President Droupadi Murmu and her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto arrived at Kartavya Path for the 76th Republic Day parade on Sunday in a traditional buggy, a practice that made a comeback after a 40-year gap last year.
They were escorted by the President's Bodyguard -- "Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak". The President's Bodyguard is the senior-most regiment of the Indian Army.
The gold-plated, horse-drawn buggy is a black carriage with the national emblem embossed on it in gold. The buggy, drawn by a mixed breed of Indian and Austrian horses, also features gold-plated rims.
The presidential buggy had been used for Republic Day functions till 1984 but was discontinued after the assassination of the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The buggy was last used by Giani Zail Singh in 1984 before being discontinued due to security reasons. The presidents then began using limousines for travel.
In 2014, then-president Pranab Mukherjee used it again for the beating retreat ceremony.
His successor Ram Nath Kovind continued the tradition. He inspected the Guard of Honour in the presidential buggy after taking oath in 2017.
During the British era, the buggy belonged to the viceroy of India. After India's independence in 1947, a row erupted between India and Pakistan regarding claims over the carriage.
With no immediate solution and higher authority to decide on the row, India's then-Lt Colonel Thakur Govind Singh and the Pakistan Army's Sahabzada Yaqub Khan took full responsibility for the fact that ownership of the buggy would depend on a coin toss.
India is believed to have won the toss and the buggy has been with the country since then. The carriage has been used by several presidents on various occasions.
