A Park Where History Rhymes

A Park Where History Rhymes

Mark Twain said ‘History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes’ and the perfect example of this quote can be seen rather felt at the Akal Wood Fossil Park, near the Golden City, Jaisalmer, in the state of Rajasthan.

Indian subcontinent exhibit imprints of varied geological processes through ages and is a storehouse of interesting geological features. India has three geological heritage sites as National Fossil Parks; Akal Wood Fossil Park is one, other two being at Tiruvakkarai in Villupuram district and Sattanur in Perambalur district, both in Tamil Nadu state.

As millions and millions of years passed by, after the extinction of dinosaurs, formation of continents, rise of human civilizations, formation of nation and states, Akal was found in 1960s. About 17  kilometers south east from Jaisalmer,  and 1 km off the National Highway 68 (Jaisalmer – Barmer Road) behind the green fortified highway lies 21 hectare of preserved area, which is a barren forbidding land with dry and huge bushes but holds valuable pieces from pre-historic era, ready to unravel its precious treasure. Akal Wood Fossil Park, a very little known and mostly kept out of tourism itinerary of the visitors coming onto this side of the Thar Desert, is the living testimony of our evolutionary history.

Akal Wood Fossil Park showcases a dozen of fossil wood logs lying horizontal in random orientation, the longest specimen (number 12), being 13.4 m x 0.4 m in size. The presence of these trees in different stages of fossilization suggest that this part of the land was hotter than it feels now and humid supporting the verdant area. The petrified wood from Lower Jurassic period in the park comprises of nearly 180 million years old petrophylllum, ptyllophyllum, equisetitis species and dicotyledonous wood and gastropod shells, which have been brought up to the surface by geological upheavals, carrying the signature of the luxuriant forests in a warm and humid climate, bordering the sea.

On reaching this Park, one gets the fragrance of rich natural history, the view of millions of years unfolding as far as your vision goes, the beauty of gone-by eras scattered all around, and the feel of going back through geological time machine. The history may not be able to recreate itself but certainly it rhymes with everyone who witnesses the confluence of science and history, in nature. The paleo-flora of yester-eons placed under cages for public viewing, awaits more and more number of visitors to capture the essence of our natural, and most importantly geological heritage.

Akal Wood Fossil Park is one such place where you get to decide whether you just want to see or observe; there is so much in that emptiness. An added attraction, a wandering Emu that has made the Park its home is very friendly with the visitors ensuring the excitement even in that deserted surroundings. Visit once where time stands still.