Relics of ancient ship rotting in Kerala village

Alappuzha, May 28 (UNI) The remains of an old ship, which some historians believe could be a valuable source of information on sea trade in ancient India, are rotting in slush in a coastal village of this district.

The remains of the ship, believed to be more than 1,000 years old, were found in Kadakkarappally village in 2001 when the canal in which it lay buried was being reconstructed.

The discovery initially created a lot of excitement. As the ship was considered valuable in yielding clues to the ancient sea trade of India, several historians, including foreigners, visited it.

The Kerala Government started excavation work on it in April, 2002 and two rounds of digging helped to bring half of the vessel to the surface.

In the second round, conducted in 2003, experts came across strings made of jute, rare sea shells and human bones. The length of the ship, made entirely of wood, was measured at 40 metres and the width at four metres.

Some of the relics from the ship were sent to the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany at Lucknow, which concluded that the ship was more than 1,000 years old. However, some foreign experts, who visited the site, opined that the ship was built either in the 14th or 15th centuries.

The site where the ship was discovered is believed to be the part of an ancient port, through which trade was probably carried out with the Arab nations. Some historians pointed out that the ship was used for commercial purposes and was not a battle ship. They stressed the need for more study to determine the real age of the ship.

While there was some talk at the government level of converting the site into a museum, the official interest in the project waned and after spending nearly Rs 16 lakh on the excavation, the authorities abandoned the excavation work mid-way.

The site, which once drew a steady stream of students and teachers from Indian and foreign universities, is now lying in a state of neglect. According to reports, local people are using some of the ship relics as firewood.

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