Tradition behind the Snake boats
The chundan vallams (Snake Boats) built for
Onam boat race is taken to the water only during the Onam festival. A village
owned the boats and kept them in special sheds. The villages compete with each
other to own bigger and better boats, needed to win the race. The highly ornate
tall stern like the Viking boats, that rises six to eight feet above the water,
is gracefully carved and elaborately decorated with shining brass ornaments
and silken multicolored tasseled umbrellas. There may be more than twenty boats
taking part in the regatta. Of them, some boats will be more than 50 feet long
and 6 feet wide. Chundan vallams, also called snake boats, were originally designed
as a naval vessel and served as the traditional battle vessels of the Maharajas.
A tubular vessel in which the boatmen preserve condiments, spices etc is kumpam. Veppuvallam is valiya vallam. There is a boat by name veppu/ Vaippu vallam. Veppu pura is the place where cooking is done. Provision for cooking in this boat won it the name veppu vallam. Its passenger capacity is about 40-45 persons. Its one end is higher than the level of the other end. These boats were designed as catering vessels to accompany battle vessels in olden times.
