Ancient Ship Reborn: INSV Kaundinya Sights Oman on Historic Voyage

In a post on X, Sanyal shared an image with a caption, "Day 18. Land Ahoy!!!!!!"

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.

The project that began as an idea in the mind of Sanjeev Sanyal, who was inspired by an Ajanta cave painting.

Earlier, Sanyal said 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)."

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.

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