The Poonah, named after the city of Poonah in western India, was a three masted sailing ship of 1199 tons, owned by Tyser & Haviside and was built in 1867 by William Pile at Sunderland.

[3] The Poonah made two trips from India to Fiji.

During the first trip, the Lascar crew refused to go on deck during a severe storm and the ship was almost lost, and during the second trip there was an outbreak of cholera and smallpox.

[4] The Poonah made trips from India to South Africa carrying indentured labourers who ended up working on the sugar cane plantations, in the hotels and as merchants in Durban, Tongaat, Stanger and in many other parts of South Africa.

The Poonah left Calcutta in early 1878 with a full complement of indentured Indian labourers and crew on board and she docked in Durban harbour in July 1878.