Indian Navy sailing vessel INSV Kaundinya has arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat after completing its maiden voyage from Gujarat. The ship, a recreation of a fifth-century Indian vessel built using ancient stitching techniques, sailed from Porbandar on December 29 and covered an ancient sea route of about 1,400 kilometres to reach Oman.
India and Oman had earlier highlighted the voyage during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Muscat in December 2025, describing it as a symbol of their shared maritime traditions. The two sides also welcomed a memorandum of understanding on maritime heritage and museums, enabling cooperation through joint exhibitions and research. INSV Kaundinya is stitched using coconut coir rope, natural fibre and resin, reviving a 2,000-year-old shipbuilding tradition once used by Indian mariners who navigated the Indian Ocean with monsoon winds and celestial knowledge.
The design is inspired by a fifth-century Ajanta mural and reflects India’s ancient maritime links across the Indian Ocean. Inducted into the Indian Navy in May 2025, the vessel is named after the legendary mariner Kaundinya. It is skippered by Commander Vikas Sheoran and sailed by a 16-member crew, which includes economist Sanjeev Sanyal.
The ship used the traditional “Tankai” stitching method to demonstrate the transoceanic capability of early Indian ship designs. The legendary voyage of Kaundinya, dated to around the first century CE, reflects a well-established tradition of Indian blue-water navigation that connected India with Arabia, East Africa and Southeast Asia centuries before the rise of European maritime powers. The western coast of India and the Omani-Arab seaboard played a pivotal role in the Indian Ocean maritime network.
The expedition follows a tripartite agreement signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy and a Goa-based private shipbuilder for the reconstruction of a fifth-century ship using traditional methods. The project was funded by the Ministry of Culture.
