Marine archaeological exploration on the western coast, Gulf of Khambhat

Abstract

Recent exploration along the eastern Saurashtra coast yielded a large number of stone anchors from Gogha, Hatab and Gopnath indicating active maritime activity in the past. The anchors were mostly of the Indo-Arab type and were triangular / composite in nature. These anchors get exposed during low tide and are submerged under 5 to 8 m water during high tide. A stone anchor from Hathab similar to those found in Chinese waters is made on laterite. These explorations yielded a large quantity of glazed ware from Gogha suggesting that the Indo-Arab type of stone anchors, may be placed within a time bracket ranging from the 9th and the 14th century A.D.