Nearing Muscat, the crew of INSV 'Kaundinya' is preparing for a ceremonial entry into Port Sultan Qaboos. PM's EAC member Sanjeev Sanyal said the main objective of demonstrating the capability of ancient stitched ships has been proven.
Preparations for Ceremonial Entry
With the INSV 'Kaundinya' present in the Omani waters, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal said on Tuesday that on Day 16, the goal for the team was to clean the ship, change to fresh sail and put the efforts towards looking presentable before entering the Port Sultan Qaboos, the largest port in Muscat, Oman. He also mentioned that efforts are underway to ensure the entry sequence is properly understood by all parties, including organisers and authorities.
In his post on X, Sanjeev Sanyal said, "Day 16. All is well onboard. Today will be spent cleaning the ship, changing to fresh sails, and generally making ourselves look presentable for the ceremonial entry into the Muscat's Sultan Qaboos Port harbour. Skipper Vikas Sheoran is busy speaking to various organisers and authorities to make sure the entry sequence is properly understood on all sides....Pednekar and Srihari are trying out all manner of drone angles (will post some cool shots)."
Mission's Objective Proven
On Day 15, that is on Monday, Economist and Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal, who is on board the vessel on Monday morning, said that the vessel is "well inside Omani waters, North of Sur." "Day 15. We are now well inside Omani waters, north of Sur. Winds are down and back to glassy seas. So close and yet immobile. Nonetheless, the main objective of the Kaundinya project now stands proved: we have demonstrated how ancient "stitched" ships from India could cross the oceans, we know the strengths and drawbacks of this design, and have good idea of the human experience of ancient mariners," Sanyal posted. He shared a photograph of the sunset and also a video from some days ago describing "what it looks like sleeping on the deck in full moonlight."
Journey and Commendations
The ship had embarked on her first voyage from Porbandar in Gujarat to Muscat, Oman, on December 29, 2025, along the ancient maritime trade route. On Sunday, Sanyal had posted on his social media, "INSV Kaundinya flying the tricolour across the Arabian Sea: Ship of Wood with Men of Steel." The journey aims to recreate the ancient maritime trading route that connected India with West Asia and other parts of the world.
Commander Y Hemant Kumar, who has been associated with the project since its conceptualisation, and serves at the Officer-in-Charge of the INSV Kaundinya also posted on X that the ship had entered Omani waters. "Under sail, flying India's Tricolour, retracting seas once sailed by our ancestors," he said.
Retired Naval officer Abhilash Tomy, who became the first Indian to complete the prestigious Golden Globe Race, the world's toughest solo sailing race in which participants circumnavigate the globe non-stop without any modern technology, also congratulated the crew of the Kaundinya. Tomy took to X to post, "Oman can now see a mighty little ship flying the tricolor bobbing in their waters. Its sailors have just accomplished a feat from another era. I am sure the winds carry the smells of Omani cuisine, which should guide them to a quick entry. Home revs now. Well done guys! You deserve all the rest land has to offer."
About the INSV Kaundinya
Design and Crew
The INSV Kaundinya is based on a 5th-century CE ship depicted in the paintings of Ajanta Caves. Skippered by Commander Vikas Sheoran, leading a 16-member crew, the Kaundinya is estimated to arrive at Muscat around January 15.
Project Genesis and Construction
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.
The ship was launched in February 2025 at Goa.
Symbolism and Naming
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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