SS Vaitarna

SS Vaitarna, popularly known as Vijli or Haji Kasam ni Vijli, was a steamship owned by A J Shepherd & Co, Bombay that disappeared on 8 November 1888 off the coast of Kathiawar (now Saurashtra region of Gujarat) in the 1888 Arabian Sea cyclone during a crossing from Mandvi to Bombay.

[12][13] SS Vaitarna was anchored on Mandvi port on 8 November 1888, Thursday (Vikram Samvat 1945 Kartik Sud Pancham), at noon and she left for Dwarka after taking 520 passengers on board.

Though according to lores, Porbandar port administrator Lelie told the Captain not to venture into the sea, but later research did not support the claim.

At evening, she was seen off the coast of Mangrol, and later at night some people claimed that she was seen wrecking near Madhavpur (Ghed) amid severe storm (1888 Arabian Sea cyclone).

[3][6][7][17] Following the disappearance of the ship, the Bombay Presidency formed a committee, Marine Court of Inquiry, to probe the matter.

[5] The incident resulted in formation of many nautical lores, myths, legends and songs over the years and became popular in folklore of Gujarat.

[5][6] After the disappearance of the ship, a poet from Jamnagar, Durlabhrai V. Shyamji Dhruv published a collection of songs titled Vijli Vilap.

Gujarati author Gunvantrai Acharya wrote a fiction titled, Haji Kasam Tari Vijli (1954) based on the incident.

[5][7][10] In the preface of Twin Tales from Kutcch: A family saga set in Colonial India, Saeed Ibrahim has mentioned that he lost his grandparents in the event.

[20] A film based on the incident, Vijli: Mystery of the Phantom Ship, directed by Dhwanil Mehta and starring Rana Daggubati, was announced in 2017 with story written by Yogesh Joshi.

Haji Kasam, Captain of SS Vaitarna