FReeper Canteen ~ Part XI of War in Ancient India ~ September 21, 2004

A Tribute to Hinduism ^ | LaDivaLoca

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

ANCIENT WARFARE





Part XI: War in Ancient India

Accounts of Foreign Travelers to India

Coming to later times we have the account of Hiuen Tsang who notices a fleet of 3,000 sail belonging to the King os Assam. There is inscriptional evidence of the possession of a fleet under the Kakatiyas and the Cholas in South india. Marco Polo testifies to the huge size and efficient construction of Indian vessels while Yule in his Cathey refers to Rajput ships en route to China. Marco Polo, a famous Venetian traveler who visited India in 13th Century also visited Thane Port. The first chapter of his book which deals with India is almost devoted to shipbuilding industry in India. Friar Odoric of Pordenone, an Italian Monk who visited India in 14th Century, in his account of his voyage across the Indian Ocean, a mention is made of ships which can carry 700 people.

"Ships of size that carried Fahien from India to China (through stormy China water) were certainly capable of proceeding all the way to Mexico and Peru by crossing the Pacific. One thousand years before the birth of Columbus Indian ships were far superior to any made in Europe upto the 18th century."

(source: The Civilizations of Ancient America: The Selected Papers of the XXIXth International Congress of Americanists  - edited Sol Tax 1951).

Ludovico di Varthema (1503 A. D) saw vessels of 1,000 tons burden built at Masulipatnam. According to Dr. Vincent, India built great sized vessels from the time of Agathareids (171 B.C.) to the 16th century. And no wonder the Portuguese, when they first landed at the west coast, were carried away by the excellent Indian vessels. Later still, the Vijayanagar Empire, which had as many as 300 ports, had a powerful fleet. The naval commander was styled Naviyadaprabhu.

India has a coastline of about 6300 kms. Extensive new archaeological, epigraphical, sculptural and literary material has been added to our knowledge since the early decades of this century. Dr. Radha Kumud Mookerji's Book Indian Shipping - A History of the Sea-Borne Trade and Marine Activity of The Indians From The Earliest Times published in 1912 Orient Longmans ISBN 8121509165) is the most comprehensive study of Indian Navigation up to that period. We now know that many ports on both Eastern and Western Coast had navigational and trade links with almost all Continents of the world. There are many natural and technological reasons for this. Apart from Mathematics and Astronomy, India had excellent manufacturing skills in textile, metal works and paints. India had abundant supply of Timber. Indian - built ships were superior as they were built of Teak which resists the effect of salt water and weather for a very long time. 

"The art of Navigation was born in river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word navigation is derived from Sanskrit word Nav (or Nav-ship) Gatih."

Lieut. Col. A Walker's paper: "Considerations of the affairs of India" written in 1811 had excellent remarks on Bombay-built ships. He notes, "situated as she is between the forests of Malabar and Gujarat, she receives supplies of timber with every wind that blows." Further he says, "it is calculated that every ship in the Navy of Great Britain is renewed every twelve years. It is well known that teakwood built ships last fifty years and upwards. Many ships Bombay-built after running fourteen or fifteen years have been brought into the Navy and were considered as stronger as ever. The Sir Edward Hughes performed, I believe, eight voyages as an Indiaman before she was purchased for the Navy. No Europe-built Indiaman is capable of going more than six voyages with safety."

He has also further noted that Bombay-built ships are at least one-fourth cheaper than those built in the docks of England. Francois Balazar Solvyns, a Belgian/Flemish maritime painter, wrote a book titled Les Hindous in 1811. 

His remarks are, "In ancient times, the Indians excelled in the art of constructing vessels, and the present Hindus can in this respect still offer models to Europe-so much so that the English, attentive to everything which relates to naval architecture, have borrowed from the Hindus many improvement which they have adopted with success to their own shipping.... The Indian vessels unite elegance and utility and are models of patience and fine workmanship." 

(source: http://www.orientalthane.com/speeches/speech_2.htm).

Surprisingly, many earlier western traders and travelers have expressed the same views. Madapollum was a flourishing shipping centre. Thomas Bowrey, an English traveler who visited India during 1669-79, observes, " many English merchants and others have their ships and vessels yearly built (at Madapollum). Here is the best and well grown timber in sufficient plenty, the best iron upon the coast, any sort of ironwork is ingeniously performed by the natives, as spikes, bolts, anchors, and the like. Very expert master-builders there are several here, they build very well, and launch with as much discretion as I have seen in any part of the world. They have an excellent way of making shrouds, stays, or any other rigging for ships".

