Cheruthana Chundan | A Historic Snake Boat from Alappuzha

Cheruthana is a small village in Alappuzha district, surrounded by the Pamba and Achankovil rivers. According to local history, the snake boat was introduced here in the 1800s.

The Cheruthana Chundan started participating in competitive races in the 70's. This boat won several major races and was active until 1981. Despite its active and strong presence in the snake boat race arena, this boat couldn't win the Nehru Trophy.

The new Cheruthana Chundan was launched in 1982 and it was renowned for its aesthetic beauty among chundan fans. The boat has won at Payippad, Mannar and Karuvatta several times over the years. In 2004, the skilled rowers of Kumarakom Town Boat Club earned the boat its first Nehru Trophy win. The Cheruthana Boat Club repeated the feat several times over in later years.

Other Snake Boats

Veeyapuram Chundan

Veeyapuram Panchayat in Alappuzha district is known as the Capital of chundan vallams (snake boats). There are more than five snake boats in this panchayat, including the Veeyapuram Chundan, which was launched in 2019. The boat is co-owned by Veeyapuram south and north villages along with the residents of Puthanthuruth and Venkidachira. The NRI organisation named Nanma also supported the efforts to build the Veeyapuram Chundan.At 121-feet, Veeyapuram Chundan is comparatively shorter than other snake boats in the racing circuit. It can hold 83 paddlers, 5 steersmen and 7 choristers.In their inaugural year, Veeyapuram Chundan won the third Champions Boat League. They finished second in the Nehru Trophy finals, just a fraction of a second behind Champakulam Chundan.

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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.

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Melpadom Chundan

Melpadom is a village in Alappuzha district’s Veeyapuram Panchayat. Renowned for its passion for snake boat race, almost every village in this panchayat owns a snake boat. And Melpadom is one among those.The dream to build a snake boat was amply supported by residents and the NRIs from Melpadom. The village broke traditional beliefs by including women in the snake boat associations. A significant number of women are stakeholders and three women were inducted into the patrons' association.Works began on July 14, 2023 and the Melpadom Chundan was completed within 9 months. The boat was officially launched on July 25, 2024. Kumarakom Boat Club team was the first to row the Melpadom Chundan. The snake boat is 128 feet long, 64 inches wide and can hold 85 paddlers, 5 steersmen and 7 singers.

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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.

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