Boat Races in Kerala

The Boat races in kerala is one of famous reason to be there in during onam (the harvest festival in August/September) season.

The Boat race in kerala is a splendin and unparalleled event that is as much part of the land's ethos as the elephant pageant.The boat race is a sport that signifies the excellent team spirit, integration and amity of the people of this backwater country.The backwaters come alive with scores of oarsmen in their snake boats vying for victory in the races organised annually to commemorate the festival that celebrates Mahabali's return from the netherworld.Scores of long snake boats and other smaller crafts participate in these events. The largest team sport in the world, the snake boat races are preceded by colourful water parades.The Snake boat race is a team sport that involves about
150 odd people in each team. About 4 helmsmen, 25 singers and 125 oarsmen, in snakeboats, row in unison to the fast tempo of the vanchipattu (boatman's song). Thousands of spectators gather to cheer them as they row their way across the waters to a spectacular finish. In the past, Kerala had only two major boat races-the Aranmula Uthrittathi boat race and the Chambakkulam Moolam boat race.

These two have traditional and religious background. The fete in Aranmula is conducted in connection with Aranmula Parthasarathy temple and Chambakkulam boat race is in commemoration of the consecration of the deity at Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple.However, Kerala today witnesses a large number of boat races all across its rivers and waters. The water carnival begins with the Chambakkulam Moolam boat race followed by big and small boat races conducted throughout the Onam festival season. The backwaters, which were often the battleground of warring rulers of Kerala and the Chundan Valloms or the snake boats, which were the battleships, now race to a different bugle.

The famous boat races in kerala are :