the eastern sea is known as Vankäla viri kutä in vernacular. This craft must have been sailing to the south eastern countries across the Bay of Bengal to reach Java, Cumatra, Burma and Sri Lanka for trade that this craft might be called a vankam, suggest G. Victor Rajamanickam and S. Arulraj.
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The Bay of Bengal was not known to the Cankam Tamils as, Vankak katal or Varkala viri kutä. Rather, it was known to them as, Kuta katal, (kuta east + katal sea) the eastern sea. So, naming the vessel after sailing in the Bay of Bengal may not be apt. The craft was named after varkam, waves and the craft sailing over the wave is vankam is also not specific, as all crafts sail over the waves.
These crafts might have been named after the frames, vanku or vankukkal. Varikam may be the first kind of the frame built craft. Cankam literature, has references to the sea-going crafts Varikam, built, with ribs. While examining the evolutionary developments in the ship building techniques leads to argument, if the varikum was a skeleton built (frame- first) or a shell built (plank-first) vessel. Undoubtedly, the varikam must have been a plank-first vessel, as the Indian ships belonged to the early centuries of the Christian era were sewn crafts and no iron nalls were used. The shell-built ships must have been strengthened with battens inboard. The frame built structure of the craft with vanku or varikukkal is better applicable because of its specific identity. Narrinai (258: 8-10) pictures vankam as ships built with masts and sails.
Apart from the traditional maritime activity of the Tamils, the colonization of Java, Cumatra, Borneo, Bali. Malay Archipelago, etc.. by the Indians and the associated missionary endeavours of the Buddhist monks in these lands provide information to identify the Indian native crafts. Ashoka the Great, the great Buddhist monarch of India commenced the propaganda of Buddhism in the eastern lands in 244 B. C. The ships sailed for the Southeast Asian countries and farther from the Kalinka and the Orissa coasts, is still celebrated by the natives. Hornell is of the opinion that the first large high seagoing ships that were seen by the Malays was the Dravidian ships of South India. The ancient Indian ships, were the vessels with double outrigger and had an even prow at stern and stern. This arrangement was of great usefulness to sail the craft without turning in the rough seas, and by steering with the help of two quarter paddles. The absence of rudder, is favoured by Hornell on examining the ship-coins of Andhras dated to the second and third centuries A. D. and the Boro Budur scenes. The ancient crafts used by the navigators of Kalinka and Orissa to sail in the high seas were also of the same type of the ancient crafts of Tamils, i. e.. two masted outrigger vessel, both bow and stern sharp, with quarter steering paddles
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