Mandvi is located on the banks of the Rukmavati river which flows into the Arabian Sea in the Gulf of Kutch. Mandvi was originally a fortified town and dates back to the late sixteenth century (1581 AD).
The town is most popularly known for its 400 year old ship yard. The local carpenters still make ocean going Dhows in much the same way that their ancestors had done a century ago. Ocean-going vessels from Mandvi travel between Zanzibar in Africa and Calcutta in eastern India via the ports of Arabia, the Persian gulf and the western coast of India. The tradition of boat building and sailing made Mandvi an important port in the 17th Century.
The ship yard is beside the main road along the river and it is easy to see the men at work, These great vessels are still constructed with hand tools and there scale is stunning.
Beautifully flowing forms are made from huge pieces of wood. Rows of regular bolts and pegs coax the timbers into position creating complex curves.
Makeshift skeletal structures surround and contrast with these streamlined and solid forms and look barely strong enough to have any effect in stabilising the structures.
Makeshift skeletal structures surround and contrast with these streamlined and solid forms and look barely strong enough to have any effect in stabilising the structures.
