Stone anchors from Bet Dwarka Island, Gujarat, Coast, India: Significance to historical period maritime activities

Abstract

Bet Dwarka Island is situated on the extreme west of Indian territory in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. Underwater, the most preserved remains of ancient maritime activity could be the stone anchors of different types, as every boat requires an anchor to halt in mid-ocean. Being of little value, these anchors could be dispensed with when they were trapped in the rocks or possibly thrown into the sea to reduce excess weight on board. The types and sizes of anchors indicate the kind of boat that visited the port (Frost, 1991), and with the help of these anchors it is possible to trace the authenticity of literary references about the trade route and the identification of a particular port. Recent marine archaeological explorations by the marine Archaeology Centre of National Institute of Oceanography, Goa in the Okhamandal area of Gujarat coast, specially at Dwarka and Bet Dwarka, revealed number of stone anchors of different shapes and sizes made out of locally available rocks. The data presented were obtained in two field seasons, 1997-98 and 2000-2001. In the present paper, a detailed description of the stone anchors from Bet Dwarka is given. The possible dates for these anchors are also discussed in order to understand the trends in Indian navigational history