The first Prime
Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru visited Kerala in 1952 and sailed via Kottayam and Kuttanad
to touch Allepey. An impromptu race of boats called Chundams was held on the
river in his honour. Nadubhagam Chundan won the race and an ecstatic Nehru
disregarding security and protocol, jumped into the boat and sailed in it to
the jetty. Nehru had enjoyed the experience so much that on returning to Delhi, he had a trophy
made and sent it over to make the race an annual feature. The Nehru Trophy as
it came to be called is a snake boat mounted in silver resting on a wooden
abacus. Its inscription reads – To the winner of the boat race which is a
unique feature of community life in Travancore,
Cochin.
The Boats
- The Chundam Vallam(snake boat) is the show stopper of the race. It can stretch to 100 ft has a raised
prow going up to a magnificent 15 to 20 ft and was used in canal battles as it could
seat from 90 to 150. These include the oarsmen, the steerers (amarakkar) and
cheerleaders (nilakkar)
- The Churulan boat
is circular and in ancient times ferried the wealthy at leisurely pace with a
seating capacity of 10 to 36
- The Iruttukuthy or
Odis are the stealth boats of yore used for nightly smuggling raids that were
swift and short as they could not be turned, the rowers merely switched sides.
Its seating capacity is 28 to 36
- The Vaipu are the
feeder boats of ancient battles. Vaipu means cooking in Malayalam and these
boats ferried essential grub and stoves for cooking for the Chundan crew during
battles. Its seating capacity is 28 to 36
The Race
Along 4850 ft of
waterways, all the above types will churn up the lake waters. 16 are snake
boats decorated with flags and silken umbrellas as they snake their way to win
the coveted Nehru Trophy. The remarkable feature of this race - unlike the temple
associated races like the Champakulam Moollam Boat Race - is the bumper cash
prizes. In this jubilee year it could go up to a lakh rupees. The boats while
having single and joint owners may also represent a locality that sponsors it. Women
and children are also enthusiastic participants
The Place
Punnamada Lake, Allapuzha (Allepey) in Kuttanad region is
part of the serene backwaters where kettuvallams (houseboats) ply tourists.
Timeline
Reach Allapuzha by
9 am
Catch the official
jetty by 11 am after which it is not available
Take your seat at
12 am
Ticket Price
The tickets are in
the following categories
Tourist Gold Rs. 2000 (for 1 person)
Tourist Silver Rs. 1000 (for 1 person)
Rose Corner Rs. 500 (for 2 persons)
Rose Corner Rs. 300 (for 1 person)
Victory Lane Rs. 200 (for 1 person)
All View Rs. 150 (for 1 person)
Lake View
Rs. 100 (for 1 person)
Lawn Rs. 50 (for 1 person)
Tip
Do not purchase
complimentary passes for cash
Buy tickets from
official tourism departments and the government department outlets which can be
recognized by the official Nehru Trophy Boat Race
banners. The
government departments include district Taluka offices, Block Development Offices
and the office of Municipal Secretaries
Check that tickets
have official seal and serial number of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race
Carry food and
water. Liquor and smoking is not allowed.
Parking space is
available at Municipal stadium north of Zilla Court bridge
The Date
August 9 – 11, 2012
Since it’s the 60th
year there are 3 races instead of the usual single race
The Nehru Trophy
Boat Race will be on August 11, 2012
Getting to
Allapuzha (Allepey)
From Kochi you can take the ferry to
Allepey.
From Quilon, that is an hour
from Trivandrum,
you can take the ferry to Allepey.
Check any South Indian railway
trains and whether there’s a halt at Allepey.
