The ‘stitched ship’ — Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Kaundinya — sailed from the Naval Base in Karwar to Porbandar on Saturday. The vessel, with a 16-member Indian Navy crew aboard, will cast off from Porbandar for Oman on December 29 on a historic voyage retracing ancient maritime trading routes, as part of an initiative to revive and honour India’s traditional maritime heritage.

The ‘ancient’ ship, modelled on a fifth-century vessel depicted in a painting in the Ajanta caves, has been recreated using traditional stitching techniques. It was constructed by artisans and traditional shipwrights from Kerala using coconut fibre stitching, traditional wooden joinery, coir rope and natural resins, and is powered by cotton sails. The vessel was inducted into the Indian Navy in May and h

See Full Page