Excavation at Pattanam, Source: Muziris Heritage project India has been gifted with a rich maritime heritage, which is evident through the bustling ports and cities that adorn the coastline of India. These ports were active trading areas, giving rise to new settlements and groups of indigenous and foreign traders engaged in the spice trade. Today, these port cities and those that function no longer, hold significant historical value, prompting archaeologists to diligently search for and identify their geographical locations. Muziris, a key port on the Malabar coast, became a focal trade point ..read more

Ms Amruta Talawadekar Senior Research Associate, MHS Bombay (now Mumbai) is known for its uniqueness, whether in terms of its cosmopolitan culture, diversity in architecture, or varying dialects. An interestingly peculiar thing that Bombay was known for was the fact that it had its own standard time. Prior to India’s independence in 1947, Bombay had three time zones. This may seem unusual, as most cities typically have a single national standard time zone. This article explores Bombay’s varying time zones and the nuances behind their existence. Till the late 19th century, before the introducti ..read more

“We do this job because every once in a while, someone is out there without hope, desperately praying for their life, and we get to be the answer.” ― Coast Guard (U.S.) Uma Kabe, (Project Research Associate, Maritime History Society) The Indian Coast Guard is recognised as the maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over the Territorial Waters, Contiguous Zone and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). India primarily has three layered security – the Coastal Police monitor the Coastal waters up to 5 miles, and the Indian Coast Guard in collaboration with the In ..read more

International Customs Day is celebrated on 26 January every year. In order to look at the stellar role of the Customs Department in India, the blog titled ‘International Customs Day- A Historical Perspective on the Indian Customs’ is dedicated as a two-part series. The following is the first in the series to trace the historical aspects. World Customs Organisation and International Customs Day 2023: Before delving into the history, it is pertinent to understand what Customs are. Every nation has a dedicated Customs Authority that is responsible for the collection of duties and tariffs and over ..read more

The birth of Jesus is widely known as Christmas in India, owing to the predominance of the English language in the South Asian Subcontinent. It is also interesting to note that Christmas in many pockets of  western India has a different nomenclature. In Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat it is referred to as Natal, a word of Iberian origin but Portuguese to be precise.   As Goa remained a colonial settlement of the Portuguese in India for the longest time – approximately for  four centuries. It is astonishing to note that Maharashtra and Gujarat which were part of the British Raj were ..read more

Figure 1 Jahanara Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahanara_Begum#/media/File:Princess_Jahanara_aged_18,_British_Library,_Add_Or_3129,_f.13v.jpg In the previous two segments, we have read about Mariam-uz-Zamani and Nur Jahan’s maritime pursuits. While Mariam-uz-Zamani had to struggle to navigate her path in maritime ventures, Nur Jahan, on the other hand, played her cards well. With a political acumen and a vision for economic success, she managed to pull off her maritime enterprise smoothly without a glitch. In this last and final piece of the Trilogy- Mughal women in maritime trade ..read more

Figure 1 Mariam-uz-zamani  Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mariam_uz-Zamani The grandeur of the Mughal court narrated in the chronicles of foreign travellers are well documented pieces of history. These stories were carried to places far across the world. The Mughals today are well known for their palaces, artworks, marble works, stone intarsia, painted stuccos and tile works. They are also known for their bewitching luxurious fabrics, their magnificent palaces filled with visitors from far and wide and their sumptuous court cultures. One major aspect of the Mugha ..read more

Image 1 Potrait of Captain Mahendranath Mulla. Source – Maritime History Society Archives 09 December 1971, was a fateful day. In the midst of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the Pakistani Naval Ship (PNS) Hangor torpedoed and sank the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Khukri (F149). 09 December 2022 marks 51 years since the Type 14 blackwood class anti-submarine frigate INS Khukri sank. The Commanding Officer of the ship, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla chose to go down with the majestic vessel along with 18 officers and 176 sailors who lost their lives. Let us take a trip down the memory l ..read more

Kajal Gautam Research Intern Maritime History Society   The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa#/media/File%3ATsunami_by_hokusai_1 9th_century.jpg   The term ‘Tsunami’ is derived from the Japanese word “tsu” meaning harbor and “nami” meaning waves and is used in reference to a phenomenon that is related to tidal waves that are characterized by a long wavelength and period.[i] Created by heavy displacement of water, tsunamis can be generated from any large event ..read more

INS Kiltan Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Kiltan_(P30)#/media/File:INS_Kiltan_departs_Sihanoukville_Autonomous_Port_port.jpg Indigenously built, INS Kiltan is one of the four Kamorta class Corvettes designed by Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design under Project 28. As a part of Project 28, INS Kiltan was built as an anti-submarine warfare corvette by Garden Reach Shipbuilders in Kolkata. The ship is named after a coral island that is a part of the Aminidivi archipelago which is located in the Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of islands. Launched on 26 March ..read more