The INSV 'Kaundinya' has successfully reached Muscat, Oman, after an 18-day historic voyage. The project, inspired by Ajanta cave paintings and championed by Sanjeev Sanyal, recreated a 5th-century ship using traditional stitching methods.
The INSV 'Kaundinya' has successfully completed its historic voyage to Muscat, Oman, after 18 days at sea on Wednesday. Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal shared the milestone on X, posting an image with the caption, "Enjoying the moment with Skipper Vikas Sheoran and Expedition in charge Hemanth Kumar ... We did it!!!"
Another crew member, Hemanth posted, "Land Ahoy! Muscat Sighted! Good Morning India; Good morning Oman."
Retired Naval Commander Abhilash Tomy, who had successfully solo circumnavigated the globe, also wished the crew of INSV Kaudinya on a successful mission, "This must be such a wonderful feeling. Now you have earned your sea legs, and walking on land will be a foreign experience. Well done."
Reviving Ancient Shipbuilding Techniques
The INSV Kaundinya is based on a 5th-century CE ship depicted in the paintings of Ajanta Caves. Skippered by Commander Vikas Sheoran, the 16-member crew of INSV 'Kaundinya' reached Muscat as planned.
The project that began as an idea in the mind of Sanjeev Sanyal, who was inspired by an Ajanta cave painting. A tripartite agreement was signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy, and Hodi Innovations, a Goa-based private boat builder, with funding from the Ministry of Culture.
Following the keel laying in September 2023, the vessel's construction was undertaken using a traditional method of stitching by a team of skilled artisans from Kerala, led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran. Over several months, the team painstakingly stitched wooden planks on the ship's hull using coir rope, coconut fibre and natural resin.
A Symbol of Maritime Heritage
The ship was launched in February 2025 at Goa. The sails of the indigenously built ship display motifs of the Gandabherunda and the Sun, her bow bears a sculpted Simha Yali, and a symbolic Harappan-style stone anchor adorns her deck, each element evoking the rich maritime traditions of ancient India.
Named after Kaundinya, the legendary first-century Indian mariner who sailed across the Indian Ocean to the Mekong Delta, where he married a Cambodian princess, the ship serves as a tangible symbol of India's long-standing traditions of maritime exploration, trade, and cultural exchange. (ANI)
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