Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Indo-Arabian Stone Anchor of Manikapatna, Odisha, East Coast of India: An Indicator of Maritime Contacts of Odisha


Affiliations
1 CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa 403 004, India
 

Numerous stone and iron anchors of various shapes and sizes have been brought to light during the maritime archaeological explorations along the Indian littoral. And anchors are proxies to maritime archaeological studies. The recent maritime archaeological studies along the Manikapatna Coast of Chilika Lake, Odisha, India, discovered one broken Indo-Arabian stone anchor. The archaeological excavation findings suggest that Manikapatna served as a port from the early historical period up to the 18th century CE. Besides the Indo-Arabian stone anchor, composite, kellick, one-armed anchor with stone stock and single hole stone anchors were previously documented along the Odisha coast. None of the anchors were accompanied by associated findings, nor from any strata, and therefore, these anchors differ in their period and usage. Nonetheless, some of the stone anchors are still used by the fisherfolk of Odisha in their traditional crafts. The finding of the Indo-Arabian stone anchor of Manikapatna has a great significance in the maritime history of Odisha. This paper discusses the Indo- Arabian stone anchor found at Manikapatna coast, its importance in the maritime history of Odisha and in comparison with other Indo-Arabian types of stone anchors of the Indian subcontinent.

Keywords

Arab Contacts, Chilika Lake, Manikapatna, Maritime Contact, Stone Anchor.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Tripati, S., Stone anchors of India: Findings, Classification and Significance. In Proceedings of the 2nd Asia–Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (eds Tilburg, H. V. et al.), Honolulu, Hawaii, 2014, vol. 2, pp. 973–986.

  • Ratnagar, S., Trading Encounters from the Euphrates to the Indus in the Bronze Age, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2004.

  • Rao, S. R., Lothal – A Harappan Port Town, Part I, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, 1979.

  • Rao, S. R., Shipping and maritime trade of the Indus people. Expedition, 1965, 7(3), 30–37.

  • Dhavalikar, M. K., Raval, M. R. and Chitalwala, Y. M., Kuntasi – A Harappan Emporium on the West Coast, Post Graduate Research Institute, Deccan College, Pune, 1996.

  • Singh, J., Prachin Utkal (Odia), Odisha Shahitya Academy, Bhubaneswar, 1982, 2.

  • Tripati, S., Maritime Archaeology: Historical Descriptions of the Seafarings of the Kalingas, Kaveri Books, New Delhi, 2000.

  • Dash, R. N., Boat Building in Odisha. In Maritime Activities and Trade in Odisha (ed. Sahoo, P.), Odisha State Archives, Bhubaneswar, 1996, pp. 13–21.

  • Pradhan, D., Manikapatna excavations (1989–1993): cultural affinities of Southeast Asia through archaeological evidences. In Kalinga–Indonesian Cultural Relations (ed. Behera, K. S.), OIMSEAS, Bhubaneswar, 2007, pp. 71–95.

  • Behera, K. S. (ed.), Maritime activities of Orissa. In Maritime Heritage of India, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 1999, pp. 162–171.

  • Satyamurthy, T., Two copper coins from Manikapatna – An ancient sea port of Orissa. In Studies in South Indian Coins, 2003, vol. 13, pp. 38–41.

  • Raut, L. N., Socio Economic Life in Medieval Orissa, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1998.

  • Bowery, T., A Geographical Account of Countries Round the Bay of Bengal 1669–1679, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 1993.

  • Toth, J. A., Composite stone anchors in the ancient Mediterranean (Typology, chronology and their role in the reconstruction of ancient trade) A Proposal. Acta Archaeol. Acad. Sci. Hungaricae, 2002, vol. 53, pp. 85–118.

  • Noureddine, I., Stone anchors off the shore at Byblos. BAAL, 2016, 16, 293–308.

  • Zazzaro, C. C. and Abdelmaguid, M. M., Ancient Egyptian anchors: new results from Wadi Gawasis. Abgadiyat, 2016, 11, 160–167.

  • Whitehouse, D., Excavations at Siraf, Second interim report. Iran, 1970, 8, 1–17.

  • Raban, A., Medieval anchors from the Red Sea. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 1990, 19, 299–306.

  • Vosmer, T., Indo-Arabian stone anchors in the western Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Arab. Archaeol. Epigr., 1999, 10, 248– 263.

  • Avanzini, A. (ed.), A Port in Arabia between Rome and the Indian Ocean, 3rd C. BC–5th C. AD: Khor Rori Report 2, Rome, Arabia Antica, 2008.

