The old Indian skeleton gets a museum house six years after excavation

A 1000 year old human skeleton that was buried with crossed legs in India moved to a museum six years after it was excavated.

The BBC had reported Earlier this month That the skeleton since 2019 in an unprotected Tarpaulin shelter near the excavation location in the state of West -Gujarat was left due to bureaucratic fight.

On Thursday, the skeleton was moved to a local museum, just a few miles away from where it was dug up.

Authorities say it is shown to the public after administrative procedures have been completed.

Mahendra Surela, curator of the Archaeological Experience Museum in Vadnagar, where the skeleton has now been shifted, the BBC told that the skeleton was being transported with “greatest care” and under the supervision of various experts.

He added that officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) – the agency that is responsible for the preservation of archaeological research – will investigate the skeleton before he makes a decision about where and how the skeleton in the museum should be shown.

It is currently placed next to the reception and is being fenced by a protective barrier.

“It is likely that we can move it to the second floor, where a photo of the skeleton has already been placed,” said Mr. Surela.

Archaeologist Abhijit Ambkar, who discovered the skeleton, said he was happy that the important find received the attention it deserved.

Ambekar had previously told the BBC that the skeleton was a rare discovery, because similar remains were found at just three other locations in India.

But while civil servants argued about who should take the lead over the skeleton, it remained close to the excavation site in a make-shift tent, unprotected by guards and exposed to natural elements.

Experts say that the skeleton is probably part of the Solanki period. The Solanki dynynasty, also known as the Chaulukya dynynasty, ruled on parts of the contemporary Gujarat between 940 and 1300 CE.

The skeleton had succeeded in surviving the passage of time because the ground around it had remained undisturbed and showed characteristics that helped the preservation.

Mr. Ambkar said that the remains could shed light on the phenomenon of “Samadhi burials” – an old funeral practice under Hindus where respected figures were buried instead of cremated.