Naval Achievements of India in Historical Times
Navies are the armed forces of the sea. They stand to protect the coastlines from foreign dangers and in the modern world, all countries who have access to the sea have navies. India too has navy which is an important sub-part of Indian armed forces. It's motto " Sham No Varunah" is a death call to anyone who dares threaten the security of the nation. Although the navy was formally established after Indian independence in 1950, navies have been known to exist even in historical times. Though India has a long maritime history, this article would provide insights of the big achievements that occurred in history.
Maurya Dynasty
Chandragupta Maurya
Navy as a concept emerged during the Mauryan times especially under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. He was known to have a standing navy and Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador has written in his own journals the administration of navy under Chandragupta's reign. Hence it can be stated that the concept of navy emerged in India and therefore the Magadhan navy can be considered the first ever navy recorded in ancient period in the world. Chanakya, the teacher of Chandragupta and an able strategist, has given accounts of naval strategies and information of waterways in Indian subcontinent in his book the " Arthashastra". In the book, he has stated the existence of naval department under a officer called " Navadhyadaksha" who was also known as the superintendent of ships. The book also states that there was a naval division office as a part of the 'war office' which included other departments of defense in it. The navy then, did nor partake in conquests but performed coast guard functions protecting ships from pirates and other unfavorable conditions.
Ashoka the Great
The navy under Ashoka's reign was very influential in the spread of Buddhism. Ships would carry Buddhist scholars, religious leaders and missionaries along with literature to various cities around the globe. The reason that Buddhism exists in other countries, especially the South- East part of Asia is due to Ashoka's policy of spreading Buddhism. Naval vessels would sail to places such as Java, Sumatra, Malaya, China and Japan. It also introduced the building of temples and monasteries in these places. According to some sources, Ashoka also sent his daughter Sangamitra and son Mahindra to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism. There seems to be no account of a naval conquest occurring in his reign though he had marine vessels which worked as coast guard and as a travelling liner rather than as a warship.
Satavahana Dynasty
After the fall of the mighty Mauryas, a small principality emerged in the Deccan called the Satavahanas. Although they were a small dynasty having their core domain over the Deccan regions, they nevertheless showed their great prowess through their navy. This dynasty has been credited with the marking of ships and naval vessels on their coins. They were the very first dynasty in India to show pictures of ships upon their coins. The Satavahanas used their navies, primarily for maritime trade with foreign civilizations, especially the Roman Empire, who preferred sea routes for trade purposes. Chinese accounts also tell of a Hindu king who ruled over the region of Java during that period. This also attests to the fact that people travelled to these distant lands by ships and may have even ruled over people in due time.
Southern Dynasties
The dynasties that emerged in the Southern parts of Indian subcontinent had a fully-developed navies.
Cholas
The Cholas especially under Rajendra Chola and his son Raja Raja I , became the leading naval power in India. The navy under the Cholas was used extensively for fighting the other southern powers such as the Cheras as well as undertaking conquests to Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep, Maldives and the far South-East territory of Srivijaya (present-day Indonesia). During the Medieval Chola era, their navy grew in size and strength. Admirals were often looked upon with pride and prestige and commanded great power in Chola society.
Chola navy was subdivided based on their function and size. They had a regular navy (Kappal-Padai) and other similar forces which could be used for naval processes. It was autonomous service capable of transportation and logistics and even had a core of marines. Ships such as kalam, mitavai, kappal, odam, padahu, kattumaram, sangara and colandia were the most common types of ships used. The Sangara type built by tying together single logs of wood. The Colandia type were larger type capable of distant voyages. Ports such as Kayalpattinam, Perriapattinam, Devipattinam and Nagapattinam were major ports used by Cholas for trade and their naval conquests.
Cheras
The navy used by the Cheras was mainly used for transporting troops from different lands and for carrying weapons for battles. Settuvan, a Chera king is known to have the best navy in the world according to sources. Their major ports were Tyndis and Muziri, both near present-day Kochi.
Chalukyas
Pallavas
The majestic Pallava dynasty also constituted a navy. Various sources speak about Narasimhavarman I who sent two naval expeditions to Sri Lanka. They also built dockyards in Mamallapuram and Nagapattinam
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire too had a powerful navy. They had established strong links with South-East Asia trading culture, social norms, art and architecture, religious ideology etc.
