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65 MILLION YEARS · FOSSILS · BALASINORJurassic Gujarat
At Raiyoli near Balasinor lies one of the world’s great dinosaur sites — a fossil field of bones and eggs where the ferocious Rajasaurus once walked, now a park that carries visitors 65 million years back.
A dinosaur nursery in Gujarat
The fields around Raiyoli, near Balasinor in Mahisagar, hold one of the largest dinosaur fossil sites on earth. Bones and thousands of fossilised eggs have been unearthed here, revealing that the area was once a great dinosaur hatchery. It gave the world Rajasaurus narmadensis, a fearsome horned predator identified from these very rocks. A modern fossil park and museum now tell the story where the giants once roamed.
The finds keep coming: recent years have added new egg clutches, a rare fossil of a snake preserved coiled around a dinosaur nest — evidence of who raided the hatchery — and refinements to Rajasaurus itself, whose horned skull was reconstructed from bones collected across this belt. For visitors that means the museum’s story is genuinely current science, not a settled display, and the guides’ updates are worth listening for.
Jurassic is the nickname, Cretaceous the fact: Gujarat’s dinosaur beds date to the age’s very end, around sixty-five million years ago, when titanosaur herds nested on the Mahisagar floodplain and Rajasaurus hunted them. The Raiyoli hatchery near Balasinor — among the world’s largest — anchors the story, with Indroda’s dinosaur park at Gandhinagar as its display counterpart; together they make a two-stop prehistoric circuit no other Indian state can match.
Visit October to March, book the Balasinor museum’s guided slot if you can, and resist every urge to pocket a fragment — the grounds are protected, and the science depends on the rock staying where it lies.
Where Rajasaurus was found
Dinosaurs nested here.
Bones and eggs form.
Rajasaurus identified.
A fossil park.
Why come
Rajasaurus
Found right here.
Fossil eggs
By the thousand.
Real bones
In the ground.
Museum
The whole story.
Great for kids
Dinosaurs live!
World-class
A top-rank site.
What to see
THE SITERaiyoli
Fossils in the rock.
THE PARKDino museum
65 million years.
How to experience it
Reach Balasinor
Reach Balasinor, the gateway town to Raiyoli's fossil grounds.
Tour the park
Tour the fossil museum's galleries first for the story.
See the eggs
See the fossilised nests and egg clutches in the rock.
Meet Rajasaurus
Meet Rajasaurus narmadensis, Gujarat's own predator.
Walk the beds
Walk the fenced ground where bones still lie in the earth.
Learn deep time
Make the 65-million-year leap the site invites.
When giants nested here
Long before Gujarat had people, it had dinosaurs — and Raiyoli was one of their great nesting grounds. The sheer number of eggs found here points to herds returning season after season to lay in the same soil. That the horned predator Rajasaurus was named from this site makes Balasinor a place of genuine scientific importance, and a thrilling window into the age of dinosaurs.
See what else is nearby in our guide to Mahisagar.
Timing
Comfortable touring.
Park stays open.
Hot and dry.
⏰ The fossil park is open through the year; the cooler winter months are the most comfortable for a visit.
Getting there
By Air
Vadodara / Ahmedabad.
By Rail
Balasinor / Godhra.
By Road
Raiyoli, near Balasinor.
More in Mahisagar
HERITAGE
Lunawada Royals
Lunawada was a princely state of the old Mahikantha agency — a lakeside town of palaces, temples and quiet royal heritage tucked into the hills of eastern Gujarat. Explore →
FESTIVAL
Holi & Fairs
In the tribal belt of eastern Gujarat, Holi is the festival of the year — days of bonfires, drums, colour and country fairs where whole villages gather to dance in the spring. Explore →
RIVER
Mahi Worship
The Mahi river gives Mahisagar its very name — a sacred stream honoured with aartis and fairs at its ghats, where pilgrims bathe and worship the river as a living goddess. Explore →
What to eat
THALIGujarati Thali
A hearty spread.
FARSANFarsan
Savoury snacks.
SWEETSLocal Sweets
Round it off.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Jurassic Gujarat FAQ
What is at Balasinor / Raiyoli?
One of the world’s largest dinosaur fossil sites, with abundant bones and fossilised eggs, now interpreted by a fossil park.
What is Rajasaurus?
Rajasaurus narmadensis, a horned predatory dinosaur first identified from fossils found at this site.
Why are the eggs significant?
The thousands of fossilised eggs show the area was a major dinosaur nesting ground.
Is it good for children?
Yes — the fossil park and museum make it an exciting, educational family visit.
Where is it?
At Raiyoli near Balasinor in Mahisagar district, roughly 90 km from Ahmedabad.
When should I visit?
Year-round, but the cooler winter months are the most pleasant.
Across Gujarat
FRONTIERBhujodi
India’s last temple before the Pakistan border
FOLK ARTPithora Villages
Rathwa ritual wall paintings around Kawant
HERITAGEVadali
An old town of saints & shrines
DAMKadana Dam
A mighty reservoir on the Mahi river
WEIRKakrapar Weir
A scenic barrage on the Tapi
HERITAGEVirpur
An old town with a royal past
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026