A Venetian traveler of 16th Century Cesare de Fedrici, while commenting on the East Coast of India has noted that there is an abundance of material for ship building in this area and many Sultans of Constantinople found it cheaper to have their vessels built in India than at Alexandria. 

Nicol Conti who visited India in 15th century was impressed by the quality Indians had achieved in ship building. He observes:

"The nations of India build some ships larger than ours, capable of containing 2,000 butts, and with five sails and as many masts. The lower part is constructed with triple planks, in order to withstand the force of the tempests to which they are much exposed. But some ships are so built in compartments that should one part be shattered, the other portion remaining entire may accomplish the voyage."

J. Ovington, Chaplain to the British King, the seventeenth-century English traveler, who visited Surat, wrote a book  A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689. He was impressed by the skill of the Indians in ship-building and found that they even outshone Europeans. The timber used by the Indians was so strong that it would not ‘crack’ even by the force of a bullet so he urged the English to use that timber ‘to help them in war’. Indian Teak stood firmer than the English Oak, remarked Ovington. 

Thomas Herbert, a traveler who visited Surat in 1627, has given an interesting account of the arrival, loading and unloading of ships through small boats at Swally marine (Sohaly), a few kilometres away from Surat. He remarked that between September and March every year, the port of Sohaly presented a very busy and noisy scene for there came many ships from foreign lands. The merchants (baniyas) erected their straw huts in large numbers all along the sea coast, making the whole place thus look like a country fair. The merchants sold various commodities like calicoes, ivory, agates, etc. Many small boys engaged by the merchants were seen running about doing odd jobs. The English found that the small boats used and constructed by the natives could be of immense use. This was a definite gain for both nations. Boats and rafts were used as a means of conveyance for loading and unloading ships. There were about 4200 big and 4400 small boats. There were large-sized boats that could carry even elephants. The boats used by kings and nobles were designed to look artistic. Abul Fazl writes about the "wonderfully fashioned boats with delightful quarters and decks and gardens" 

 

Among the primitive Indian boats, the cattarmaran comes first. It consisted of three logs and three spreaders and cross lashings. The centre log was the largest, and pointed towards one end. Mainly fishermen used the cattarmaran for fishing. A little more skillfully made is the musoola boat, which has no iron fastening. It was mostly used in the Coromandel coast. Dr John Fryer says, "It is possible that the name musoola may be connected with Masulipatarn where boats seem to have been in use".

Another boat made in an indigenous manner was known as dingy. It was hollowed out from a single trunk. Lower down the Ganga, the name was applied to boats half-decked, half wagon-roofed and built of planks.

Purqoo was another type of boat described by Thomas Bowery. It plied between the Hooghly and Balasore. These boats were made very strong to carry ‘sufficient load’. They were also used for loading ships. they could remain in water for a long time without getting damaged. As compared to the purqoo, boora was a ‘lighter boat’ which rowed with 29 or 30 oars. These boats were also used for carrying saltpeter and other commodities.

(source: Coastal trade flourished with Europeans - By Pramod Sangar).

Sir John Malcolm writes"

"Indian vessels are so admirably adapted to the purpose for which they are required that, notwithstanding their superior science, Europeans were unable, during an intercourse with India for two centuries, to suggest or to bring into successful practice one improvement."

(source: Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. I). 

In the middle of the 18^th century, John Grose noted that at Surat the Indian ship-building industry was very well established, indeed, “They built incomparably the best ships in the world for duration”, and of all sizes with a capacity of over a thousand tons. Their design appeared to him to be a “a bit clumsy” but their durability soundly impressed him. They lasted “for a century”. 

Lord Grenville mentions, in this connection, a ship built in Surat which continued to navigate up the Red Sea from 1702 when it was first mentioned in Dutch letters as “the old ships” up to the year 1700.” Grenville also noted that ships of war and merchandise “not exceeding 500 tons” were being built” with facility, convenience and cheapness” at the ports of Coringa and Narsapore.  

Dr. H. Scott sent samples of dammer to London, as this vegetable substance was used by the Indians to line the bottom of their ships; he thought it would be a good substitute “in this country for the materials which are brought from the northern nations for our navy…There can be no doubt that you would find dammer in this way an excellent substitute for pitch and tar and for many purposes much superior to them.”

source: Decolonizing History: Technology and Culture in India, China and the West 1492 to the Present Day - By Claude Alvares  p. 68-69).

