Around 28 hectares of the archaeologically rich site in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat area in Sinauli where “sacred chambers”, chariots, decorated “legged coffins” as well as fascinating artifact pointing to the presence of a warrior class around 4,000 years ago were excavated two years ago has got the tag of ‘national importance’. The Government issued a notification in this regard recently.

The Union Culture Ministry, which supervises the functioning of the country’s premier conservation body, Archeological Survey of India (ASI), had issued a preliminary notification in June to bring the site under its fold.

The aim is to protect the site from encroachment, tampering and destruction. Around 28.67 hectares of land mostly belonging to the locals in the region has been brought under protection, according to which while the farmers of the land will be allowed to carry on agricultural practices but they will not be permitted to construct any permanent structure.

“Sanauli is an important site from an archeological point of view as artifacts found from the venue are  not only of national importance but of international importance too.  Much remains yet to be explored,” said archeologist SK Manjul who is credited for the unearthing coffins and sacred chambers important artifacts from the site in 2018. 

Sanauli is located on the left bank of the River Yamuna, 68 km north-east of Delhi which brought to light the largest necropolis of the late Harappan period datable to around early part of second millennium BCE.

Manjul said that the unearthed  chariots, some coffins, shields, swords and helmets  points towards the existence of a “warrior class in the area around 2,000 BCE”. The three chariots found in burial pits indicate the possibility of “royal burials” while other findings confirm the population of a warrior class here, he added.

“These findings are important to understand the culture pattern of the Upper Ganga-Yamuna doab. We found copper swords, helmets, shields and chariots,” Manjul said.

He claimed that the discovery of chariots put India on a par with ancient civilisations in Mesopotamia and Greece, where chariots were used extensively.