AccScience Publishing / AC / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ac.2437
ARTICLE

Restoration, preservation, and interpretation of the royal chariot from the Sinauli excavation in India: Safeguarding a remarkable discovery

Manoj Kumar Bhatnagar1 Sanjay Kumar Manjul2 Rina Parmar1 Dharmendra Kumar1*
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1 Science Branch Unit, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
2 Archaelogical Unit, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Submitted: 14 December 2023 | Accepted: 20 March 2024 | Published: 29 August 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

The novel discovery of the royal chariot from the Sinauli excavation in India has sparked a global debate among archaeologists and historians regarding India’s ancient history and the Aryan invasion theory. The chariot is a remarkable piece of engineering, showcasing advanced metalworking techniques that challenge previous assumptions about the technological capabilities of ancient India. Its design closely resembles chariots depicted in ancient Indian texts and art, underscoring its cultural significance. The royal chariot is a fascinating combination of materials and craftsmanship. Its construction features a wooden frame adorned with intricate copper-inlay decorative work. After millennia underground, the wooden structure had transformed into mud, leaving behind only the fragile, corroded copper elements. This necessitated the restoration and preservation of the royal chariot for future research, with the aim of arresting or slowing down the rate of further deterioration, using the appropriate methodology as required. This article describes the restoration and preservation of the royal chariot.

Keywords
Royal chariot
Inlay copper work
Corrosion
Restoration
Preservation
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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