New Delhi, India – INSV Kaundinya, the Indian Navy’s pioneering stitched sailing vessel built using traditional shipbuilding techniques, began her maiden overseas voyage to Oman on Monday, retracing ancient maritime routes that once linked India with the wider Indian Ocean world.
Flagged off from Porbandar in Gujarat in the presence of H E Issa Saleh al Shibani, Ambassador of Oman to India, the wooden vessel is sailing to Muscat on a journey expected to take around 15 days.
It is named after Kaundinya, the legendary Indian mariner who sailed across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia.
Unlike modern ships, Kaundinya has been constructed using a rare stitched-ship technique, in which wooden planks are stitched together with coconut coir rope and sealed using natural resins. Indian officials said this method reflects a shipbuilding tradition once prevalent along India’s coastline and across the Indian Ocean.
According to officials, 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.
Kaundinya is based on a 5th century CE vessel depicted in the murals of the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra. Following keel-laying in September 2023, the ship was built by a team of skilled artisans from Kerala, led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran. Over several months, the craftsmen painstakingly stitched the hull using coir rope, coconut fibre and natural resin. The vessel was launched in Goa in February 2025.
The ship incorporates several culturally significant features. Her sails bear motifs of Gandabherunda (a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu) and the Sun, the bow is adorned with a sculpted Simha Yali (a guardian creature that protects human beings both physically and spiritually), and a symbolic Harappan-style stone anchor rests on her deck. Each element evokes India’s ancient maritime heritage.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the voyage in a post on X, saying: “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.”
