Champakulam Boat Race, one of the oldest boat races in India
Champakulam Boat Race is one of the most popular and the oldest race in India. It takes place in June at Champakulam Lake in Kerala. It is also the first race in the harvest season, which also marks the beginning of the festive season.
CHAMPAKULAM BOAT race, one of the oldest snake boat races in India, takes place every year in the Champakulam Lake. The race, being held from June 16-26 this year, is popularly known to the locals in the region as Vallam kali. It is scheduled on the moolam day, which is supposed to be the day of putting up the deity in Sree Krishna Temple at Ambalappuzha. The day has always been considered as auspicious.
The race, in itself, is a huge attraction where the crowd enjoys themselves as it a festival for them. As the race is one of the major attractions, so the boats are decorated and coloured to look beautiful in the cool waters of Champakulam lake. The race has become a symbol of cultural harmony for the last 100 of years now. There are various boats that participate in the race such as Chundan (snake boat),Veppu, Iruttukuth among a host of other boats. Initially, it starts with the heats where there are many teams and the final takes place later during the evening. There are more than 100 persons in the boat when the race is going on, and the first 4 people in the boat are called helmsmen. Apart from these 4 people there are 25 singers who sing the song known as Vanchippattu, and around 100 oarsmen who put in all their effort to cross the finish line. Some other popular boat races in Kerala are Indira Gandhi boat race, and Nehru Trophy boat race, in a long list of boat races that the people of Kerala love. All these races are a matter of pride for the residents of Kerala who make the race a grand affair with their lively participation.
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