  • Bita, C. and Tripati, S., Stone anchors from Mombasa, Kenya: evidence of maritime contacts with Indian Ocean countries. Bull. Aust. Inst. Marit. Archaeol., 2015, 39, 84–91.

  • Souter, C., Stone anchors near Black Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 1998, 27, 331–342.

  • Tripati, S. and Gaur, A. S., Stone anchors from Sindhudurg Fort on the west coast of India. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 1997, 26(1), 51–57.

  • Tripati, S., Gaur, A. S., Sundaresh and Bandodker, S. N., Historical period Stone anchors from Vijaydurg on the west coast of India. Bull. Aust. Inst. Marit. Archaeol., 1998, 22, 1–8.

  • Tripati, S., Stone anchors from Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 2009, 38, 406–412.

  • Tripati, S., Manikfan, A. and Mohamed, M., An Indo-Arabian type of stone anchor from Kannur, Kerala, West Coast of India. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 2005, 24, 131–137.

  • Athiyaman, N., Ancient and medieval ports of the Gulf of Mannar Coast, East coast India and their maritime connections across Indian Ocean Countries. In Proceedings of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (eds Tilburg, H. V. et al.), Honolulu, Hawaii, 2014, vol. 2, pp. 923–936.

  • Tripati, S. and Vora, K. H., Maritime heritage in and around Chilika Lake, Orissa: geological evidences for its decline. Curr. Sci., 2005, 88, 1175–1181.

  • Ray, B. C., Orissa Under the Mughals, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1981.

  • Gaur, A. S., Sundaresh and Vora, K. H., Underwater Archaeology of Dwarka and Somnath, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2008.

  • Gaur, A. S., Sundaresh and Vora, K. H., Archaeology of Bet Dwarka Island: An Excavation Report, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2005.

  • Gaur, A. S. and Sundaresh, Maritime Archaeology Around Porbandar, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2013.

  • Tripati, S., Saxena, M. K., Sundaresh, Gudigar, P. and Bandodkar, S. N., Marine archaeological exploration and excavation of Vijaydurg – a naval base of the Maratha period, Maharashtra, on the west coast of India. Int. J. Naut. Archaeol., 1998, 27(1), 51–63.

  • Tripati, S., Mudholkar, A., Vora, K. H., Rao, B. R., Gaur, A. S. and Sundaresh, Geochemical and mineralogical analysis of stone anchors from west coast of India: provenance study using thin sections, XRF and SEM-EDS. J. Archaeol. Sci., 2010, 37, 1999– 2009.

  • Iyer, S. D., Vora, K. H. and Gaur, A. S., Geological significance of stone anchors from Dwarka waters, Gujarat, India. In Glimpses of Marine Archaeology in India (eds Gaur, A. S. and Vora, K. H.), Society for Marine Archaeology, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, 2006, pp. 78–81.


Abstract Views: 264

PDF Views: 119




  • Indo-Arabian Stone Anchor of Manikapatna, Odisha, East Coast of India: An Indicator of Maritime Contacts of Odisha

Abstract Views: 264  |  PDF Views: 119

Authors

Sila Tripati
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa 403 004, India

Abstract


Numerous stone and iron anchors of various shapes and sizes have been brought to light during the maritime archaeological explorations along the Indian littoral. And anchors are proxies to maritime archaeological studies. The recent maritime archaeological studies along the Manikapatna Coast of Chilika Lake, Odisha, India, discovered one broken Indo-Arabian stone anchor. The archaeological excavation findings suggest that Manikapatna served as a port from the early historical period up to the 18th century CE. Besides the Indo-Arabian stone anchor, composite, kellick, one-armed anchor with stone stock and single hole stone anchors were previously documented along the Odisha coast. None of the anchors were accompanied by associated findings, nor from any strata, and therefore, these anchors differ in their period and usage. Nonetheless, some of the stone anchors are still used by the fisherfolk of Odisha in their traditional crafts. The finding of the Indo-Arabian stone anchor of Manikapatna has a great significance in the maritime history of Odisha. This paper discusses the Indo- Arabian stone anchor found at Manikapatna coast, its importance in the maritime history of Odisha and in comparison with other Indo-Arabian types of stone anchors of the Indian subcontinent.

Keywords


Arab Contacts, Chilika Lake, Manikapatna, Maritime Contact, Stone Anchor.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv120%2Fi7%2F1211-1216