Indian Navy to induct 5th-centry styled ancient stitched ship at Karwar naval base. How was the vessel was recreated?
The Indian Navy is all set to formally induct and unveil the name of the ancient stitched ship—the recreation of a fifth-century ship—on Wednesday at the Naval Base in Karwar. Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will preside over the induction ceremony.
Initiated through a tripartite agreement signed in July 2023 between the Indian Navy, Union ministry of culture, and Hodi Innovations, and funded by the ministry, the ship was inspired by a painting from the Ajanta Caves. The keel laying ceremony took place in 2023, and the ship was launched in February at Hodi Shipyard in Goa.
After its induction, the Navy will sail the vessel along traditional maritime trade routes. Preparations for the vessel’s maiden transoceanic voyage from Gujarat to Oman are underway.
The defence ministry said the construction of the ship reaffirms India’s rich shipbuilding legacy and the Navy’s commitment to preserving and operationalising the "living traditions" of the country's maritime heritage.
Artisans from Kerala, led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran, built the stitched ship using traditional methods and raw materials. The ship has thousands of hand-stitched joints.
The entire project, including concept development, design, technical validation and construction, was overseen by the Navy in collaboration with Hodi Innovations and traditional artisans. The stitched ship is equipped with square sails and steering oars, unlike modern-day ships.
As there were no surviving blueprints or physical remnants, the design had to be extrapolated from a two-dimensional artistic iconography. The construction necessitated a unique blend of archaeological interpretation, Naval architecture, hydrodynamic testing and traditional craftsmanship. The hull geometry, rigging and sails had to be reimagined and tested from first principles.
The Navy collaborated with the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, to conduct model testing to validate the vessel’s hydrodynamic behaviour at sea, the defence ministry said in a release. The Navy also undertook an in-house structural analysis to assess the wooden mast system, designed and constructed without the use of contemporary materials.
The combination of a stitched hull, square sails, wooden spars, and traditional steering mechanisms makes the vessel unlike any ship currently in Naval service anywhere in the world. “The successful completion of the construction of the ancient stitched ship represents the completion of the first and most formidable phase, bringing to life, from an artistic depiction, a fully functional sea-going vessel,” the ministry said.
Defence