Goa: The 40-ft sailing vessel Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Hariyal has set off on an exciting voyage from Goa to Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Navy’s sailboat will be covering this distance of 1,600 nautical miles to commemorate the historic expeditions towards the southeast undertaken by mariners from Kalinga (modern day Odisha) during Kartik Purnima.
“The expedition evokes India’s age-old maritime connect with Southeast Asia and the legacy of sailing with seasonal monsoon winds,” the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has said.
“Celebrating this rich heritage, the voyage will hone seamanship and professional competence, test endurance and resilience, foster camaraderie and promote sailing as a sport and a culture of adventure, while encouraging a vibrant sailing culture in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” it added.
The Sadhabas, or mariner merchants from Kalinga used to set sail on large wooden ships called boitas over 2,500 years ago. These ships carried valuable cargo — including spices, textiles, ivory, and precious stones — across the Bay of Bengal to distant islands and ports in Southeast Asia, such as Bali, Java, and Sumatra, and Sri Lanka.
The timing of the voyage depended heavily on seasonal winds. Mariners departed as the southwest monsoon subsided and returned with the northeast monsoon, making the calm full moon of Kartika Purnima the ideal launch date.
These ancient voyages are still celebrated in Odisha during Kartik Purnima through Boita Bandana (also known as Danga Bhasa), and Bali Jatra.
The INSV Hariyal is an ocean-going sailing yacht operated by the Indian Navy. It is named after the Hariyal (yellow-footed green pigeon), which is the state bird of Maharashtra.
This yacht is one of six such vessels, alongside the INSV Mhadei, Tarini, Bulbul, Kadalpura, and Neelkanth. The Navy uses INSV Hariyal for adventure expeditions, coastal awareness campaigns, and training naval personnel in navigation, seamanship, and communication.
In 2020, the yacht sailed along the Maharashtra coast, stopping at ports like Arnala and Murud to promote coastal security and maritime heritage as part of Maha-Navy Connect.
In 2022, INSV Hariyal sailed alongside four sister sailing vessels to Trincomalee Port in Sri Lanka for overseas training and operational turnaround.
It also regularly competes in inter-command ocean sailing races, including representing the Eastern Naval Command and ANC in the 2024 Inter-Command Ocean Sailing Race in Goa.