This book sets new standards for the documentation of water transport, and introduces styles of boat-building which are unlikely to be found outside the sub-Continent. A fascinating and accessible read for anyone interested in boats or the South Asian way of life, as well as ethnographers, maritime archaeologists and historians, Boats of South Asia covers recent, exhaustive fieldwork in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; and covers a vast array of traditional boats used in the sub-Continent today for fishing and other coastal, riverine tasks.