Budgerows were 'large and commodious, but generally cumbrous and sluggish keelless boats, used for journeys on the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

'. The term is thought to be an Anglicisation of the

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and Bengali word bajrā possibly derived from baglā or Arabic bagara.

Structure of the boat

Budgerows were large boats with long cabins that ran the length of the boat. These were divided into separate compartments by means of partitions to serve as sleeping rooms, dining rooms and sitting rooms. These boat had rooms for servants and the boatmen who served on the vessel. The rudder at the stern of these boats were guided by helmsmen while goleers stationed at the bow ascertained the depth of water in the river by using a long pole. When sailing, budgerows had a smaller baggage boat, called a ''pulwah'', accompanying them carrying provisions, servants and facilities for cooking. A

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

or ''paunchway'' was used as the means of communication between the boats and to dispatch messages to the shore as the budgerows cannot often come near the shores for absence of draft. Budgerows also had sails to drive them along in favourable weather. Budgerows were extremely slow and cumbersome, covering no more than 17 to 20 miles a day. They move faster when powered by sails and inclement winds required them to be towed by a crew of 16 or more men. Before the arrival of the

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, the transport of goods across much of

Northern India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

depended on rivers and budgerows were a common sight. They were owned mostly by the Indian aristocracy and by the better off Englishmen in India.

References

{{Reflist Ships of India