Balasinor
Balasinor
Vadasinor Vadsol | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
| Nickname: Land of Dinosaurs | |
  Balasinor Location in Gujarat, India  Balasinor Balasinor (India)  Balasinor Balasinor (Asia) | |
| Coordinates: 22°57′N 73°20′E / 22.95°N 73.33°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Mahisagar |
| Elevation | 72 m (236 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 39,330 |
| Language | |
| • Official | Gujarati[2] |
| • Additional official | Hindi[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 388255 |
| Telephone code | 02690 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ 07 to GJ35 |
Balasinor, also known as Vadasinor, is a city located in the Mahisagar district of Gujarat, India. The city was formerly part of Balasinor State, a princely state ruled by the Babi dynasty, from September 1758 until its accession to India in June 1948.[4]
History
[edit]Balasinor State was founded in the 18th century. The rulers were titled Nawab Babi.[5] boasts a rich history and unique heritage. Once a princely state under Presidencies and provinces of British India, it was ruled by the Babi dynasty, descendants of the Pathan rulers of Gujarat, who played a significant role in the region's politics. Balasinor is internationally famous for its Dinosaur Fossil Park in Raiyoli village[6], which houses one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in India, including eggs and bones from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Often referred to as the "Jurassic Park of India, Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park" the site has fossils of species like the Rajasaurus narmadensis. The town’s cultural fabric reflects a confluence of Islamic and Hindu traditions, evident in its historical mosques, palaces, and temples. Additionally, the Balasinor Royal Family, particularly Princess Aaliya Sultana Babi[7], has actively promoted the town's history and its fossil park, boosting its tourism potential and preserving its legacy.
Geography
[edit]Balasinor is located at 22°57′N 73°20′E / 22.95°N 73.33°E, on the National Highway Number 47 and the Gujarat State Highway Number 2.
Demographics
[edit]As of 2011 Indian census, Balasinor had a total population of 39,330, of which 20,282 were males and 19,048 were females. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 4,946. The total number of literates in Balasinor was 30,314, which constituted 77.1% of the population with male literacy of 81.3% and female literacy of 72.5%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Balasinor was 88.2%, of which male literacy rate was 93.8% and female literacy rate was 82.2%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 3,603 and 331 respectively. Balasinor had 7591 households in 2011.[1]
As of the 2001 Indian census, Balasinor had a population of 33,704. It had a literacy rate of 70.5% and a ratio of 940 women for every 1000 men. 12.6% of the population was between the ages of 0 and 6.[8]
According to Chambers's Concise Gazetteer of the World, from 1914, the population of Balasinor town was approximately 9,000 at the time.
India's Jurassic Park
[edit]In 1981, palaeontologists stumbled upon dinosaur bones and fossils during a regular geological survey of this mineral-rich area. They found dinosaur egg hatcheries and fossils of at least 13 species of which the most important discovery was that of a carnivorous abelisaurid theropod named Rajasaurus narmadensis, a previously unknown predator that was 25 to 30 feet long and two-thirds the size of the Tyrannosaurus rex.[9] It lived in the Late Cretaceous period.[10][11]
The news of the find was welcomed in the neighbouring villages. Many residents brought the fossilised eggs home and worshipped them. Since then excavations have turned up a veritable trove of dinosaur remains—eggs, bones, a skeleton which is now kept in a Calcutta (Kolkata) museum—bringing hordes of scientists and tourists to Balasinor.[10]
Researchers, after piecing together the evidence in Raiyoli, believe that Gujarat is home to one of the largest clutches of dinosaur hatcheries in the world. At least 13 species of dinosaurs lived there, for more than 100 million years until their extinction 65 million years ago. The soft soil made hatching and protecting eggs easier for the animals. Many researchers call them the best-preserved eggs in the world after the ones found in Aix-en-Provence in France.[10]
These fossilised dinosaur remains have triggered what tourism officials of the Gujarat state call "Dinosaur Tourism". Princess Aaliya also called the Dinosaur Princess conducts guided tours of the fossil park.[10][11]
Another notable discovery in the village of Dholi Dungri, bordering Balasinor taluka, was that of Sanajeh indicus, a primitive madtsoiid snake that likely preyed on sauropod dinosaur hatchlings and embryos.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Census of India: Balasinor". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ Benedikter, Thomas (2009). Language Policy and Linguistic Minorities in India: An Appraisal of the Linguistic Rights of Minorities in India. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 89. ISBN 978-3-643-10231-7. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ "Indian Princely States before 1947 A-J".
- ^ "Indian states before 1947 A-J".
- ^ "Balasinor Dinosaur Museum". gujrattourism. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Princess Diaries: Aaliya Sultana Babi, The Dinosaur Princess From Balasinor Gujarat". Times Now. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ^ Sanyal, Sanjeev (10 July 2013). Land of the seven rivers : a brief history of India's geography. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342093-4. OCLC 855957425.
- ^ a b c d "The wonders of India's Jurassic Park". BBC. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ a b c Dixit, Neha; Mehta, Vishal (21 January 2016). "Meet India's Dinosaur Princess". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Jeffrey A.; Mohabey, Dhananjay M.; Peters, Shanan E.; Head, Jason J. (2 March 2010). "Predation upon Hatchling Dinosaurs by a New Snake from the Late Cretaceous of India". PLOS Biology. 8 (3): e1000322. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000322. ISSN 1544-9173. PMC 2830453. PMID 20209142.