Naval Heritage Reborn: INSV Kaundinya Embarks on Ancient Trade Route Voyage

Karwar: The Indian Navy has commissioned INSV Kaundinya, a 20-meter-long sailing yacht inspired by a 5th-century fresco at the Ajanta caves, at the Karwar naval base on Wednesday. This wooden vessel, entirely hand-stitched in Goa, is set to embark on a transoceanic journey along the ancient trade route from Gujarat to Oman, scheduled for later this year.

Naval officials stated that if the first voyage is successful, the yacht will then sail from Odisha to Indonesia. The induction of this wooden vessel marks a significant milestone, coming 40 years after the Navy decommissioned INS Bhatkal, its last wooden-hulled minesweeper.

“We knew that these stitched ships were used to cross the ocean from very ancient times. We know that Indians were sailing the oceans from the bronze age, from the Harappan period. There’s enough evidence of Indians crossing from the ports of Gujarat to Oman and Bahrain and going all the way to Mesopotamia,” said Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, who initiated the project.

“The problem is that there are no records of exactly what sea-going ships during the Harappan period looked like. There are some texts, like the ‘Yukti Kalpa Taru’, which we used. We used some testimonies of ancient travellers from other countries who came to the Indian Ocean,” said Sanyal.

With no detailed blueprints available, multiple stakeholders collaborated to bring INSV Kaundinya to life. “From Sanyal’s vision to Malayali shipwright Babu Sankaran’s skill, and from the Navy’s oversight to the Goan shipyard Hodi Innovations’ determination, the stitched ship replica is a model for successful collaborations,” said Commodore Srikant Kesnur (retd).

INSV Kaundinya is named after India’s first known mariner, who, according to legend, established the Fuhan dynasty after marrying a Naga princess. “Kaundinya is not mentioned in Indian records, but we know of him from records of Cambodia and Vietnam. We can only guess where he came from, but just as a hint, there is still a gotra called Kaunditya that lives along the Odisha-Andhra coast, and it is possible that Kaundinya is actually not his first name but his gotra name,” said Sanyal.

The project represents a unique blend of historical revival and modern maritime innovation, with the ship serving as a tribute to India’s rich seafaring heritage. As the vessel prepares for its maiden voyage, it carries with it the legacy of a civilization that once sailed the world’s oceans.