Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the initiative behind INSV Kaundinya, a ship built using the ancient Indian stitched-ship technique, as it embarked on its maiden voyage from Porbandar to Muscat in Oman.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “Wonderful to see that INSV Kaundinya is embarking on her maiden voyage from Porbandar to Muscat, Oman. Built using the ancient Indian stitched-ship technique, this ship highlights India’s rich maritime traditions. I congratulate the designers, artisans, shipbuilders and the Indian Navy for their dedicated efforts in bringing this unique vessel to life.”
“My best wishes to the crew for a safe and memorable journey, as they retrace our historic links with the Gulf region and beyond,” he added.
The Prime Minister’s post was reposted by the Indian Navy.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Modi congratulated the designers, artisans, shipbuilders and the Indian Navy for their dedicated efforts in bringing INSV Kaundinya to life.
The vessel was flagged off from Porbandar in Gujarat for Muscat, symbolically retracing historic maritime routes that connected India with the wider Indian Ocean world for millennia, an official statement said.
Named after the legendary mariner Kaundinya, believed to have sailed from India to Southeast Asia in ancient times, the ship reflects India’s long-standing maritime legacy.
According to a statement by the Indian Navy, INSV Kaundinya is inspired by depictions of ancient Indian ships and has been constructed entirely using traditional stitched-plank techniques. Unlike modern vessels, its wooden planks are stitched together with coconut coir rope and sealed using natural resins — a shipbuilding tradition once prevalent along India’s coastline and across the Indian Ocean.
This technology enabled Indian mariners to undertake long-distance voyages to West Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia long before the advent of modern navigation and metallurgy, the statement said.
The project was undertaken through a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy as part of efforts to rediscover and revive India’s indigenous knowledge systems.
Built by traditional artisans under the guidance of master shipwright Babu Sankaran, and supported by extensive research, design and testing by the Indian Navy and academic institutions, the vessel is fully seaworthy and capable of ocean-going navigation.
The Indian Navy formally inducted and named the ancient stitched ship as INSV Kaundinya on May 21 at a ceremonial event held at the Naval Base in Karwar.
Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presided over the event as the chief guest, marking the culmination of a project celebrating India’s rich shipbuilding heritage.
INSV Kaundinya is a stitched sail ship based on a 5th-century CE vessel depicted in the paintings of the Ajanta Caves.
-IANS
