Ancient Trade Routes: The Journey of INS Kaundinya.


The Permanent Missions of India and Oman are pleased to welcome sailors of INSV Kaundinya as well as experts, scholars from Oman and practitioners engaged in the maritime domain.


INSV Kaundinya, a stitched-plank sailing vessel inspired by ancient Indian shipbuilding traditions, was proposed to retrace India's early maritime trade routes across the Indian Ocean. These routes connected the Indian subcontinent with Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa as early as the 1st millennium BCE.

By sailing these routes, INSV Kaundinya symbolically highlighted the long-standing role of India and Oman as responsible maritime civilisations, comfortable operating far beyond coastal waters and engaging with what we now term areas beyond national jurisdiction.

In 2010, the Jewel of Muscat—a sewn ship based on 9th-century engineering and constructed without the use of nails—successfully sailed from Oman through India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and onward to Singapore. Together, these journeys underscore the long-standing roles of India and Oman as seafaring civilizations, adept at navigating far beyond coastal waters and engaging in what are now described as areas beyond national jurisdiction. They stand as important milestones in understanding and celebrating our shared maritime legacy.

A few leading questions are as follows:
Whether the current maritime environment is feasible for seafarers that continue to rely on traditional sea-routes?
How state parties can best cooperate and international mechanisms put in practice that underline the importance of safety and security of seafarers, sea lanes of communication and the environment?

What are some best practices from our shared history of trade and communication which can be implemented in today's world that brings a focus towards sustainability?
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