PUBLISHED: 27 May 2024 at 18: 33
Rice-shaped objects discovered in a stone regarded by many people in Sukhothai were recently discovered as fossils of single-celled organisms dating again 359 to 252 million years.
The stone, which has gained widespread attention among users, has been dispelled by the Department of Mineral Resources. Some people believe that the rice-shaped objects in the stone are remnants of leftover rice that are transformed into a stone based on a folk tale, or that are “rice of Phra Ruang.”
On Twitter, the ministry said the strange objects in the stone are the fossils of prehistorical solitary- celled organisms, microfossils, which are generally known as fusulinids.
According to the ministry, fusulinids became dead at the end of the Permian Period, or about 252 million years ago. They resembled rice grains in size and shape, but some types could be as much as 5 cm.
The fossils of fusulinids are known as “khao san hin” ( rice stone ), and they are frequently found in limestone mountains in many parts of Thailand due to their shape and size.
Due to a folktale about Phra Ruang and his spiritual thoughts, rocks that fusulinids are discovered are known as “rice of Phra Ruang” and are thought to be valuable to some Sukhothai people.
According to a folk tale, Phra Ruang, who was in the monkhood, scattered left rice from a plate onto the floor and wished them into stones that would last for years. The mountains are regarded as sacred, have a history of good fortune, and are thought to shield people from danger.
In tambon Muang Kao, Sukhothai’s Muang city, the rocks with fusulinid remains are most frequently found on Phra Bat Yai Mountain. The leftover powder is used as material for the creation of amulets while the stones are then turned into divine pendants and ornaments after being cut.
Jessada Denduangboripant, a professor at Chulalongkorn University, previously wrote on his Instagram page that the grain- shaped objects are no “rice grains turned into rock” but the fossils of ancient little marine organisms.
” They are n’t grains that turned into a rock. They are fusulinid fossils and they are n’t so rare”, he said.