Alain Danielou (1907- 1994) son of French aristocracy, author of numerous books on philosophy, religion, history and arts of India has written:

"India's naval dockyards, which belonged to the state, were famous throughout history. The sailors were paid by the state, and the admiral of the fleet hired the ships and crew to tradesmen for transporting goods and passengers. When the British annexed the country much later on, they utilized the Indian dockyards - which were much better organized then those in the West - to build most of the ships for the British navy, for as long as ships were made of wood."

(source: A Brief History of India - By Alain Danielou  p. 106).

***

India became the first power to defeat a European power in a naval battle - The Battle of Colachel in 1742 CE.

A dramatic and virtually unknown past, in an area of bucolic calm surrounded by spectacular hills: that is Colachel, a name that should be better known to us. For this is where, in 1741, an extraordinary event took place -- the Battle of Colachel. For the first, and perhaps the only time in Indian history, an Indian kingdom defeated a European naval force. The ruler of Travancore, Marthanda Varma, routed an invading Dutch fleet; the Dutch commander, Delannoy, joined the Travancore army and served for decades; the Dutch never recovered from this debacle and were never again a colonial threat to India. 

 

   

The ruler of Travancore, Marthanda Varma, routed an invading Dutch fleet; the Dutch commander, Delannoy, joined the Travancore army and served for decades; the Dutch never recovered from this debacle and were never again a colonial threat to India. 

***

The Battle of Colachel in 1742 CE,  where Marthanda Varma of Travancore crushed a Dutch expeditionary fleet near Kanyakumari. The defeat was so total that the Dutch captain, Delannoy, joined the Travancore forces and served loyally for 35 years--and his tomb is still in a coastal fort there. So it wasn't the Japanese in the Yellow Sea in 1905 under Admiral Tojo who were the first Asian power to defeat a European power in a naval battle--it was little Travancore. The Portuguese and the Dutch were trying to gain political power in India at that time. Marthanda Varma defeated the Dutch in 1741. He was an able ruler. He established peace in his country - Travancore. It was a remarkable achievement for a small princely state.

(source: The Battle of Colachel: In remembrance of things past - By Rajeev Srinivasan - rediff.com and  http://www.kerala.com/kera/culture1.htm). For more refer to chapter on ).

For more information on Navy refer to chapters on Pacific,  Suvarnabhumi and Seafaring in Ancient India). 

Next Tuesday, Part XII of War in Ancient India

[tomkow6]

 

Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

[tomkow6]

 

Signs - Five Man Electrical Band

[StarCMC]

REMAINS RETURNED 06/94  IDENTIFIED 10/95

CARROLL, ROGER WILLIAM JR.

Name: Roger William Carroll, Jr.
Rank/Branch: O4/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 20 July 1939 (Dallas TX)
Home City of Record: Kansas City MO
Loss Date: 21 September 1972
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 191900N 1030900E (UG056368)
Status (in 1973): Killed In Captivity
Category: 1
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: F4D

Other Personnel In Incident: Dwight W. Cook (missing)

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 June 1990 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: Roger Carroll Jr. was born in Dallas, Texas and moved to Kansas City,
Missouri when he was six years old. The oldest child, Roger was very fond of his
younger sister and brother. He was raised in a Christian home, was an honor
student, and active in sports. Roger knew from an early age that he wanted to be
a pilot.

Roger entered the University of Kansas to study aviation engineering. While at
KU, Roger joined the Air Force and became a navigator on B-47 and B-52 aircraft.
Wanting to be a pilot still, Roger took pilot training and earned his wings
flying T-38 and F-100 aircraft.

After one tour in Vietnam, Roger returned to the States to train other young
pilots until he again took training himself, this time on the F-4 Phantom
fighter/bomber jet. His second tour of Vietnam began in early 1972. He told his
parents, "If anything ever happens to me, don't come looking for me. You won't
find me. The aircraft is such a bomb that if one hits the ground or something
hits it, it just explodes."

Maj. Carroll was assistant to the commander, and did not ordinarily fly combat
missions, but begged for the chance to fly, and was allowed to fly twice-weekly
missions. On September 21, 1972, Roger and his backseater, Dwight Cook, were
sent on a mission over the strategic Plain of Jars region in Laos.

