Jawahar Thayankari Snake Boat | A Kerala Racing Legend

Jawahar Thayankari Chundan made its grand entry into the snake boat race circuit on July 31, 1973. 52 years later, the vessel continues its dominance on the backwater arena, amassing victories and adulation. The vessel is the pride of the people of Thayankari - a village in Alappuzha district.

The boat was named Jawahar Thayankari in the honour of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The boat has the capacity to hold 92 people on board, and it’s co-owned by 250 shareholders based in Thayankari. The boat is fondly called 'Vellikkoomban' (Silver-tipped) owing to the silver tip on its front end.

In the past 50 years, Jawahar Thayankari has emerged victorious in almost all major snake boat events in Kerala. It won the first Nehru Trophy in 1977 and became champions in 1978, 1985, 2010 and 2015. The boat also finished second in the Nehru Trophy finals 14 times. Today, the Jawahar Boat Club regularly supplies rowers to the Thayankari Snake boat.

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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Champakulam Chundan

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.

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Payippad Chundan

The history of snake boat race in Kerala is deeply linked to the history of Payippad Chundan. The village of Payippad in Alappuzha district has been competing in various races on their own chundan for over a century.Payippad first bought a snake boat named Gopalakrishnan, but it didn't last long. So, the villagers built a new boat, but this vessel couldn't win a single Nehru Trophy and was eventually sold off.Payippad built a new boat, which won back to back Nehru Trophy races from 2005 to 2007, recording a hat-trick. They had to wait till 2018 for the next win. In 2023, Payippad commissioned the construction of a new snake boat, which was completed in 10 months. The Payippad Puthen Chundan is 126 feet long and 5 feet wide. It can hold 91 paddlers, 5 steersmen and 9 choristers.

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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.

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