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::: Vallamkali (Snake Boat Race) |
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Vallam Kali (Vallamkali) literally meaning boat game (race) in Malayalam
are magnificent fiestas that brings alive the tranquil backwaters. Snake boat races are held in connection with Onam, the harvest festival in August/September. The race of Chundan Vallam (snake boat) is the major item. Hence Vallam Kali is also known in English as Snake Boat Race and a major tourist attraction.
Another great event as important as the land's ethos as the elephant pageant. A sport that signifies the excellent team spirit, integration and amity of the people of this backwater country. An occasions of great excitement that is a reflection of a vibrant people.
Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam (Vaipu Vallam), Vadakkanody Vallam, Kochu Vallam.
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| The Origin of Snake Boat Races in Kerala |
There is also an interesting legend behind this very electrifying event. The story goes that once about 10 kilometers up the river Pamba from Aranmulla, the head of the Katoor Mana, a Nambudiri family, offered his daily prayers and was waiting to feed a poor man to complete the ritual. After waiting for long, Brahmin closed his eyes and started praying to Lord Krishna. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a ragged boy standing before him. The Brahmin lovingly gave a bath to the boy, a new set of clothes and also a sumptuous meal.
To the utter surprise of the Brahmin, the boy vanished after having the meal. He searched for the boy and spotted him at the Aranmulla Temple but the boy disappeared again. Namboodari concluded that it was no ordinary boy, but God himself. To commemorate the event, he began to bring food to the Aranmulla temple every year during the time of Onam. And, to protect the food from the river pirates, Kovilans or snake boats used to accompany the entourage.
As the tradition gained popularity, the number of snake boats increased leading to the custom of a grand carnival called Snake Boat Race.
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A lot of credit for the popularity of the Snake Boat Race can be attributed to the first Prime Minister of the country, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. He was so enchanted by the spirit of the this traditional team event that he decided to promote it in a big way. A spectacular boat pageantry held before the actual race is the other highlight of the event. The Boats are tastefully decorated with green and scarlet silk umbrellas. The number of umbrellas attached to a boat holds significance as it signifies the affluence of the family to which they belong. To render a more maginificient look to the boat gold coins, ornaments and tassels are also added.
Great care is also taken for the upkeep of the boat. A carpenter repairs the boat on an annual basis. The boats are lubricated with fish oil, coconut shell and carbon mixed with eggs. This also helps to keep the wood strong and boats slippery in water. This way one can always find a boat ready for a swim. |
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- About the Boat :
Vallamkali boat are no ordinary boats and there are fixed measurements to it. It is about 100 feet long and has a seating capacity of 150 men. The boats are usually made of anjili (Artocarpus hirsuta), though sometimes teak and kadamb (Naucleacadamba) wood is also used. The front portion of a snake boat is known as vetithadi. A windscreen known as kaattumara, is a place where wind can hardly enter. Snake boat has made use of this wind proof platform for the singers and instrumentalists to stand there. The curled ends of the boats are shaped like cobra hoods and it is from this shape that boat has derived its name. Each boat is meticulously crafted by skilled craftsmen and a lot of patience and hard work goes into making and decorating it. The boat is treated as a deity and a holds a lot of emotional value for the village folk. Only men are allowed to touch the boat that too with bare feet. Each boat belong to individual villages located near the river Pamba.
- The Arrangements :
To make sure that everything goes smooth, arrangements start days before the event. The boats are launched a day before the grand racce. Pujas are also rendered to Lord Vishnu and Mahabali by a priest to invoke blessings for the boat and the boatmen. Flowers offered to the God are also placed at the helm of the boat as a good luck charm.
- Palliyodam :
A snake boat, in the service of the temple is known as palliyodam, which means the boat that belongs to the Lord. In the beginning, on the main day of the festival, 48 palliyodam of the 48 karas, from Chennithala in the west to Ranni in the east, participated in the festival. Now this has been reduced to thirty-two snake boats representing 32 villages. Adorned elaborately with decorations, the boats are manoeuvered in such a way as to view the Parthasarathy temple, on the banks of the Pampa. The oarsmen, wearing white dhotis and covering heads with scarfs, row the boats in rhythm to the tunes of hymns composed for the purpose. It takes 650 man-days to build a single snake boat. The hull made out of wooden planks is 83 feet in length and six inches thick. This 150 feet long boat can hold 100 men. The head and tail are constructed in such a way as to project out five and three feet, respectively, above the water. The boat provides seating compartments on a raised platform for 64 oarsmen who represent 64 art forms. Four master oarsmen, who symbolize the four Vedas, control the direction of the boat with large oars. The platform in the middle of the boat facilitates eight people to stand. They represent the Ashtadikpalakas (devas), who guard the eight directions.
- Vanchipattu :
These highly rhythmic songs were created to keep up the spirits of the boatsmen. The rhythm of these songs blend perfectly with the movement of the oars and to keep up devotional, mythological or relating to rustic life styles. Every snake boat has about ten singers keeping time with traditional percussion instruments. These songs have devotional, mythological or rustic themes. Every snake boat has about twenty-five singers and the rhythm of their songs is perfectly blended with the movement of the oars. The mariner's song (kappal paattu) is a kind of philosophic song.
- Vallasadya :
This is a grant feast, being given to the oars men before the race. This feast will be served in one full banana leaf in the traditional style. This comprises of unpolished rice, lots of Non-veg curries like beef and a little Vegetarian curry. There are chances for the onlookers to participate in this feast with the oars men.