The Plain of Jars region of Laos had for years been an intense area of struggle
between the communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao armed forces. Millions of
U.S. dollars had been secretly committed to the strengthening of anti-communist
strongholds in the Plain of Jars for some years. About one year before Carroll
and Cook were shot down in this area, Nixon's secret campaign in Laos had become
public. The area had been defended with the help of U.S. aircraft; the
anti-communist troops, primarily a secret CIA-directed force comprised of some
30,000 indigenous tribesmen, were, in part, kept resupplied by CIA.

Because Laos was "neutral" under the terms of the Geneva convention, and because
the U.S. continually stated they were not at war with Laos (although we were
regularly bombing North Vietnamese traffic along the border and conducted
assaults against communist strongholds thoughout the country at the behest of
the anti-communist government of Laos), and did not recognize the Pathet Lao as
a government entity, the nearly 600 Americans lost in Laos were never 
recovered.

During the mission, Carroll's aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and
crashed. Roger's prediction was correct. The largest piece of aircraft remaining
was no larger than three feet across.

A week after the aircraft crashed, a search party found several pieces of flight
clothing and a human hip socket at the site. They found identification that
belonged to Cook, but it was evident that the enemy had reached the plane first.
Carroll and Cook were classified as having "died in captivity." It is unclear
whether the two were captured and later died, were executed on the spot, or
perhaps tortured and mutilated as was sometimes deemed the punishment for
captured pilots. Neither Carroll nor Cook were promoted after their loss
incident, which seems to indicate the U.S. has positive information that they
were killed quickly.

The Defense Intelligence Agency further expanded Carroll's and Cook's
classification to include an enemy knowledge ranking of 1. Category 1 indicates
"confirmed knowledge" and includes all personnel who were identified by the
enemy by name, identified by reliable information received from escapees or
releasees, reported by highly reliable intelligence sources, or identified
through analysis of all-source intelligence.

By 1980, Carroll and Cook had been classified killed in action because there was
no verified information that they were alive. But the Department of Defense
still believes the Lao hold the answers to their fate.

The Pathet Lao stated that they would release the "tens of tens" of American
prisoners they held only from Laos - when agreements were reached with the U.S.
to halt their bombing there. Agreements were never made, and no American held in
Laos was released, even though nearly 600 Americans were lost in Laos.
Tragically, over 10,000 reports have been received by the U.S. relating to the
men missing in Southeast Asia, and many authorities believe hundreds of them are
alive today.

Whether Carroll and Cook are among those said to be still alive is unknown. What
seems certain, however, is that our country has a moral and legal obligation to
the men who fought in our name. We must do everything we can to bring them 
home.


Roger Carroll's mother died in 1986, still believing her son was alive. The Air
Force has never fully informed Roger's family of the events of September 21,
1972.

 

[Lady Jag]

This better?

[StarCMC]

GM Queenie! *HUGS*

[Soaring Feather]

*HUGS*

[StarCMC]

Looks like there's a lot of cleanup that has to happen! You guys are most definitely needed! Thanks for what you're doing!

[StarCMC]

ROFL Queenie -- that's GREAT!!

[StarCMC]

NICE!! He he he!

[StarCMC]

Good morning, OH SILLY ONE!

[tomkow6]

 

Me And You And a Dog Named Boo - Lobo

[StarCMC]

I LOVE this song -- and also the SIGNS song. How about the original "Big Yellow Taxi" -- for some reason it goes with SIGNS in my mind! LOL!!

[Soaring Feather]

~ Roger Williams~Autumn Leaves~

[Soaring Feather]

Thank You, Tom.

[tomkow6]

Sorry, don't have "Big Yellow Taxi".

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks,Little Momma. :-)

[StarCMC]

That;s ok - I just thought it'd be funny if you had the same connection between them that I do. LOL!!!!

[Birdsong Bay]

We had a slow start early this summer then heat about the time we were doing painting and gardening here at the new place...and then lots of cool weather to the point where the farmers are concerned about the corn ripening enough before we get frost..then, when school started, it got HOT!! Wouldn't ya know!! It has been nice now..warm sun and cool breezes in the shade. Just beautiful and the trees are starting to turn. I think it will be a beautiful fall!! I'm anxious to see the color here at the new place and put the camera to work.

[StarCMC]

Be back after a while -- errands time! HUGS!!

[Birdsong Bay]

One of my favorites!!!