Hand-stitched Indian ship arrives in Oman to rousing welcome
The Indian Navy's hand-stitched wooden sailing vessel INSV Kaundinya arrived in Oman on Wednesday to a water salute after completing 17 days at sea.
The ship began sailing from Porbandar on India's west coast on 29 December and arrived in Muscat, retracing the ancient maritime route that connected India with the rest of the world for millennia.
Named after a fabled Indian mariner who sailed across the ocean to South East Asia, the ship was built using traditional techniques.
Wooden planks were stitched together with coir rope made from coconut fibre and sealed with natural resin. The ship does not have an engine and moves under square sails, helped by favourable winds.
Narendra Modi/XINSV Kaundinya was built without nails or metal fastenings - methods once common across the Indian Ocean region.
Its design is inspired by a 5th Century vessel depicted in a painting at the Ajanta caves in western India - believed to be one of the few visual records of early Indian seafaring.
With no surviving blueprints from the period, naval architects relied on iconography and historical references to make out the ship's form.
The newly inducted vessel incorporates several culturally significant features.
"Her sails display motifs of the Gandabherunda [a mythical two-headed bird, representing the form of the Hindu god Vishnu] and the sun, her bow bears a sculpted Simha Yali [mythical creature from South Indian lore], and a symbolic Harappan style stone anchor adorns her deck, each element evoking the rich maritime traditions of ancient India," according to the Indian Navy's website.
AFP via Getty ImagesThe ship's construction began in September 2023 and it was launched in February 2025 in Goa state.
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic advisory council was a crew member and shared regular updates from the voyage on social media.
One such picture posted by him showed the ship sailing through the sea as heavy rains lashed the deck.
Speaking to reporters in Oman, the officer-in-charge of the ship, Commander Hemant Kumar, described the journey as "exhilarating" and "adventurous".
He said that the 17 days at sea came with challenges. There were no proper beds, no air conditioning in the heat, and bouts of sea-sickness. The crew were glad to be back on land, he said.
It is not yet clear when the ship and its crew will begin their return journey to India.