- About the Race :
To watch the grand gala race, thousands of people assemble on the banks of the river Pamba at Aranmulla where a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna is located. About 30 elaborately crafted Chundan Vallams or snake boats participate in the mega event. The boat race is conducted on a stretch of 40 kilometers from the hills to the low lying plains on the fifth day of Onam. The sight becomes endearing when one looks at the beautifully decorated boats being rowed by oarsmen dressed in white dhotis and turbans. Traditional songs Vanchipattu, sung on the rhythm produced by splashing of boats furthers adds to the overall excitement of the team event. Each boat comprises of 150 men of which four are helsmen, 25 men are singers and 125 are the actual oarsmen. The most remarkable feature of the Snake Boat Race is the depiction of the great team spirit. It also displays the importance of being united and to be in harmony with nature. A single mistake by one person can produce imbalance and could lead to the overturning of the boat.
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Some of the most renowned and famous of these races are :
- Nehru Trophy Boat Race :
The Punnamada backwaters in Alappuzha come alive every year during the harvest festival of Onam. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is one of those events, which the people of Kerala look forward to with excitement. Thousands of Keralites - men, women and children - throng the watersides of Alappuzha to witness the spectacle. The History of Nehru Trophy Boat Race is associated with the visit of late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India to Alappuzha. The first race was an impromptu one conducted in 1952 in honour of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who visited Alappuzha. In that race of snake boats, ‘Nadubhagam Chundan' stood first. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who was thrilled and excited by the performance of the oarsmen, jumped into the ‘Nadubhagam Chundan', forgetting all security arrangements. The boat proceeded to the boat jetty carrying the Prime Minister. After his return to Delhi, a few months later in December 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru donated a silver trophy, which is a replica of a snake boat placed on a wooden abacus. The trophy bears the following inscription above his signature; “To the winners of the boat race, which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore - Cochin.” This trophy later came to be known as Nehru Trophy, and in fond memory of great Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the people of Alappuzha celebrate the Nehru Trophy Boat Race every year.
- Champakulam Moolam Boat Race :
This boat race is the oldest and most popular vallam kali (snake boat race) in Kerala state of south India . The race is held on river Pampa on the moolam day (according to the Malayalam Era M.E) of the Malayalam month Midhunam, the day of the installation of the deity at the Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple.
Legend has it that the King of Chempakasseri , Devanarayana, built a temple at Ambalappuzha as instructed by the royal priest, but just before the installation of the deity he was informed that the idol was not auspicious. The vigraha (idol) had be installed, the only solution to which was to bring idol of Sree Krishna from the Karikulam temple in Kurichi . This idol was believed to be given to Arjuna by Lord Krishna himself. After getting the idol from Karikulam temple and returning back to Ambalappuzha the kings minister and others 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. An exotic procession of water floats, boats decorated with colourful parasols and performing arts greets the spectator before the race. The race is held in various stages for various categories of boats.
- Aranmula Boat Race :
The Aranmula Boat Race takes place at Aranmula, near a temple dedicated to Lord rishna and Arjuna. Thousands of people gather on the banks of the river Pampa to watch the snake boat races . Nearly 30 snake boats or "chundan vallams" participate in the festival. The oarsmen sing traditional boat songs and wear white dhotis and turbans . The golden lace at the head of the boat, the flag and the ornamental umbrella at the center make it a show of pageantry too.
The village carpenter carries out annual repairs and people take pride in their boat, which is named after and represents their village.
- Payippad Jalotsavam :
The Payippad Boat Race is organized in the month of September and it carries on for three days. The venue of the boat race is the Payippad Lake, situated at a distance of 35 km from the Alappuzha district of Kerala. Payippad Boat Race Of Kerala is organized to commemorate the installation of the idol at the Subramanya Swamy Temple, Haripad. There is a very interesting legend associated with this boat race. It is believed that residents of the Haripad Village decided to build a temple, with the presiding deity being Sree Ayyappa. Before the idol was about to be installed, the villagers had a vision. In the vision, they were directed to install the idol of Sri Subramanya Swamy, which they will find under a whirlpool in the Kayamkulam River. Divers and swimmers from the village rowed to the same spot and brought back Subramanya vigrah in a boat. The same idol was then installed in the temple, amid much fanfare. As a tribute to that incident, Kerala Payippad Jalotsavam, a three-days water festival, is conducted every year.
- Indira Gandhi Boat Race
It is a boat race festival celebrated in the last week of December in the backwaters of Kochi, a town in Kerala. This boat race is one of the most popular vallam Kali (snake boat race) in Kerala. This festival is conducted to promote Kerala tourism. This race with its heart throbbing rhythm of drum music provides an unforgettable experience to the spectators.
The sixteen majestic snake boats racing neck to neck in gaiety and competition to the sky-rending cheers of the multitudes, is a unique sight. The coveted trophy of the race was instituted in memory of Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister of India.
Some of the other boat races of kerala are:
- ATDC Boat Race, Alappuzha
- Rajiv Gandhi Boat Race, Pulinkunnu
- Neerettupuram Pampa Boat Race
- Kumarakom Boat Race
- Karuvatta Boat Race
- Kavanattinkara Boat Race
- Kumarakom Arpookara Vanitha Jalamela
- Mahatma Boat Race, Mannar
- Thazhathangadi Boat Race, Kottayam
- Kottapuram Boat Race
- Kodungallur and Kumaranasan Smaraka Jalotsavam, Pallana.
- Kallada Boat Race, Kollam
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