INSV Kaundinya: India Recreates 5th-Century Ship Inspired by Ajanta Caves for Historic Voyage

Construction began after a tripartite agreement was signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy and Hodi Innovations, with funding from the Ministry of Culture. File Photo.

INSV Kaundinya: India Recreates 5th-Century Ship Inspired by Ajanta Caves for Historic Voyage

The Indian Navy’s traditionally built sailing vessel INSV Kaundinya has embarked on its maiden overseas journey from Porbandar, Gujarat, to Muscat, Oman. The journey seeks to retrace historic maritime links between India and the Gulf.

Kaundinya is built as a faithful recreation of a 5th-century CE ship, drawing its inspiration from a painting in the ancient Ajanta Caves, archaeologists and naval planners said, highlighting India’s long-standing tradition of seafaring and shipbuilding.

Name and Inspiration

The vessel is named after the legendary mariner Kaundinya, who, according to tradition, sailed from India to Southeast Asia, a fitting tribute to India’s maritime past. Its design is explicitly modelled on iconographic evidence from the Ajanta Caves, where murals depict what historians interpret as merchant ships of the fifth century.

Construction and Challenges

Officials said that the development of Kaundinya involved “unique technical challenges” because there were no surviving ship plans or blueprints. To overcome this, naval architects, archaeologists and master shipwrights interpreted Ajanta art to extrapolate a seaworthy design.

Construction began after a tripartite agreement was signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy and Hodi Innovations, with funding from the Ministry of Culture. Skilled artisans from Kerala, led by a master shipwright, stitched the wooden hull using coir rope, coconut fibre and natural resins, a traditional technique known from early Indian shipbuilding. The keel was laid in September 2023, and the vessel was launched in February 2025 at the Hodi Shipyard in Goa.

Induction and Symbolism

INSV Kaundinya was formally inducted into the Indian Navy on May 21, 2025, at the Karwar Naval Base, in the presence of Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.It is more than a sailing platform; it is a symbol of India’s maritime exploration, trade and cultural exchange stretching back centuries.

Officials said the voyage to Oman will recall historic sea routes once used for commerce and cultural interactions across the Indian Ocean.

Source: The Tribune