaya, unprotected guards and is exposed to natural elements. The locals sometimes bring relatives and friends to see the skeleton – the curiosity that has focused on the city, which is also the homeland of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The interesting thing is that the new archaeological experience of the museum – open to the Minister of Internal Affairs of India in January.

According to the government’s press, the museum was built at $ 35 million and extended by 12,500 square m. It boasts that it demonstrates a 2500 -year -old Wednar history with more than 5000 artifacts, including ceramics, coins, tools and skeletal residues. “

While the museum has a massive photo of the skeleton, it does not place the actual residues.

Vodnayara is a historically significant region in Gujarat, and the excavations of Asi found traces of human settlements concerning more than 2000 years ago. Mr. Ambcar says that the sites of the excavation, which are believed to have been built by the first settlers of the region, even exists today.

The digging also found the remains of ancient Buddhist monasteries and stupas. These conclusions and others – such as terracotta therapy, coins, shell decorations and inscriptions with stones and copper plates – helped archaeologists create seven cultural sequences and stages in the area, starting from the 2nd century BC and dating to the end of the 19th century.

Mr Ambarcar says that the age of the skeleton he and his team were revealed on the basis of the analysis of DNA of his teeth and stratigraphic examination. Stratigraphy involves the study of rock deposits or layers of the earth to determine their age. This is then used to establish a timeline of historical events or an approximate age of artifacts.

“DNA analysis tells us that the skeleton has a local ancestry and belongs to a person in forty, but it is necessary to conduct more research to understand his diet and lifestyle, which, in turn, will give us a deeper understanding of the region as it existed 1000 years ago,” he says.

Mr. Ambarcar can also shed light on the phenomenon “Samadhi -Swing” -the ancient practice of burial among Hindus, where respected figures are buried, not cremated.

He adds that the skeleton managed to survive the time because the soil around it remained unbroken and revealed the characteristics that interfere with the skeleton breakdown.

The release of the skeleton from the site and moving it to the current place was a difficult task. For the first time, a block of land with a skeleton located inside, was cut from the soil that surrounded it. The skeleton and the soil are treated with various chemicals for consolidation of their structures. Then the land block was put in a wooden box filled with wet dirt and the tap was used to move the box to its current section.

The whole operation took six days, says Mr. Ambcar.

He hopes that the skeleton will quickly find a place in the museum. But he adds that he will need to have mechanisms to control the temperature and humidity to prevent the skeleton decomposition.

The BBC locals talked to similar sentiments and accused the “temple master” in the back and back over the skeleton.

“We are proud of the ancient history of Vodnar, but this treatment with a 1000-year-old skeleton is deeply caused. According to the resident of Vodnaya Jessang Takora.

Another Betaji resident Tkor said he believed that the skeleton could attract tourists from all over the world to Vodnar.

“Where else will you see something like that?”