Champakulam Chundan | A Legacy of Kerala's Snake Boats

Champakulam in Alappuzha district is deeply linked with the origins of snake boats. These types of vessels were originally war boats developed during the reign of Chempakassery kings, centuries ago. Today's race boats are rooted in the craftsmanship and traditions of that erstwhile era.

The first Champakulam Chundan was launched in 1974. The boat won the Champakulam Boat Race in the inaugural year and repeated the feat in 1975 and 1976, recording a hat-trick. The boat also reached the finals of the Nehru Trophy in all three years since its launch. Champakulam Chundan won the coveted trophy for the first time in 1989 and completed a hat-trick with wins in 1990 and 1991. Their next victory on Punnamada was in 2009.

Owing to its age, this chundan was retired and the new Champakulam Chundan was launched in 2013. Owned by 250 shareholders, it has a capacity to carry 100 people.

Other Snake Boats

Niranam Chundan

The Niranam Chundan is the first snake boat from Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. Launched on August 17, 2022, the Niranam Chundan was the product of the concentrated efforts of an entire village.Renowned as the land of palliyodams (a type of snake boat), the idea of building a snake boat originated from a question raised on a Facebook page named Niranam Vartha in 2021. The positive response to the query led to the formation of a society. The residents of Niranam village invested money and took stakes in the boat. The boat was completed in 168 days and it can hold 97 people.

See details

St. Pius X Chundan

If St George Chundan is called the 'Saint', St Pius X Chundan is known as 'The Saint & Team' by the people of Kuttanad. The snake boat was built by the members of the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) unit at St Pius X church in Mankombu, Alappuzha.After tasting back-to-back victories in the veppu vallam (a smaller traditional boat that was used to carry food for soldiers travelling on snake boat) races at the Nehru Trophy from 2009 to 2013, motivated the team to enter the snake boat race.After failing to procure a snake boat for a race, the club members decided to build one of their own. The new St Pius X Mankombu Chundan was launched on July 18, 2014.The snake boat is 123-feet long and five feet wide. It can hold 87 paddlers, 5 steersmen and 7 choristers. St Pius X reached the Nehru Trophy finals in 2015 and won in the losers’ final clash in 2016.

See details

Nadubhagam Chundan

The Nadubhagam Chundan was the winner of the inaugural Nehru Trophy race in 1952. And it also has an intriguing origin story - rife with rivalry, hurt pride and competitiveness.Nadubhagam and Amichakary were two villages in Champakulam at Alappuzha district's Kuttanad area. Both villages had boat clubs and they used to take turns rowing the Champakulam Chundan for local competitions. But in 1927, Amichakary denied Nadubhagam the chance to compete in the Champakulam Moolam Boat Race. Humiliated and enraged, Nadubhagam villagers complained to the Travancore Diwan M E Watts. He assisted them in buying a palliyodam (a type of snake boat). After a few refurbishments, the Nadubhagam Chundan was ready for the backwater battles.In 1940, Nadubhagam retired the old boat and built a new one. After their victory in 1952, Nadubhagam Chundan failed to lift the cup despite reaching the finals 36 times. The boat was refurbished in 1986 and 1996, but victory still eluded them. As the ageing vessel had lost its edge, Nadubhagam residents decided to build a new one in 2014.The new snake boat was able to break the jinx and it lifted the Nehru Trophy title in 2019. The new Nadubhagam Chundan continues its winning streak in other major events.

See details

Vellamkulangara Chundan

The Vellamkulangara Chundan is another famed snake boat to hail from Vellamkulangara village in Veeyapuram Panchayat in Alappuzha. Also called 'Vellichudan' (silver snake boat), the boat was initially known as Napoleon.Napoleon went on to conquer the Nehru Trophy with wins in 1957, 1958 and 1959, completing a hat-trick. They became champions again in 1961.Vellamkulangara residents bought Napoleon and renamed it as Vellamkulangara Chundan in 1975. Vellamkulangara won their first Nehru Trophy in 1988. The boat was refurbished in 2001 and it paid off with another Nehru Trophy win in 2002.The boat was retired in 2010 and the newly-built Vellamkulangara Chundan was launched in 2013.

See details

See all