Only men of the village are allowed to be in the boat.The village carpenter carries out annual repairs and people take pride in their boat, which is named after and represents their village. Care of a snake boat Įvery year the boats are oiled mainly with fish oil, coconut shell, and carbon to keep the wood strong and the boat slippery in the water. Its hull is built of planks precisely 83 feet in length and six inches wide. When completed it resembles a snake with its hood raised. These boats are about 100 to 138 ft in length, with the rear portion towering to a height of about 20 ft. All these are according to Vedas, an ancient treatise on building of wooden boats. Selecting an auspicious day and time work begins. Locating a suitable tree preferably Anjili, cutting it down and bringing to the location for construction is the first step. There will be a flag and two or three ornamental umbrellas. Each one will usually have 4 helmsmen, rowers and singers. These Palliyodams belong to different Karas (rustic parts) on the banks of river Pampa. Palliyodams are Aranmula’s unique snake boats ( Chundan Vallam) which devotees hold in reverence, considering it as the divine vessel of the presiding deity in Sree Parthasarathy temple. The golden lace at the head of the boat, the flag and the ornamental umbrella at the center make it a show of pageantry too. The oarsmen sing traditional boat songs Vanchippattu and wear white mundu and turbans. In 2019 Fifty Two snake boats or Palliyodams had participated in the festival. Thousands of people gather on the banks of the river Pampa to watch the snake boat races. In 1972, snake boat races were also added to the program of the festival. The snake boats move in pairs to the rhythm of full-throated singing and shouting watched by an exciting crowd. It takes place at Aranmula, near Sri Parthasarady Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State. The Aranmula Boat Race the oldest river boat festival in Kerala, the south western State of India is held during Onam (August–September). Utthrattathi Nakshatra in the Malayalam Calendar month of Chingam ( Aug/ Sep accordingly)
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