India is home to one of the world’s largest dinosaur egg hatcheries. In Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, villagers have long revered palm-sized round fossils believed to be protective ‘kuldevta’ or ancestral stones as divine guardians. Paleontologists later confirmed these ‘stones’ are, in fact, 70-million-year-old fossilized titanosaur eggs, part of vast nesting colonies along the Narmada Valley’s Lameta Formation.

Together with the Raiyoli fossil park in Gujarat another cradle of dinosaur nests and species like Rajasaurus narmadensis these sites underscore India’s exceptional paleontological heritage. Yet these relics are vulnerable. Fossil trade, though lucrative, is poorly regulated. In many countries, fossils are legally protected, but in India legal gaps allow rare specimens to be smuggled or sold abroad, potentially erasing scientific value and heritage. Globally, high-profile fossil auctions, even of dinosaur eggs and skeletons, fetch hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars highlighting the risk of illicit export.

To safeguard these natural treasures, India must strengthen legal frameworks, enforce strict site protection, and prioritize scientific custody over commercial exploitation. Without swift action, priceless links to Earth’s prehistoric past could vanish lost to opaque markets and private collections.