Ahom Kingdom
Ahom kingdom was powerful and majestic kingdom situated in Assamese territories of North Eastern India. They ruled for over 600 years and they have been credited with the victory of India's first ever river battle. The Ahom dynasty had a very large navy with around 32,000 boats. The commander-in-chief of naval forces was referred to as "Pani Phukon". The warboats were called bacharis. These boats were equipped with cannons and guns and were large enough to transport up to 70-80 soldiers and carry them across regions. Mughal reports and sources acknowledge the might of Ahomese boats and naval power. They had a naval department which was headed by a supervisor called as Naosaliya Phukon. There are also accounts of naval workshops which were known as naosals and they seem to be in every major center of Ahom kingdom including Gargaon, Majuli, Jaipur and Dergaon. The central workshop was called as barnaosals and was situated in Gargaon and later shifted to Rangpur.
Lachit Borphukon's naval achievement in the battle of Saraighat
It was one of the few naval battles that India fought in historical times and it was the first naval riverwater battle. It took place upon Bramhaputra River in March 1671 between the Mughal Empire and Ahom Kingdom. The backgrounds of battle go back a century earlier where Mughals desired to expand their dominion over Assam. The Mughals often clashed with Ahom kingdom over expansion and the first battle was fought in 1651 which under the treaty of Asurar Ali in 1639 fixed Barnadi river in the north and Asurar Ali in the south as boundaries of Ahom Kingdom and Mughal Empire. Hence, Kamarupa came under Mughal administration. Aurangzeb, upon his accession on July 1st,1658 as Mughal Emperor, ordered Mir Jhumla II to annex the Ahom kingdom and bring it under Mughal control. In 1661, he had defeated Ahom army several times and had also occupied the Ahom capital, Garhgaon but this was not to last long as when Chakradwaj Singha became king, he reformed Ahom army, made alliances with neighbouring kingdoms and built forts in strategic corners of his kingdom. He also put an able commander Lachit Borphukon in command of his army. Mir Jhumla was defeated. Aurangzeb, in response, send Raja Ram Singh to fight them.
Lachit would then decide to use his kingdom's biggest asset and conventionally the Mughal's weakest asset, the navy to fight against Mughals at Alaboi in 1699. The battle would end in a ceasefire where both parties would face each other again at Saraighat in 1671. At Saraighat, Mughal's navy, under the command of Munnawar Khan face Ahomese ships led on by Lachit. Lachit had fallen terribly ill and seeing his soldiers retreat due to Mughal numerical superiority, pushed ahead with all his might. This proved effective as now soldiers were inspired to fight and Ahom ships, being small and quick, maneuvered easily around the big and lethargic Mughal ships. The fight would prove fatal to Mughal forces as soon Munnawar Khan was killed and earned Ahom kingdom a decisive victory. This battle was significant in a way that Ahom kingdom were one of the few princely states to have defeated Mughal Empire and which led to the territories of Assam being the only territory in Northern India to not have fallen under Mughal dominion. The Mughal army were defeated heavily and would never dare to fight Ahom kingdom ever again in the future.
Zamorins of Calicut
After the fall of the Cheras in the 12th century, the Nair chiefs of Eranadu proclaimed themselves as independent and established a kingdom in Calicut under the title of Zamorin. They had important strategic ports such as Calicut, Kollam, Travancore, Kozhikode and Kannur. They too had an efficient navy which was established to protect the southwestern coastal areas of the Indian subcontinent.
Kunjali Marakkars
Maratha Kingdom
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
The Maratha navy was idealized and established by Shivaji, one of the greatest rulers of the Maratha Dynasty. The need to have a navy arose from the need to resist European powers from ruling the Indian subcontinent. During his time, he saw the emergence of British, Dutch and Portuguese powers in India. He believed in the Maratha Swarajya (Maratha Self - government). The navy would later dominate the seas of Konkan coast and protect the frontiers of Arabian Sea. This would earn Shivaji the credit for being a first sovereign state to project political navy. He also built coastal forts in Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg etc. to harness sea resources and use it to his advantage. Shivaji employed both Hindu and Mughal sailors and sought the help of native Konkani sailors, Siddis (descendants of Bantu tribe in Africa) and Portuguese mercenaries. He would also employ Portuguese naval officers in his navy. According to sources, Shivaji had around 20 ships in the beginning but grew to a formidable fleet of 500 ships. The fleet was divided into two squadrons each having around 50 to 200 ships. Warships were categorized into gurabs, galbats/gallivats, pals and manjhuas. Ship building yards were also inaugurated at places such as Panvel, Colaba, Kharepatan, Malvan, Kalyan, Wingurla etc. Shivaji would often use guerilla tactics to win battles. Efficient use of spy system and propaganda made it easier for him to control the Arabian Sea.
Admiral Kanhoji Angre
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