Review of the progress of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site
Recently the Prime Minister reviewed the progress of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site at Lothal.
- NMHC is the first project of its kind in India. It is being developed under the Sagarmala scheme.
- The project will showcase the rich and diverse maritime heritage of India. All the diverse and rich artefacts from ancient to modern times will be displayed here for edutainment purposes.
- Entertainment designed for educational purposes is called edutainment. It is being funded by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Ministry of Culture. It is being funded by a grant through the Rashtriya Sanskriti Kosh.
- Lothal was a major city of the Indus Valley Civilization. Evidence of the oldest man-made and dried dockyard has been received from here. It dates back to 2400 It is situated between the Bhogwa and Sabarmati rivers near the Gulf of Khambhat.
India’s Maritime Heritage
- The earliest mention of maritime activities is found in the Rigveda. A temple of Sikotar Mata (Goddess of the sea) was also found during excavation near Vadnagar in Gujarat.
- There are also mentions of maritime activities during the Nanda, Maurya, Satavahana and Gupta dynasties.
- The Chola, Chera, Pandya and Vijayanagara kingdoms in South India were also endowed with marine resources.
- For example, the Cholas attracted merchants from Arabia and China. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built a huge naval fleet in his area to strongly resist the European navy.
Source – The Hindu
