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    Uru

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    najaf777
    The document discusses the traditional shipbuilding industry in Kerala, India, centered in Beypore. Arab traders introduced the dhow shipbuilding technique several centuries ago using local timber and skilled craftsmen. Beypore became a major center for making urus, large wooden ships built entirely by hand over 4 years by teams of 50 men. While the industry has declined with modern ships, the tradition continues on a smaller scale and craftsmen now make miniature uru models and bottles.

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    Uru

    Uploaded by

    najaf777
    214 views2 pages
    The document discusses the traditional shipbuilding industry in Kerala, India, centered in Beypore. Arab traders introduced the dhow shipbuilding technique several centuries ago using local timber and skilled craftsmen. Beypore became a major center for making urus, large wooden ships built entirely by hand over 4 years by teams of 50 men. While the industry has declined with modern ships, the tradition continues on a smaller scale and craftsmen now make miniature uru models and bottles.

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    The document discusses the traditional shipbuilding industry in Kerala, India, centered in Beypore. Arab traders introduced the dhow shipbuilding technique several centuries ago using local timber and skilled craftsmen. Beypore became a major center for making urus, large wooden ships built entirely by hand over 4 years by teams of 50 men. While the industry has declined with modern ships, the tradition continues on a smaller scale and craftsmen now make miniature uru models and bottles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    214 views2 pages

    Uru

    Uploaded by

    najaf777
    The document discusses the traditional shipbuilding industry in Kerala, India, centered in Beypore. Arab traders introduced the dhow shipbuilding technique several centuries ago using local timber and skilled craftsmen. Beypore became a major center for making urus, large wooden ships built entirely by hand over 4 years by teams of 50 men. While the industry has declined with modern ships, the tradition continues on a smaller scale and craftsmen now make miniature uru models and bottles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Uru

    making urus in Kerala. It is also


    an important harbour in the
    Malabar region. Located about

    The name uru is associated with


    the

    traditional

    ship

    building

    culture of Kerala. And the art and


    science of making these ships
    came from the Arab world, some
    several centuries ago. The Arabs
    called

    them dhows and

    they

    eventually became the traditional


    Arabian

    trading

    Centuries

    ago,

    vessels.

    Arab

    traders

    traced their way to the spicescented shores of Kerala. And


    after coming to know about the
    availability of good timber in the
    forests of Kerala and also the
    presence of skilled craftsmen in
    ship building, the Arab merchants
    began

    to

    place

    orders

    constructing dhows to

    for
    the

    craftsmen of Malabar in north


    Kerala. And the rest of it is
    history... but the tradition still
    continues; perhaps not in its
    original glory, but on a minimal
    scale.
    Beypore in Kozhikode district of
    Kerala is the major centre for

    10 km south of Kozhikode town


    at the mouth of the Chaliyar
    River,

    historically,

    Beypore

    several centuries ago was itself a


    prominent port. At one stage in
    history, Beypore was also an
    important centre for trade via
    sea, attracting Arab and Chinese
    travelers
    Europeans.

    and

    later

    Beypore

    has

    the
    a

    tradition of shipbuilding that is


    about 1500 years old. It once
    experienced great demand from
    Western Asia for ships, because
    of its fame as the home to
    excellent craftsmen. This shipbuilding industry at Beypore once
    had a healthy phase of growth
    until the invasion of iron and
    steel, posing a serious threat to
    its

    existence.

    A typical uru in appearance is a


    large vessel. It demands hard
    labour and the dexterous hands
    of craftsmen to build one. This
    seagoing vessel is completely
    made of wood and is built by

    joining planks of good quality

    models

    timber. Usually an uru is built by

    masterpieces.

    a team of fifty men over a period

    of urus made out of teak wood

    of

    also come enclosed in bottles.

    at

    least

    four

    years.

    No

    of

    their

    gigantic

    The

    miniature

    blueprints are made and the

    Nowadays,

    entire aspect of ship building is

    centres in Kozhikode, where one

    embedded in the minds of the

    can buy the models of urus and

    highly skilled shipwrights. It is a

    also get them made-to-order at

    team

    centres like Kairali and Surabhi

    work

    minimum

    undertaken
    of

    with

    sophistication,

    following strict and orderly work


    ethics

    and

    also

    discipline.

    Visitors to the shipbuilding yard


    at Beypore would simply be
    fascinated by the manner in
    which the various stages are
    executed.
    Of late, Beypore may not have
    the same charm as it used to
    have in its halcyon days. Not
    many urus hit the water these
    days from Beypore. The changed
    scenario in the ship building
    industry at Beypore has in turn
    made the local craftsmen to
    switch to crafting little wooden

    in Kozhikode.

    there

    are

    many

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