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.

Other Snake Boats

Valiya Diwanji

Valiya Diwanji Chundan is one of the most popular snake boats in Kerala. Named after Diwan Rajakesavadasan, the architect of Alappuzha city, the Valiya Diwanji Chundan was built in 1928. The boat was owned by the NSS (Nair Service Society) unit at Nedumudi in Alappuzha district. The boat is currently owned by the NSS unit in Ayaparambu.The 125-feet boat could carry 107 people including 91 paddlers, 5 steersmen and 11 choristers.Valiya Diwanji has been participating in the Nehru Trophy since the beginning of the championship. Since the boat was owned by Nedumudi village it was also known as Nedumudi Thekkemuri Chundan.Valiya Diwanji won its maiden Nehru Trophy in 1979, 50 years after its debut. They repeated the win in 1981. The boat won in other major events too. Victories became rare as the boat got older which led to the decision to build a new boat. The new Valiya Diwanji Chundan was launched in July 2016. The vessel earned praise for its beauty and craftsmanship.The 128-feet snake boat can carry 88 paddlers, 5 steersmen, 7 choristers and two idikkar (rhythmic pole beaters). With various wins including the Champakulam Rajapramukhan trophy, the Valiya Diwanji is aiming for another victory at the Nehru Trophy championship.

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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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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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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.

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