Boat Forms of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra has a long coast line, over 1700 kms. in length. It extends from Lake Pulicat in the south to the minor part of Baruva, south of Gopalpur. The coast carries two of the largest deltas of the Peninsula, namely, the Krishna in the south and the Godavari in the north. Outside the deltas, protruding into the seas as a result of the sedimentation of alluvial deposits brought by the rivers, the coasts are entirely low and emergent coastal plains with shelving coasts of low gradients. The coast has a long maritime history dating back to the beginning of the Christian era. In terms of its boat forms and architecture, they are a mere continuation of the cultural types of the Coromandel coast along almost the entire stretch. The main boat forms include the raft Teppa , a design of the catamaran, sewn plank built boats, such as the Peddavala Padava, Karavala Padava and Padava , with or without keels and the nailed boat forms like Kakinada Nava, Dhow, Botelu, Shoe dhoni and Carakka Padava , used in coastal seas. Classical telugu literature also mentions oda, nauka, kappali, yanapatra, droni and tarani.