Nehru Trophy Boat Race

Kerala has a long history of water carnivals and the boat race is its prime attraction for anyone while on a Kerala tour. This aquatic festival is highly awaited as it is also a means of escapade for people of Kerala and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race tops the list of these races. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Kerala takes place on every second Saturday of August on the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha district of Kerala.

About Nehru Trophy Boat Race

This festival is mainly celebrated amongst the people of Alleppey district of Kerala and is also very famous amidst those on India tour because of its sportive spirit :

The Nehru Trophy Boat Race : this boat race was first conducted in 1952 in honor of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. On his visit to Alappuzha district from Kottayam he was welcomed most splendidly by its residents and escorted by snake boats. Thus, a replica of snake-boat was then rewarded to the winners of the boat race by Pandit Nehru. Henceforth, the Snake boat race became an annual affair.

The Onam Festival and Nehru Trophy Boat Race : this festival is one of the most popular Vallamkali, boat play that takes place during many Kerala festivals. Most important event of the race is the race of Chundan Vallams, the snake boat race which takes place to commemorate a mythical event. The legends says that a Brahmin(member of the priestly class) used to offer his prayers to the deity and feed a poor man on the festival of Onam, on one such occasions he feeds a young boy who later was believed to be the deity himself. Thus, to commemorate this event the Brahmin began bringing food to the nearby Arranmulla temple during the harvest festival known as Onam and the local Snake boats used to escort him.

Hence, to commemorate the event, during the festival of Onam every year Nehru Trophy Boat Race is conducted which is surely the most adventurous one amongst all the festivals of Kerla.