Vallam Kali

Vallam Kali (Malayalam: വള്ളംകളി, vaḷḷaṃ kaḷi, literally "boat game") is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in autumn. Vallam Kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats, the traditional boats of Kerala.

The race of Chundan Vallam (snake boat) is the major event. Hence Vallam Kali is also known as the Snake Boat Race and is a major tourist attraction. Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam, Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular Vallam Kali event held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

History

Vallam Kali originated in Assyria, on a New Year's Day in 300 BC. Vallam Kalli events were conducted by several ancient Indian states.

In Kerala, during an early 14th-century war between the feudal kingdoms of Kayamkulam and Chembakassery, King Devanarayana of Chembakassery commissioned the construction of a war boat called Chundan Vallam and he tasked a famous carpenter of the day with the responsibility of creating it. Hence, the technical methods for creating these Snake Boats are around 650 years old. Of the snake boats still in use today, the Parthasarathi Chundan is the oldest model.

Chundan Vallam

Chundan Vallam (Beaked Boat), known outside of Kerala as Kerala snake boats, are one of the icons of Kerala culture used in the Vallamkali boat race.

Naval architecture

Constructed according to specifications taken from the Sthapathya Veda, an ancient treatise for the building of wooden boats, these boats vary from 100 to 138 feet in length. With the rear portion rising to a height of about 20 feet, and a long tapering front portion, it resembles a snake with its hood raised. Hulls are built of planks precisely 83 feet in length and six inches wide. The boats are a good example of ancient Vishwakarma' prowess in naval architecture.

Traditions & customs

Traditionally each boat belongs to a village, and the villagers worship that boat like a deity. Only men are allowed to touch the boat, and to show respect they should be barefooted. To make the boat slippery while in the water and to reduce absorption of water and thereby reduce the resistance of the hull, it is oiled with a mixture of fish oil, the ash of coconut shells, and eggs. Repair work is done annually by the village carpenter.

The Boat Race

The Boat Race is a set of annual rowing races between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, or by a title that includes the name of its current sponsor (from 2016, the Cancer Research UK Boat Race). It usually takes place on the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April. The most recent race was the 2015 race which took place on Saturday 11 April 2015, with Oxford winning the race by 20 seconds.

The first race was in 1829 and the event has been held annually since 1856, except during the First and Second World Wars. The course covers a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues and each boat as a "Blue Boat", with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue. As of 2015 Cambridge have won the race 81 times and Oxford 79 times, with one dead heat.

Boat race (disambiguation)

The Boat Race is an annual rowing contest in London between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Boat race may also refer to:

See also

Boat race (game)

A boat race (Beer On A Table Race), is a drinking game played usually between two teams of equal numbers. Rules vary widely but normally involve a team drinking in series and aiming to finish first. Common rules include those regulating the number and gender of drinkers, the vessels from which the liquid must be consumed and punishments for spilling. The game appeared in the Broken Lizard movie, Beerfest.

A race begins with all competitors placing their drinks on a mutual table. When a referee begins the race, the first drinker on each team is allowed to pick up their drink and begin drinking. Once a beverage is consumed, the drinker must invert the empty vessel on their head. This is done to ensure no cheating occurs. The next team mate cannot touch his or her drink until this has occurred. Empty vessels must be kept on the competitors' heads until the race is over.

The Cascade and Pipps Cup is the premier annual boat racing competition in Australia and is held between Australian medical schools. Teams of eight (for males) and four (for females) battle out for the esteemed prize, with a best of three races to decide the final. Adelaide University has been formidable in the Cascade Cup (male competition) in previous years and in 2015 took out the competition again but not without controversy, winning a close semi-final with the University of Western Australia after a re-row. University of Tasmania placed 2nd, with UWA defeating Flinders University to take out 3rd place.