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India's
maritime history predates the birth of Western civilisation. The
world's first tidal dock is believed to have been built at Lothal around
2300 BC during the Harappan civilisation, near the present day Mangrol
harbour on the Gujarat coast. The Rig Veda, written around 2000 BC,
credits Varuna with knowledge of the ocean routes commonly used by ships
and describes Naval expeditions using hundred-oared ships to subdue other
kingdoms. There is a reference to plava, the side wings of a vessel which
give stability under storm conditions, perhaps the precursor of modern
stabilizers. Similarly, the Atharva Veda mentions boats, which are
spacious, well constructed and comfortable.
In Indian mythology, Varuna was the exalted deity to
whom lesser mortals turned to for forgiveness of their sins. It is only
later that Indra became the King of the Gods and Varuna was relegated to
become the God of Seas and Rivers. The oceans recognized as repository of
treasure, was churned by the Devas and Danavs, the sons of Kashyap by
queen Aditi and Diti, in order to obtain Amrit, the nectar of immortality.
Even today, the invocation at the launching of a warship is addressed to
Aditi. The influence of the sea on Indian Kingdoms continued to grow with
the passage of time. North- west India came under the influence of
Alexander the great, who built a harbour at Patala where the Indus
branches into two, just before entering the Arabian sea. His army returned
to Mesopotamia in ships built in Sindh. Records show that in the period
after his conquest, Chandragupta Maurya established an admiralty division
under a Superintendent of ships as part of his war office, with a charter
including responsibility for navigation on the Seas, Oceans, lakes and
Rivers. History records that Indian ships traded with Countries as far as
Java and Sumatra, and available evidence indicates that they were also
trading with other countries in the Pacific, and Indian Ocean. Even before
Alexander, there were references to India in Greek works and India had a
flourishing trade with Rome. Roman
writer Pliny speaks of Indian traders carrying away large quantity of gold from Rome, in payment for much sought exports such as
precious stones, skins, clothes, spices, sandalwood , perfumes, herbs and
indigo.
Trades
of this volume could not have been conducted over the countries without
appropriate Navigational skills. Two Indian astronomers of repute,
Aryabhatta and Varahamihira, having accurately mapped the positions of
celestial bodies, developed a method of computing a ship's position from
the stars. A crude forerunner of the modern magnetic compass called
Matsyayantra was being used around the fourth or fifth century AD. Between
the fifth and tenth centuries AD, the Vijaynagaram and Kalinga kingdoms of
southern and Eastern India had established their rules over Malaya,
Sumatra and Western Java. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands then served as
an important midway for trade between the Indian peninsula and these
kingdoms, as also with China. The daily revenue from the western regions
in the period 844-848 AD was estimated to be 200 maunds (eight tons) of
gold. In the period 984-1042AD, the Chola kings dispatched great naval
expeditions which occupied parts of Burma, Malaya and Sumatra, while suppressing the piratical activities of
the Sumatra warlords. In 1292 AD, Marco Polo described Indian ships as
"built of fir timber, having a sheath of boards laid over the
planking in every part, caulked with iron nails. The bottoms were smeared
with a preparation of quicklime and hemp, pounded together and mixed with
oil from a certain tree which is a better material than pitch." A
fourteenth century description of an Indian ship credits it with a
carrying capacity of over 700 people giving a fair idea of both ship
building skills and maritime ability of seamen who could successfully man
such large vessels.
Another
account of the early fifteenth Century describes Indian ships as being
built in compartments so that even if one part was shattered, the next
remained intact, thus enabling the ship to complete her voyage. This was
perhaps a forerunner of the modern day subdivision of ships into
watertight compartments, a concept then totally alien to the Europeans.
The
decline of Indian maritime power commenced in the Thirteenth century, and
Indian sea power had almost disappeared when the Portuguese arrived in
India. They later imposed a system of license for trade, and set upon all
Asian vessels not holding permits from them.
The
piratical activities of the Portuguese were challenged by the Zamorins of
Calicut when Vasco da Gama, after obtaining permission to trade, refused
to pay the customs levy. Two major engagements were fought during this
period. First, the battle of Cochin in 1503, clearly revealed the weakness
of Indian navies and indicated to the Europeans an opportunity for
building a naval empire. The second engagement off Diu in 1509, gave the
Portuguese mastery over Indian seas and laid the foundation of European
control over Indian waters for the next 400 years. TOP
Indian
maritime interests witnessed a remarkable resurgence in the late
seventeenth century, When the Siddhis of Janjira allied with the Moghuls
to become a major power on the West Coast. This led the Maratha King
Shivaji to create his own fleet, which was commanded by able admirals like
Sidhoji Gujar and Kanhoji Angre. The Maratha Fleet along with the
legendary Kanhoji Angre held away over the entire Konkan Coast keeping the
English, Dutch and Portuguese at bay. The death of Angre in 1729 left a
vacuum and resulted in the decline of Maratha sea power. Despite the
eclipse of Indian kingdoms with the advent of western domination, Indian
shipbuilders continued to hold their own well into the nineteenth century.
The Bombay Dock completed in July 1735 is in use even today. Ships
displacing 800 to 1000 tons were built of teak at Daman and were superior
to their British counterparts both in design and durability. This so
agitated British shipbuilders on the River Thames that they protested
against use of Indian built ships to carry trade from England.
Consequently active measures were adopted to cripple the Indian
shipbuilding industries. Nevertheless, many Indian ships were inducted
into the Royal Navy, such as HMS Hindostan in 1795, the frigate Cornwallis
in 1800, HMS Camel in 181 and HMS Ceylon in 1808. HMS Asia carried the
flag of Admiral Codrington at the battle of Navarino in 1827 the last
major sea battle to be fought entirely under sail.
Two Indian built Ships witnessed history in the making.
The Treaty of Nanking, ceding Hong Kong to the British was signed onboard
HMS Cornwallis in 1842. The national anthem of USA “Star Spangled
Banner", was composed by Francis Scott Key onboard HMS Minden when
the Ship was on a visit to Baltimore.
Numerous other ships were also constructed, the most famous being HMS Trincomalee, which was launched on 19 Oct
1817, carrying 86 guns and displacing 1065 tons. This ship was latter
renamed Foudroyant.
The period of 4000 years between Lothal and Bombay
Dock, therefore, offers tangible evidence of seafaring skills the nation
possessed in the days of sail. In the early seventeen century, when
British naval ships came to India, they discovered the existence of
considerable shipbuilding and repair skills, as well as seafaring people.
An ideal combination was thus available for supporting a fighting force in
India.
Tarangini
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