sailing vessels and navigation in the early days
TRANSCRIPT
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K. R. A. Narasiah1
SAILING VESSELS AND
NAVIGATION
IN THE EARLY DAYS
K R A Narasiah
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K. R. A. Narasiah2
EARLY NAVIGATION
� Today we have all the way at sea
� Earlier sailors did facilities for locating and
finding not have any such equipment
� The study is about the way they facilitated
their navigation and built their ships
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K. R. A. Narasiah3
EARLY SHIP TYPES
� Kalam, Naavai, vangam, Kappal
� Kalam is a timber vessel used locally
� Naavai is a ocean going vessel, for distant places
� Vangam is fitted with mast and flies a flag
� Kappal is a later term probably from Telugu
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K. R. A. Narasiah4
A SEWN BOAT WITH SAIL; NO RUDDER
A SEWN BOAT WITH SAIL; NO RUDDER
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K. R. A. Narasiah5
Rigging of a boat
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K. R. A. Narasiah6
SHIP BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
� The treatise of Boja Raja “Yukti Kalpa
Taru” is considered oldest book on
shipbuilding
� The book classifies ships as Saadharana
and Visesha
� Specification of materials are given
� Masts are defined
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K. R. A. Narasiah7
EARLY NAVIGATION
� We now know Hippalus discovered the
monsoon winds and their regularity
� Thus a direct passage to India was
available from Arabia to Malabar
� The Westerners made good use of it.
� Much earlier Indians had used winds but
did not know the regularity
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K. R. A. Narasiah8
COASTAL NAVIGATION
� Indians used rivers and coasts to sail with
available markers ashore.
� Astronomy was used but its start is not
dated
� Cholas were the first to go on naval
expeditions and their sailors had mastered
navigation
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K. R. A. Narasiah9
PARTS OF OCEAN GOING
SHIPS OF CHOLA TIME
� Mast was koombu and yard arm parumal (corruption of firman of persian)
� Rigs were Alattu and sails Pai
� Rows of side planks were Vanku-vari (counted from keel upwards)
� Prow was Aniya-pirai and stern was aniyathu-kattai
� Stone Anchor was kal-nanguram (Langar in persian)
� Mariner’s Compass was machcha yantiram
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K. R. A. Narasiah10
TYPES OF TIMBER AND THEIR
MEASUREMENT
� Timber is measured in Muzham and Viral (one muzham is 25 virals)
� The timber were from Iluppai, Punnai, siru tekku, aini, karimarudu etc.,
� While fixing the planks various jointing materials were used for waterproofing
� Vessels were built in open beaches
� The builders were Kammiayars
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K. R. A. Narasiah11
TIMBER USED AND REASON
� Teak for planks and other parts, as it was the lightest, self lubricated, impervious to insect and imputrescible.
� Punnai was available in great lengths and straight; crack resistant; flexible and therefore used for masts.
� Crooks used for bends as they are stronger by fibre run
� Teak roots used for pulleys
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K. R. A. Narasiah12
STEERING THE VESSEL
� Steering was always by the steering oar.
� Sometimes dagger boards were used
� Sukkan or rudder was not introduced till
late in the period.
� The reason could be the speed of the
vessel or easier methods by oars for
smaller vessels
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K. R. A. Narasiah13
BALANCING AND STEERING
� Leeward is the side sheltered from the wind
� Weather side is the side facing the wind
� Outrigger is A float or a secondary hull projecting from the boat
� Heavy outriggers in the Dhonis were fixed permanently and the ships made thin and long and turned according to the wind
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K. R. A. Narasiah14
11th and 12th CENTURY BOATS
� All timber construction; two or three masts
� Fore sails were square or rectangular and
had trouble in turning
� Lateen sails were not used till late
fourteenth century (lateen sails were
triangular in shape and at 45° to the mast
to control the direction)
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K. R. A. Narasiah15
Colonizing Java courtesy K M Panikkar
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K. R. A. Narasiah16
A bas-relief of a ship in Angkor
vat-Chola ship?
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K. R. A. Narasiah17
SHIPS USED FOR CHOLA
INVASION
� We have no definite knowledge of the ships used. We infer from literature
� Periplus mentions two types of Indian vessels: Sangara and kolandiphonta
� Sangara is Sangadam a double canoe used in the coast
� Kolandia is a larger vessel with two masts and pointed ends and an outrigger (as seen in the earlier illustration)
� Kolandia maybe Kulla Dhoni of Tamilnadu
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K. R. A. Narasiah18
PLACES OF SHIPBUIDING
� An East West coastal stretch from Kodiakkarai to Tondi
� Largest boats were built in Kodiakkarai. Kulla Dhoni (Thief Boat) was a fast boat
� This ship had a transom vertical to the base
� There was a short, heavy balance board outrigger laid athwart the gunwales.
