Snake boats and the Nehru Trophy course
The chundan vallam, or snake boat, is the most spectacular of Kerala's traditional boats: up to about 30 metres long, with a raised stern like a cobra's hood, built of anjili wood and rowed by more than 100 men in two lines. Each belongs to a village or a church parish, and the boats are kept in sheds by the water and treated with great respect. The boat races of the monsoon season grew out of old rivalries between local rulers and villages.
With a member of a village boat club, we visit a boat shed in Kuttanad to see a snake boat and hear how it is maintained, oiled with fish oil and launched with ceremony. In the weeks before the Nehru Trophy in August, crews practise daily on the canals, and with permission you can watch from the bank as the oars hit the water in time with the vanchipattu boat songs.
We finish with a cruise along the Nehru Trophy course on Punnamada Lake, past the finishing point and the pavilion. On race day itself, usually the second Saturday of August, we book pavilion seats. The date has moved in recent years, and races in the Champions Boat League follow through the season, so check current status before you travel.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
When is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race?
Traditionally on the second Saturday of August on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha. In recent years the date has sometimes moved, including postponements because of floods or other events, so check current status before you travel. We book pavilion seats as soon as the official date is announced.
Can we see a snake boat outside race season?
Yes. Boats are kept in sheds in their home villages all year, and a visit can be arranged through a local boat club. Outside July to September, the boats are usually covered and resting, but you can still see the construction up close and hear their history.
How many rowers are in a snake boat?
A chundan vallam typically carries around 100 rowers in two lines, plus helmsmen at the stern and singers who keep the rhythm. Crews vary by boat and race rules. The noise of the oars and songs on race day is one of Kerala's great spectacles.
Also in Alappuzha (Alleppey)
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