INSV Kaundinya:
The Indian Navy has inducted the INSV Kaundinya, a reconstructed 5th-century stitched ship based on depictions found in the Ajanta Cave paintings.
- This initiative was launched in July 2023 under a tripartite agreement involving the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy, and Hodi Innovations.
- The Ministry of Culture funded the ship as a symbol of India’s ancient shipbuilding tradition and to promote maritime heritage awareness.
- INSV Kaundinya is scheduled to sail along the ancient maritime trade route from Gujarat to Oman later in 2025.
- The ship was constructed using ancient “stitched ship” techniques, where wooden planks are joined using coir ropes, coconut fibres, and natural resin, without metal nails.
- The design was based on a 5th-century maritime scene depicted in the Ajanta mural paintings.
- As there are no surviving blueprints, the design process involved interpreting 2D artistic representations through archaeological, naval architectural, and hydrodynamic analysis.