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K. R. A. Narasiah19
TRADITIONAL BOAT BUIDING
CENTRES
� Adiramapattinam, Muthuppettai, Kodiakkarai were the ideal places to build ships.
� There were adjoining islands and villages within a mangrove belt.
� Marshy lands were available and variety of timber too.
� There were traditional boat builders
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K. R. A. Narasiah20
OPEN SEA NAVIGATION
� Coastal navigation was possible through direct observation
� Open sea this was not possible; Specific instruments and procedures were necessary
� Knowledge of astronomy gave sufficient accuracy
� Sun’s or stars’ AZIMUTH was calculated by practical knowledge.
� Tamed birds were used to show the shore areas.
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K. R. A. Narasiah21
OPEN SEA NAVIGATION (contd)
� The skill of the navigators who were sensitive to
the slightest modification of wind or water.
� As mentioned earlier Macha Yantra was used
from early times. (Indian lodestone fish
equivalent to Chinese South pointer fish)
� The fish was shaped with its head to South Pole
and tail to North Pole
� Indian sailors depended on the southern stars
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K. R. A. Narasiah22
Viral Kanakku slide
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K. R. A. Narasiah23
Viral Kanakku
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K. R. A. Narasiah24
Sighting with Rappalagai
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K. R. A. Narasiah25
Viral Kanakku
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K. R. A. Narasiah26
CURRENTS OF WATER
� Sailors had plotted the currents of the
waters and named them
� The device used for knowing the current
was MITTAPPU PALAKI (later called
tappuppalagai)
� When there is no directional flow it was
called neer-mayam
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K. R. A. Narasiah27
Current Roses
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K. R. A. Narasiah28
SEASONAL DIRECTION
� South Kaveri delta January and February
were the months for outward sailing.
� Sail south wards using VADAKKAN later
they may have used MEMARI for
Eastward trip.
� The ports were noted as YAMAM
distances
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K. R. A. Narasiah29
Direction of sailing and target
ports (KURI)
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K. R. A. Narasiah30
STAR NAVIGATION -
ASTRONOMY
� Groups of stars were called voyaging stars
� Shipwatch was 7.5 naliagi (3 hours) I.e., oneYAMAM (eight yamams were one day) Distances at sea were measured at this quantity
� There were 56 select star / star groups used by Tamil seamen
� The groups and stars have their own local name
� Field knowledge was passed on to the family members orally
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K. R. A. Narasiah31
STARS AND THEIR
EQUVALENTS
Al CorArundatiVadameen
Pollux Castor,
Procyon
Punarpoosam/
Poosam
Odakkol/Iranai
Velli
Orion BeltHaranUlakkai Velli
BetelgeuseArdraCemmeen
Ursa MajorSaptharishiEzhu Velli
Southern CrossTrisankuNalu Velli
CanopusAgastyaOttrai Velli
ENGLISHINDIANTAMIL
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K. R. A. Narasiah32
STAR NAVIGATION
� The rise of ARDRA in early January indicates
the commencement of sailing season to the East
with Arudra darsanam
� Ardra, Margaseeram, araankottai (Kiruttika)
Arundati and Tiruvonam were the sailors’ stars.
� Ardra and Margaseeram were noted as path
finders (Orion group; they rise in the East at
dusk in July- August, and at dawn in In
December – January.
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K. R. A. Narasiah33
STAR NAVIGATION (contd)
� In case these two guiding stars are not
seen, the bright ROHINI (Alpha Tauri) and
Kartik (Pleidas) on the Port bow side and
MAKAM on the Starboard provide the
guides
� The alternative is SRAVAN as it rises
when ARDRA sets, these being near the
equator
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K. R. A. Narasiah34
STAR NAVIGATION (contd)
� Location is based on pole star altitudes; but Pole star is not visible below Kanyakumari
� As the seafarers say it is “LOST” in the haze of visible horizon
� From the Literary records, as per Mr Arunachalam, uthara or Vada Meen was Arundati (Al Cor)
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K. R. A. Narasiah35
STAR MEASURE
� Kau Nila is the status of the Pole Star
� Kau Kanakku (Star Measure) is used by old seafarers
� This measurement is also called Viral Kanakku
� It is a reference to the altitude of the specific star during the transit of the meridian
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K. R. A. Narasiah36
MEASUREMENT
� Viral Kanakku in Tamil is the ANGULI in
Sanskrit ( ¾ of an Inch)
� Gujarathis used Dhru for the same
measure
� Arabs called it Isaba and Chinese Chih
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K. R. A. Narasiah37
I N S Tarangini – a sailing naval vessel that
went around the world