Mahadevikkadu Kattil Thekkethil Chundan

The Mahadevikkadu Kattil Thekkethil Chundan is privately owned by brothers Kattil Thekkethil Bijoy Surendran and Brijesh Surendran of Mahadevikkadu village in Karthikappally Taluk, Alappuzha. Also known as Katti and Garudan, this snake boat was launched on July 15, 2015.

At 126 feet, the Kattil Thekkethil Chundan is currently the longest snake boat. It has the capacity to hold 110 people. This is also the first snake boat to have been built using chess board blocks.

On its debut year, the boat rowed by St Francis Boat Club reached the finals of the Nehru Trophy. The snake boat repeated the feat in 2016 with the Kerala Police team on the helm. Kattil Thekkethil clinched the coveted Nehru Trophy in 2022. The Pallathuruthy Boat Club team that rowed the boat registered a hat trick with this win.

Garudan's victory lap didn't end here. They became the Champions Boat League toppers by winning eight of the 12 races in the competition in that year.

Other Snake Boats

Kalluparamban Chundan

The Kalluparamban Chundan is a boat to emerge from Kottayam district to challenge mighty vessels from Alappuzha. The chundan has beaten major contenders from Kuttanad and has even brought the Nehru Trophy to Kottayam.The Kalluparamban Chundan won the Nehru Trophy in its debut year 1970. They proved that it wasn't beginners' luck by winning the trophy in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The winning streak ended after 1973 until 1992 when they reclaimed the Nehru Trophy and repeated the win in 1993 also. That was their last victory in the prestigious event.Kalluparamban has won other races including the Thazhathangadi race, several times. The chundan's last Nehru Trophy race was in 2009. The famous snake boat is now out of the racing circuit. Loyal fans are still waiting for the glorious return of the Kalluparamban Chundan to the backwater arena.

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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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Devas Chundan

The Devas Chundan is from Thrikkunnapuzha in Alappuzha district. The boat is also known as the Backwater Knights team in Champions Boat League (CBL). The boat was launched in 2009 and the very next year, it won the Nehru Trophy championship. But it was a short-lived victory as they were disqualified for breaking the race rules. They reached the finals of the Nehru trophy in the year 2018 as well.The Devas Chundan was renovated in 2022. The refurbished boat continues to be a major contender in the snake boat race circuit.

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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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