22 snake boats set for battle as 72nd Nehru Trophy takes centre stage in Alappuzha

ALAPPUZHA: The stage is set for one of Kerala’s biggest sporting spectacles as the 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race gets underway at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on Saturday, August 22, with some of the state’s leading boat clubs preparing for a fierce contest.

A total of 71 boats across different categories have registered for this year’s regatta, including 22 chundan vallams, or snake boats, which will compete for the prestigious Nehru Trophy.

The massive wooden boats, some stretching around 100 feet and powered by scores of synchronised rowers, have been undergoing intensive training in the final days before the race as teams fine-tune their rhythm, starts and finishing strategies.

Attention will also be on Veeyapuram Chundan, the boat that captured the trophy in 2025. Rowed by Village Boat Club, Kainakary, Veeyapuram won last year’s final in 4 minutes and 21.084 seconds, delivering the club its first Nehru Trophy victory in 38 years.

This year, Veeyapuram will enter the competition under United Boat Club, Kainakary, a powerhouse of Kerala’s boat-racing tradition with 12 Nehru Trophy victories to its name.

The annual race transforms the Punnamada backwaters into a vast sporting arena, drawing spectators from across Kerala and beyond to watch the chundan vallams race to the rhythm of traditional boat songs and roaring crowds.

Authorities have made extensive arrangements for Saturday’s event, with security, traffic management and crowd-control measures being put in place around the venue. A local holiday has also been declared in Alappuzha district for government offices and educational institutions in connection with the race.