Vallam kali ('' vaḷḷaṃ kaḷi'', literally: boat game) also known as Snake Boat Race is a traditional

boat race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered w ...

war canoe A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwat ...

s. It is mainly conducted during the season of the

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

Onam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

in spring. Vallam kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats and 'snake boats'. Each team spends about 6 lakh rupees for the Nehru Trophy. The race of

chundan vallam Chundan vallam ('beaked boat'), known outside Kerala as Kerala snake boats, are one of the icons of Kerala culture used in the Vallamkali or boat race. Naval architecture Constructed according to specifications taken from the ''Sthapatya Ve ...

('snake boat', about 30-35 meter (100-120 feet) long with 64 or 128 paddlers aboard) is the major event and a major tourist attraction. Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are ''churulan vallam'', ''iruttukuthy vallam'', ''odi vallam'', ''veppu vallam'', ''vadakkanody vallam'' and ''kochu vallam''. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular vallam kali event held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha,

. In an effort to aggrandise this sport and showcase Kerala's backwaters to the world, the Government of Kerala initiated

IPL The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

style regatta named

Champions Boat League A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

in 2019.

History

In Kerala, during an early 13th-century war between the feudal kingdoms of

Kayamkulam Kayamkulam is a town and municipality in the ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in Kerala. It is the second biggest town in Alappuzha district. It is located on the western coast of India, and was an ancient maritime trading center. O ...

and Chembakassery,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Devanarayana of Chembakassery commissioned the construction of a war boat named ''

Chundan Vallam Chundan vallam ('beaked boat'), known outside Kerala as Kerala snake boats, are one of the icons of Kerala culture used in the Vallamkali or boat race. Naval architecture Constructed according to specifications taken from the ''Sthapatya Ve ...

'' and he tasked a famous carpenter of the day with the responsibility of creating it. Hence, the technical methods for creating these snake boats are around 8 centuries old. Of the snake boats still in use today, the Parthasarathi Chundan is the oldest model. Vallam kali has mainly been conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in Autumn. The race of chundan vallam is the major event. Vallam kali also includes races of many other kinds of traditional paddled longboats of Kerala, and is one of the major tourist attractions in the state.

Vanchipattu

''Vanchipattu'' (lit. 'boatsong') is the form of poetry in Malayalam language commonly used during vallam kali and related festivals. During

Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali The Aranmula Boat Race the oldest river boat festival in Kerala, the south western State of India is held during Onam (August–September). It takes place at Aranmula, near Sri Parthasarady Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna in Path ...

, the vanchipattu is performed by the participants for its significance in the rituals.

Ramapurathu Warrier Ramapurathu Warrier (1703–1753) is considered to be the pioneer of the "Vanchippattu" or Boat song form of poetry in Malayalam language. ''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form of folk origin composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''nathonnata''. H ...

is considered to be the pioneer of the vanchipattu.

List of periodical vallam kali events

Major events

Kandassankadavu boat race The Kandassankadavu Boat Race (Malayalam: കണ്ടശ്ശാംകടവ് ജലോത്സവം) is a popular ''Vallam Kali'' held in the Enamakkal Lake and Conolly Canal in Kandassankadavu of Thrissur District, Kerala, India. The ...

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

* Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha * Triprayar boat race, in Conolly canal, Triprayar, Thrissur *

at Aranmula, Pathanamthitta *

President's Trophy Boat Race The President's Trophy Boat Race ( ml, പ്രസിഡന്റ്'സ് ട്രോഫി വള്ളം കളി) is a popular boat race held on the Ashtamudi lake in Kollam city on 1 November every year. The day marks the birth of th ...

Ashtamudi lake Ashtamudi Lake (''Ashtamudi Kayal''), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) ...

, Kollam * Kallada Boat Race in

Kallada River Kallada River/Kulathupuzha " Puzha "means River.Its's the longest river in Kollam District, Kerala, India.The river originates in Kulathupuzha,a part of Western Ghats and flows west reaching Arabian Sea after travelling a distance of 120km. R ...

, Kollam * Pampa Boat Race in

Neerattupuram Neerattupuram is a place in Kuttanad, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. It is a part of Thalavady Grama Panchayat, situated near the junction of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, at the confluence of Pamba and Manimala river ...

Champakulam Moolam Boat Race The Champakulam Moolam Boat Race is one of the oldest vallam kali (snake boat race) (after the Aranmula Boat Race) in Kerala state of south India. The race is held on the Pamba River, River Pamba on Moolam day (according to the Malayalam Era M.E ...

* Kumarakom Boat Race * Payippad Jalotsavam * Sree Narayana Boat Race in

Karunagappally Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is 24 km north of Kollam and south of Alappuzha. Karunagappally taluk consists of Alappad, Ochira, Adinad, Karunagappally, Thazhava, Pavumba, Thodiyoor, Kallal ...

, Kollam * Thazhathangadi Boat Race,

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

* Gothuruth Boat Race, in the

Periyar Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the ' ...

, Ernakulam
* Piravom Boat Race in

Piravom Piravom is a municipality in Ernakulam district and a suburb of Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located with in 31 km southeast of Kochi city center, at the boundary of the Ernakulam and Kottayam districts. Piravom is famous for ...

Minor events

* Paravur Jalothsavam & Boat Race in Paravur Thekkumbhagam, Kollam * ATDC Boat Race, Alappuzha * Rajiv Gandhi Trophy boat race, Pulinkunnu * Neerettupuram Pampa Boat Race * Karuvatta Boat Race * Kavanattinkara Boat Race * Kumarakom Arpookara Vanitha Jalamela,

Kumarakom Kumarakom is a popular tourism destination located near the city of Kottayam (), in Kerala, India, famous for its backwater tourism. It is set in the backdrop of the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. History Kuma ...

* Mahatma Boat Race, Mannar, Alappuzha * Kottapuram Boat Race, Kottappuram * Kodungallur and Kumaranasan Smaraka Jalotsavam,

Pallana Pallana is a village on the shore of Arabian Sea. It is also alongside the River Pallana. National Highway 66 runs nearby. It is made famous by the fact that it is the final resting place of the great Malayalam poet Kumaranasan. Asan Me ...

Indira Gandhi Boat Race The Indira Gandhi Boat Race takes place as a very colorful water sports-cum-festival held every year. It is held in the backwaters of Cochin city of Kerala during the last week of December. It is popular all over Kerala and various boat race compe ...

, in

Kochi Lake Vembanad is the longest lake in India, as well as the largest lake in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km. Spanning several districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Ve ...

* Kaithappuzhakkayal Boat Race, in Kaithappuzha Lake, Ernakulam * Biyyam Kaayal Boat Race, Ponnani * Uthara malabar Boat Race, Thejaswini Lake, Kasaragod * EK.Nayanar Trophy -Malabar jalolsavam, Mangalassery, Kuppam river, Kannur district * Kuppam Boat Race, Kuppam River, Kannur District * Kattampally Boat Race, Kannur District * Madayi Boat Race, Pazhyangadi River, Pazhyangadi, Kannur District

References

External links

Dates of the various races and other useful traveller information

The great snake boat race of India

Aranmula

Nehru Trophy Boat Race

Google video of Vallamkalli

Online game on Vallamkali at www.gamezindia.com

Gothuruth Boat Race since 1938
{{Tourism in Kerala Paddling Boat races in Kerala Traditional sports of India Tourism in Kerala