PATHANAMTHITTA: Pathanamthitta district’s first snake boat, Niranam Chundan, touched the water on Wednesday. Villagers of Niranam and boat race buffs from various parts of the district reached the place from early morning on the banks of the Pampa to witness the historical moment.
Though the district is famous for its ‘palliyodams’, the district did not have its own snake boat. Now, the people of Pathanamthitta can boast of having their own ‘chundan’, which serves as a symbol of pride for the villagers. From this year, Niranam Chundan representing Pathanamthitta district can be seen in the boat races like Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR).
The snake boat was launched in the Pampa river for the first time between 9.30am and 10.15am on Wednesday and the rituals associated with it were led by boat craftsman Uma Maheswaran Achari. Uma Maheswaran is the son of Narayanan Achari, who had built Nadubhagam Chundan, which won the first Nehru Trophy Boat Race in 1952.
The 128-foot-long boat was completed by a team led by Uma Maheswaran in 168 days. The ‘anjili’ tree (wild jack) wood for the boat was brought from Ponkunnam. The construction started on February 10.
It is the 14th snake boat built by Uma Maheswaran.There will be five ‘amarakkars’, seven ‘thaalakkars’, two ‘idiyanmars’ and 85 oarsmen in the boat.The boat will be led by Niranam Boat Club in the NTBR. The fund for building the boat was collected by issuing 500 shares. The NTBR in Punnamda Lake in September will be the boat’s first race.