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Famous Boat Races in Kerala
Need an editable PowerPoint map of India One of the most attractive festive events associated with the Onam celebrations is a series of boat races in Kerala–vallom kali in native language—manifesting team spirit, the power of myths and the regional unity of the people of this backwater country. It is a reflection of the people’s hardcore belief in their native tradition and a reflection of the fresh, lively temperament they maintain in their approach towards life. Snake boat races are generally held in connection with Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala in the months of August/September. Scores of long snake boats inspired by their traditional spirit, competency and mythical background participate in these events. Watching a snake boat race is an enchanting experience in itself. Usually, a snake boat is manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers and 100-125 oarsmen, who row in unison to the fast rhythm of vanchipattu (song of the boatman). Thousands of people crowd the water's edge to cheer the huge black crafts as they slice through the waters to a spectacular finish. The oldest of these events have curious legends and myths attached to their origin. Nehru Trophy Boat Race The spectacular Nehru Trophy Boat Race brought Kerala to the glare of international fame and focus. The race, conducted on the second Saturday of August every year, is a major tourist attraction. Apart from the humble natives of Alleppy district, there are a large number of foreigners who impart vibrancy to the Nehru Trophy boat race. Thousands of people from all around the world throng the water sides of Alappuzha (Alleppy) to witness the spectacle. Pavilions are set up for spectators on the banks and in the middle of the Punnamada Lake, the venue of the race. The boat race has an interesting story to its credit in association with India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Apparently, when Nehru visited Kerala in 1952, Alleppy received him with the huge snake-boats. He also happened to watch the exotic boat race at the end of which, out of sheer excitement, Nehru jumped into the house boat and enjoyed the race all by himself! Moreover, having gone through the tremendous excitement of sailing in a snake-boat, Jawaharlal Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner of the race. Over 16 chundan vallams participate in the race along with scores of smaller crafts like the churulan, veppu, odi etc., with a prize for each category. There are separate races for women too. The race begins with a colourful pageant of floats, performing arts and decorated boats and goes on late into the evening. The 100-120 feet long canoes are made of a local forest wood called "Aanjili thadi." These boats can carry 90- 110 rowers and they move like a snake through the channels. The different types of boats that participate in the various events of the race include Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam, Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam. Kallooparamban, Kaarichaal, Chambakulam, Nadubhagom, Paayipaadu, Kaavalam, Alapaatu, Aanari, Cheruthana, Aayaparambu, St.George, Jawahar thaayankari, Vallamkulangara, Valiya Divanji, Sri.Ganesh, Paarthasarathy, Ambedkar and Pattara are the name of popular snake boats and the major participants in the event. Champakulam Moolam Boat Race This is the oldest and most popular snake boat race in Kerala. Its origin has an interesting mythical background connected with the nearby Sree Krishna Temple at Ambalappuzha. Maharaja Devanarayana of Chempakasseri, as instructed by the royal priest, built a temple at Ambalappuzha. But just before the installation of the deity, he was informed that the idol was not auspicious. The king was disturbed, but his minister suggested an inspired solution—to bring down the beautiful idol of Sree Krishna, presented to Arjuna by the Lord himself, from the Karikulam temple in Kurichi. The minister with a few others went to Kurichi, met the authorities there and returned with the idol. On the way back they stopped at Champakulam to spend the night and perform a pooja. The next morning, boats from the entire region, assembled to escort the idol in a colourful, ceremonial procession through the lake to the Temple. Years later, the pageant is still re-enacted with the same enthusiasm. The race is held on the Champakulam Lake on the Moolam day of the Malayalam month Midhunam, the day of the installation of the deity at the Temple. An exotic procession of water floats, boats decorated with colourful parasols and performing arts greets the spectator before the race. The race proper is held in various stages for various categories of boats. Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali Aranmaula’s cultural vivacity is essentially centered upon the Parthasarathy Temple here. The two day Aranmula Boat Race conducted during Onam is more a water fiesta in the river Pampa than a competition. Aranmula boat race, known as the Uttratati Boat Race, is a coming together of not only vallams but different streams of humanity. It faithfully represents the replica of the middle-Travancore cultural heritage and tradition. The snake boats decorated with silken parasols, carrying helmsmen, oarsmen and singers assemble near the temple early in the morning and then move away in pairs, creating a magnificent pageant. The boat race proper is held in the afternoon. The Aranmula Boat Race is held in memory of a legend involving a devout Brahmin, who made a votive offering of feeding one pilgrim a day. It is believed that one day Lord Sree Krishna himself appeared to him and the overjoyed Brahmin vowed to offer 51 measures of rice and all the provision for the thiruvona sadya (the sumptuous Onam feast) at the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. Once, the thiruvonachilavu thoni (the boat carrying the offerings) was intercepted by rivals from another village, but the Brahmin's own villagers came to the rescue on snake boats. From then on, the offering was carried by a fleet of palliyodam—about 48 of them— representing the nearby backwater villages. Palliyodam is a large, luxurious snake boat used by gods and royalty. The event is marked by a colourful water carnival, when an imposing effigy of Sree Krishna is taken out in procession on the lake with children dressed as nymphs and princesses. Payippad Jalotsavam Payippad Jalotsavam is associated with the myth of the installation of the deity at the Subramanya Swamy Temple, Haripad, a place located in the district of Alleppy. The three day annual fiesta on the Payippad Lake, 35 km from Alappuzha, is an attractive event for the people during the Onam day celebrations. The myth related to the Payippad boat race is that the people of the village decided to build a temple with Sree Ayyappa as the presiding deity. However, after the temple was ready, they had a vision asking them to a find the idol of Sree Subramanya, which was immersed in the Kayamkulam Lake and to install it at the temple. Accordingly, the villagers found the idol and it was escorted back ceremoniously.
Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com). Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in August, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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