Marine Drive Boat Race, Kochi | A Challenging Snake Boat Race

The Marine Drive Boat Race, also known as the Indira Gandhi Boat Race, was a forgotten snake boat contest in Kerala. The inaugural race was held in 1989 and it was named after Late Indira Gandhi, India's former prime minister. The event ran regularly for three years, but it slowly went into oblivion due to financial and organisational issues.

The race was revived by Kerala Tourism after being added onto the Champions Boat League (CBL) roster in 2019. Today, it's a gala event with day-long cultural activities that attracts foreign as well as domestic tourists.

The race is held at the Marine Drive area in Kochi. The track on the Kochi Lake, which is a stretch of the Vembanad Lake, extends from the Goshree bridge to the Marine Drive boat jetty. It is one of the most difficult snake boat races in Kerala, as it is held on a shallow track that has little or no undercurrents. So, victory depends on the strength and stamina of the paddlers. Apart from the energetic display of sportsmanship by the competitors, visitors are also treated to various traditional and modern cultural events.

CBL Boat Races

Pulinkunnu Boat Race

The Pulinkunnu Boat Race is another major snake boat contest held in Kerala's Alappuzha district. The event is held at the Pamba river in the memory of India’s late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The premier had visited the Kuttanad area in 1985 and the local residents had organised a snake boat show to welcome him.After Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, the residents of Pulinkunnu decided to hold an annual snake boat race in his honour. Kerala's former Chief Minster K Karunakaran sponsored the Rajiv Gandhi Trophy for this event, which is held on the last Saturday of August every year.All major boating clubs and snake boats vie for this trophy. This race has also been inducted into Kerala Tourism’s Champions Boat League (CBL).

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Beypore Boat Race

The Beypore Boat Race is a new entrant into Kerala's traditional water sports arena. The event was launched by Kerala Tourism to expand the indigenous sport to the northern regions of the state. The race is held on the Chaliyar River at the historic port town of Beypore in Kozhikode district. The race is part of Kerala Tourism's Champions Boat League, but it does not involve chundan vallams (snake boats). Only churulan vallams (small sporting boats) compete in this event. The race track is located between the old and new Feroke bridges. Teams from the northern regions participate in this race, which is quickly gaining popularity in the state. The Beypore Boat Race is held during Kerala Tourism's annual adventure water sports carnival - The Beypore Water Festival. A celebration of Malayali spirit and an international showcase of the state's potential as an adventure sports destination, this gala has become one of India's biggest water fests. Apart from the boat race, the event also hosts canoeing, kayaking, parasailing, speedboat racing, wooden log racing and timber rafting competitions. The Beypore Marina Beach and the eco-friendly Oceanus Chaliyam stretch on the opposite shore are the venues of this spectacular event, which also features rocking musical evenings, delectable food fest, international symposiums, kite festivals, naval and coast guard aviation displays and much more.

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Thazhathangadi Boat Race

Snake boat races are an integral part of Kerala's cultural heritage. The origin of the current format of systematic snake boat races began at Thazhathangadi in Kottayam district in 1887. Diwan Peshkar (Chief minister) Rama Rao of the Travancore kingdom is credited with founding the Thazhathangadi Boat Race.The Thekkumkoor kings reigned Kottayam before the Travancore rule. They used to conduct boat races at Thazhathangadi for the entertainment of the royal family. During the Thekkumkoor rule, Thazhathangadi used to be the capital and commercial centre. It was Diwan Rama Rao who built the Kottayam town and shifted the capital there.Being interested in snake boats and the utility of various kalivallams (sporting boats), the Diwan gave shape to the Thazhathangadi Boat Race. He divided the races based on different boat classes. This led to the birth of Kerala's first ever systematic public snake boat race. The event became a matter of pride for local residents whose enthusiasm turned it into an annual event.In 1937, Sri Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma, the last ruling Maharaja of the Travancore kingdom, came to watch the race. Following his visit, the race was renamed as Sri Chithira Boat Race. Later in 1956, when Emperor Hayley Salasi of Ethiopia visited Kottayam, snake boat race was held in his honour at Thazhathangadi. After that the event was christened as Hayley Salasi Ever-rolling Trophy.The boat race wasn't conducted for many years due to various reasons until the West Club at Kottayam took the initiative to revive the tournament in 1998. Every year since, the Thazhathangadi Boat Race is conducted by the Kottayam City Corporation annually where major clubs and snake boats vie for the Golden Jubilee Ever-rolling Trophy.

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Dharmadom Boat Race

The Champions Boat League, hosted on the Ancharakandi River in Dharmadam, Kannur, is one of the most captivating boat race events in North Malabar. Competitions like these play a key role in drawing both domestic and international visitors to the region.

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