Six years after excavation, ancient Indian skeletons returned home in the museum

Roxy Gagdekar Chhara

BBC Gujarat, Wadnagar

The right arm of the bone is placed on the leg, and the left arm is hanging in the air, as if sitting on a stick

Six years after excavation, a 1,000-year-old human skeleton buried in India, across India has been moved to the museum.

The BBC reported earlier this month that the skeleton had remained in an unprotected tarpaulin shelter near the excavation site in Gujarat State due to bureaucratic quarrels.

On Thursday, the bones were transferred to a local museum, just a few miles from where it was.

Authorities said that after the administrative procedures are completed, they will be displayed to the public.

A photo of a crane lifting a skeleton from the scene in western Gujarat, India. — Bones transported from shed to museum

Mahendra Surela, curator of the Archaeological Experience Museum, which has now transferred the skeleton, told the BBC that the skeleton was transported under the supervision of several experts.

He added that officials from the Archaeological Survey Agency (ASI), the agency responsible for preserving archaeological research, will examine the bones before deciding where and how the bones should be displayed in the museum.

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

"We may move it to the second floor where photos of the skeleton have been placed," Sureira said.

Archaeologist Abhijit Ambekar, who discovered bones, said he was pleased that important discoveries received the attention they deserved.

Ambekar had earlier told the BBC that bones were a rare discovery because similar remains were found in India at only three other sites.

Officials stand next to the skeleton of the museum

A photo of an official from Roxy Gagdekar Chhara/BBC stands on either side of the skeleton inside the museum and the house can now be found. — Officials stand next to the skeleton of the museum

But, as officials argue, who should be responsible for the bone, it remains in a shift tent near the excavation site, without security guards protecting and exposed to natural elements.

Experts say the bones may be 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 bones manage to survive the passage of time, as the surrounding soil remains undisturbed and displays characteristics that assist in preservation.

Mr Ambekar said the remains could shed light on the phenomenon of “Samody funeral” – an ancient burial custom among Hindus, where respected figures are buried rather than cremation.