A 1,000-year-old human skeleton is buried in India, and after nearly six years in India, there is still no museum to house it.

Archaeologist Abhijit Ambekar made a major discovery in 2019 when he discovered the top of the human skull in western Gujarat.

As his team dug deeper, they found the well-preserved remains in what seemed to be a meditation pose. Similar remains were found at three other sites in India.

But officials are still arguing about who should be responsible for the bones. It remains in a temporary shelter - not far from the new local archaeological museum.

Abhijit Ambekar said the bones found in Vadnagar town may have been in the Solanki period. The Solanki Dynasty, also known as the Chaulukya Dynasty, ruled certain parts of the modern Gujarat from 940 to 1300 AD.

The right arm of the bone is placed on the leg and the left arm is placed in the air, as if it is placed on the stick.

Dr Ambekar, who is in charge of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Mumbai Archaeological Survey (ASI) said: "Bone is an extremely valuable discovery not only for Wadnagar, but for the entire country. It can help us understand the lives of our ancestors and reveal details about the past that is not yet clear."

Although the significance of archaeology seems to be reduced to the traditional Chinese tape festival, there is still no proper place to rest.

Mr Ambekar said the Gujarat government's plan for all artifacts excavated in Vadnagar is to place it in a local museum.

He said about 9,000 artifacts, including bones, were excavated from Vadnagar between 2016 and 2022 and have been handed over to the Gujarat government but have been handed over to the local museum.

However, the state said the bones are still owned by ASI.

"The (skeleton) was not placed in the museum because the proper process was not followed," Pankaj Sharma, director of archaeology and museums in the state, told the BBC.

ASI Director-General Yadubir Singh Rawat did not answer the BBC’s questions about the matter.

The chief secretary of the state's sports, youth and cultural activities department told the BBC that authorities are transferring bones to museums as soon as possible.

Mr Ambekar said that digging the bones was a time-consuming process, adding that it would take two months to complete. Various tools were used to carefully brush the soil off and release the bones from its ancient tombs.

It is currently located in a tarpaulin shelter in Vadnagar, without security guards and exposed to natural elements. Locals sometimes take relatives and friends to see the bones - curiosity makes the town a focus, which is also the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Interestingly, only a short distance is the new Archaeological Experience Museum - opened in January by the Indian Home Secretary.

According to a government press release, the museum's construction cost is $35 million and is distributed over 12,500 square meters. It boasts that it shows “Vadnagar has a 2500-year history with over 5,000 artifacts including ceramics, coins, tools and skeletal remains.”

Although the museum has a large number of framed photos of bones, it does not accommodate the actual remains.

Vadnagar is an important region in Gujarat's history, and the excavations of ASI have found traces of human settlements, dating back 2,000 years ago. Mr Ambekar said even today, it is believed to be part of the earth-style walls built by the first settlers in the area.

The excavation also reveals the remnants of ancient Buddhist temples and pagodas. These and other discoveries, such as the Terracotta statue, coins, shell jewelry, stones and copper plate inscriptions - seven cultural sequences or stages were established in the region from around the 2nd century BC, until the 19th to 19th centuries.

Mr Ambekar said the age of bones he and his team found was estimated based on DNA analysis of teeth and stratigraphic studies at the excavation site. Stratigraphy involves studying rock sediments or geostratigraphy to determine their age. This is then used to establish the approximate age of historical events or artifacts.

"DNA analysis tells us that bones are local ancestry and belong to a man in his forties, but more research is needed to understand his diet and lifestyle, which in turn can give us a better understanding of the region 1,000 years ago," he said.

Mr Ambekar said it could also shed light on the phenomenon of “Samadi funeral” – an ancient funeral custom among Hindus, burying respected figures instead of being cremated.

He added that the bones have managed to survive the passage of time because the surrounding soil is still undisturbed and shows features that prevent bone decay.

It is not easy to free the bones from the website and move them to their current location. First, cut a piece of earth of bone from the soil around it. Treat bones and soil with different chemicals to consolidate their structure. The earth blocks are then placed in a wooden box filled with wet mud and moved the box to the current location using a crane.

Mr Ambekar said the entire operation took six days to complete.

He hopes that the bones will find a place in the museum soon. But he added that it will need to have mechanisms that control the temperature and humidity of the space to prevent bone decomposition.

The BBC has expressed similar views to locals about bones and blamed "Traditional tapepismism".

"We are proud of the ancient history of Vadnagar, but this treatment of 1,000-year-old bones is worrying. If the most unique ancient leaves the most unique ancient under the plastic roof, what is the point of building a museum?" said Jesang Thakor, a resident of Vadnagar.

Another resident, Bethaji Thakor, said he believed that bones can attract tourists from all over the world to Vadnagar.

"Where else can you see something like this?"