This page highlights the key Kerala Boat Races that are held every year, usually in conjunction with the Onam festival, for the forthcoming Kerala PSC 10th Preliminary examinations.
These Onam boat races feature a variety of boats such as chundan vallam (snake boat), iruttu kuthi, churulan vallam, cheru vallam, and the others.
Vanchipaattu (the boat song), based on nathonnatha vrutham, is a kind of poetry recited during the vallam kali festival.
These tunes have a pulsating pulse that is reminiscent of the peaks and troughs of waves crashing. Vanchipaattu's rhythmic chanting is matched by the rovers' rhythmic paddling of the oars in the water.
We mentioned the location and river on which the boat race is held in this post; make sure to memorize them thoroughly for the upcoming PSC exams.
Important Boat Races of Kerala
- Ayyankali Boat Race – Vellayani Kayal (Trivandrum).
- Sree Narayana Jayanti Boat Race / Kumarakom Boat Race – Vembanad Kayal (Kumarakom, Kottayam).
- Sree Narayana Trophy Boat Race – Kannetti Kayal (Karungapally, Kollam).
- Aranmula Uthrattadi Boat Race – Pampa River (Aranmula, Pathanamthitta).
- Rajiv Gandhi Boat Race – Pampa River (Alappuzha).
- Champakulam Moolam Boat Race – Pampa River (Alappuzha).
- Mannar Mahatma Gandhi Boat Race – Pampa River (Mannar, Alappuzha).
- Neerattupuram Boat Race – Pampa River & Manimala Lake (Alappuzha).
- Nehru Trophy Boat Race – Punnamda Kayal (Alappuzha).
- Mother Theresa Boat Race – Achankovil River (Prayikkara, Alappuzha).
- President's Trophy Boat Race – Ashtamudi Kayal (Kollam).
- Kayamkulam Boat Race – Kayamkulam Kayal (Alappuzha).
- Payippad Boat Race – Payippad River (Alappuzha).
- Indira Gandhi Boat Race – Vembanad Kayal (Kochi).
- Kallada Boat Race – Kallada River (Munroe Thuruthu, Kollam).
- Thazhathangadi Boat Race – Meenachil river (Kottayam).
- Changanacherry Trophy Boat Race – Puthanar (Changanacherry, Kottayam).
- Gothuruth Boat Race – Periyar (Ernakulam).
- Kunjali Marakkar Trophy – Chaliyar (Beypore).
- Uthara Malabar Boat Race – Thejaswini Kayal (Kasaragod).
๐SideNotes:
- Pooram in water – Aranmula Boat Race.
- Water Olympics of Kerala – Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
- Prize – ₹5 lakh.
- Intially called – Prime Minister's Trophy,
- Evoor Karkadaka Sankrama Boat Race is associated with – Evoor Sreekrishnaswamy Temple (Alappuzha).
- Onattukara's Guruvayur – Evoor Sreekrishnaswamy Temple.
- Boat race related to Amabalappuzha temple – Champakulam Moolam Boat Race.
- Boat race related to Haripad temple – Payippad Boat Race.
- เด เดฏ്เดฏเด്เดാเดณി เดตเดณ്เดณംเดเดณി เดเดคു เดാเดฏเดฒിเดฒാเดฃ് เดจเดเด്เดുเดจ്เดจเดค്? เดตെเดณ്เดณാเดฏเดฃിเด്เดാเดฏเตฝ. (SSLC Main: Assistant Salesman, 2021)