The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is an annual vallam kali held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha in Kerala. Vallam Kali or Vallamkali literally means boat play or game, but is translated to boat race in English. The most popular event of the race is the competition of Chundan Vallams, meaning snake boats. Hence the race is also known as Snake Boat Race. Other categories of boats participating in various race events are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam (Vaipu Vallam), Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam.

History This boat race has its origin in the Kerala district Alappuzha and was inaugurated in 1952 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The winner was awarded a trophy in the name of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Nehru visited Alappuzha on 22 December 1952 and travelled through the Kuttanad backwaters, where the people of the region received him with a fleet of snake boats. An impromptu race of nine boats was rowed in his honour and the Nadubhagam Chundan won; Nehru then climbed onto the winning boat and rode it to Alappuzha.

After returning to Delhi, Nehru sent a silver trophy shaped like a snake boat, bearing his signature and the words "To the winners of the boat race which is a unique feature of the community life of Travancore Cochin". The award was first called the Prime Minister's Trophy and later became known as the Nehru Trophy. The first formal race for the trophy was held in 1954 at the Kainakary backwaters, and it was later moved to a course on Punnamada Lake at Alappuzha, where it has been held since.

In 2019, Nehru Trophy Boat Race was also made a part of the newly constituted CBL - Champions Boat League and Star Sports Network became its television broadcasting partner.

The 2020 and 2021 seasons of the league were dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024 the edition was postponed due to Wayanad landslides and held on September 28.

Course and format The race is traditionally held on the second Saturday of August. The main event is rowed on Punnamada Lake over a course of about , divided into parallel tracks marked with bamboo poles, with several snake boats racing at a time. A chundan vallam (snake boat) is more than long and is paddled by a large crew.

Winners

As a Club United Boat club Kainakary(UBC Kainakary) won the most number of trophies in Nehru Trophy boat Race With 2 hattrick. Karichal chundan has the most number of Nehru trophies, a total of 16. The current hat-trick title for continuously winning 5 times in a row is held by Pallathuruthy boat club . The fastest Snake boat was won by Karichal chundan rowed by Pallathuruthy Boat Club in the 2024 Boat Race with a time of 4.14.35 Year Club Winners Captain Reference 1952Nadubhagam Boat clubNadubhagam ChundanChacko Mappila Maathu Mappila1954Kavalam teamKavalam ChundanThomman Joseph1955Nedumudi NSS KarayogamPaarthasarathi ChundanKG Raghavan Nair1956Kavalam teamKavaalam ChundanThomman Joseph1957Ponga Boat clubNepoleon ChundanJoseph Cheriyan1958Ponga Boat club Kavalam Boat ClubNepoleon Chundan Kavalam ChundanCheriyan Joseph TJ Job1959Ponga Boat clubNepoleon ChundanCheriyan Varghese1960Kavalam boat clubKavalam ChundanMaathachan1961Ponga Boat clubNepoleon ChundanCheriyan Varghese1962Kavalam boat clubKavaalam ChundanTJ Job1963U.B.C KainakaryKainakary ChundanPK Thankachan1964St. George ChundanPK Thankachan1965Parthasarathi ChundanPK Thankachan1966Pulinkunnu boat clubPulinkunnu ChundanThommichan1967Pulinkunnu ChundanThommichan1968U.B.C KainakaryParthasarathi Chundan PK Thankachan 1969Pulinkunnu boat clubPulinkunnu Chundan CC Chakko 1970U.B.C KainakaryKallooparamban ChundanVarghese Antony1971Kumarakam boat club Champakulam boat clubKallooparamban chundan Pulinkunnu ChundanNellanickal Pappachan Chakkamma Kannotuthara1972Kumarakam boat clubKallooparamban ChundanNellanickal Pappachan1973Kallooparamban ChundanNellanickal Pappachan1974Friends boat clubKarichal chundanPC Joseph1975Karichal chundanPC Joseph1976UBC KainakaryKarichal chundanPK Thankachan1977Thayankari boat clubJawahar Thayankari ChundanKS Varghese1978Jawahar Thayankari ChundanKS Varghese1979UBC KainakaryAayaparambu Valiya Diwanji ChundanRavi Prakash1980Pullangady boat clubKarichal chundanRamachandran1981 No Winners1982Kumarakam boat clubKarichal chundanNellanickal Pappachan1983Karichal chundanNellanickal Pappachan1984Karichal chundanNellanickal Pappachan1985Friends boat clubJawahar Thayankari ChundanPC Joseph1986Village Boat Club, KainakaryKarichal chundanSanni Akkarakkalam1987Karichal chundanSanni Akkarakkalam1988Pallathurathi boat clubVellamkulangara ChundanTP Rajbhavan1989UBC KainakaryChampakulam ChundanAK Lalasan1990UBC KainakaryChampakulam ChundanAK Lalasan1991UBC KainakaryChampakulam ChundanAK Lalasan1992Sreelakshmana boat clubKallooparamban Chundan VN Velayudhan 1993UBC KainakaryKallooparamban ChundanC G Vijayan Mampalathuchira 1994Jet AirwaysChampakulam ChundanAntony Akkarakkalam1995Alappuzha boat clubChampakulam Chundan Jos Jhon 1996Champakulam ChundanAnil Madhavan1997Navajeevan clubAlappat Chundan KP Poul 1998Pallathuruthi boat clubChampakulam ChundanDomanic Kuzhimattom1999Kumarakam town boat clubAlappat ChundanSampath Kaniyamparampil2000Alappuzha boat clubKarichal chundanBency Moonnuthickal2001Friends boat clubKarichal chundanTobin Chandy2002Kumarakam boat clubVellamkulangara ChundanSanny Jakob2003 Navajeevan boat clubKarichal chundanThampi Podippara2004Kumarakam Town boat clubCheruthana Chundan Raju Vadakkath Race Course, Mass Drill, Boat Clubs and Winners2005 Payippad Chundan Raju Vadakkath 2006 Payippad Chundan Raju Vadakkath 2007Payippad ChundanKunjumon Meluvallil 2008Kollam Jesus Boat ClubKarichal chundanJiJi Jacob Pollayil 2009Champakulam chundanJiJi Jacob Pollayil 2010 Kumarakam Town Boat ClubJawahar Thayankari ChundanJoseph Philip2011Freedom boat ClubKarichal chundanJiji Jacob Pollayil2012Sri Ganesh ChundanJiJi Jacob Pollayil2013Harippadu Star Boat ClubSri Ganesh ChundanArun Kumar2014United Boat Club KainakaryChambakulam ChundanGeorge Thomas2015Kumarakam Vembanad Boat ClubJawahar Thayankari ChundanJameskutty Jacob2016Karichal chundan Jameskutty Jacob 2017Thuruthippuram Boat ClubGabriel ChundanUmmen Jacob2018Pallathuruthi Boat ClubPayippadan ChundanJames Kutty Jacob2019Nadubhagam Chundan Narayanankutty N Udayan 2022Mahadevikadu Kattil ThekkathilSanthosh Chacko2023Veeyapuram ChundanAlan Moonnuthickal2024Karichal chundanAlan Moonnuthickal2025Village Boat Club, KainakaryVeeyapuram ChundanBiffy Varghese 2026Aroma Boat ClubAroma-1 ChundanRanjith Sajeev

See also President's Trophy Boat Race Kumarakom Boat Race Triprayar Boat Race Kandassankadavu Boat Race Kallada Boat Race Champakulam Moolam Boat Race Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallamkali Payippad Jalotsavam

References

External links

Official Nehru Trophy Boat Race Website

Nehru Trophy Boat Race Website

www.snakeboatrace.com