Plan to conserve centuries-old vessel at shipwreck site in Alappuzha goes awry

A 2002 photograph of excavation taking place at the shipwreck site at Kadakkarappally grama panchayat in Alappuzha.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After travelling a few hundred metres on the Thaickal-Kadakkarappally road in Alappuzha, a narrow pathway cutting through private properties leads to a fenced one-acre plot of marshy land, overgrown with wild plants. Somewhere under the black trench water here lies an uncared-for 1,000-year-old vessel.

Two decades have passed since the shipwreck site at Manjadikkal ward of Kadakkarappally grama panchayat was excavated and the remnants of south India’s first reported ancient hull were unearthed. However, the State archaeology department’s plan to preserve the craft has not borne fruit.

“After the excavation and some other works, nothing has happened at the site for years. We do not know whether the ship still remains intact or not,” says Njanashihamani, who resides near the shipwreck site. The presence of a security guard, however, signals the importance of the place.

The boat, on the then-private land about two kilometres away from the Thaickal beach, was first spotted by labourers in the 1990s. The excavation work got under way in 2002. Archaeologists, geo-archaeologists and experts in the field, including those from abroad, thronged the site in the initial days and weeks to study it. A few years later, the government purchased the land and declared it a protected site.

Carbon dating

Radiocarbon dating done in India revealed that the wood used in the vessel was cut down somewhere between 92O AD and 1160 AD. Another carbon dating exercise done in the United States indicated a date of 1020 AD to 1270 AD. Based on these, experts put the likely date of the craft’s construction between 1020 AD and 1160 AD. Though some experts believe the boat is of south Indian origin, there is no consensus on the matter yet.

Archaeology department director E. Dinesan says that no decision has been taken on what to do next at the shipwreck site. “Though the land is in our possession, the private party from whom the government bought it has filed a case seeking more compensation. The court has referred the matter to the District Collector. To my knowledge, no final decision has been taken,” he says.

Conservation challenges

“Besides the land issue, the conservation of the boat faces several challenges. We are consulting experts on how to protect it. As the remnants remain in salty water, it is unlikely that the wood would remain intact if taken out,” he says, adding that a second excavation and cleaning of the site are needed.

The shipwreck site at Manjadikkal ward of Kadakkarappally grama panchayat in Alappuzha.
| Photo Credit:
SURESH ALLEPPEY

The local panchayat, meanwhile, has earmarked funds to construct a road in the area, which will provide better connectivity to the site.