INSV Kaundinya, the Indian Navy’s pioneering stitched sailing vessel inspired by 5th-century Ajanta Caves murals, is scheduled for its maiden overseas voyage on December 29, 2025, departing from Porbandar, Gujarat, to Muscat, Oman. This journey retraces ancient Indian Ocean trade routes that linked India with West Asia for millennia, carrying spices, ivory, and textiles, and highlights India’s enduring maritime prowess using traditional coconut coir-stitched planks sealed with natural resins. Commissioned on May 21, 2025, at Karwar Naval Base after a tripartite project with the Ministry of Culture and Hodi Innovations—initiated in July 2023 with keel laying on September 12—the 19.6-meter vessel features cultural motifs like Gandabherunda and a Harappan anchor. Having sailed from Karwar on December 13 with a 16-member crew trained in rigging and carpentry by Kerala artisans, it underscores India’s revival of indigenous shipbuilding under naval guidance and IIT Madras testing. Named for legendary mariner Kaundinya, the voyage strengthens India’s cultural and naval heritage.