One of the most exciting events to be held in Punnamada Lake in Alleppey is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, which is a yearly competitive boating event held on the second Saturday of every August, during the Onam festival. The most popular event is the Snake Boat Race, which is a thrilling event to watch as well as participate in. 100-120 feet long canoe-like boats make serpentine movements through the water, thereby popularising the name. Other categories of boats which participate in various events of the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam (Vaipu Vallam), Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam.
Celeberation Date: 10th August, 2019Inauguration: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 2 PMChief Guest: Sachin TendulkarTrack Length: 1400 M (4 tracks of 10 M. wide from East)No. of Teams: 79Chundan:Amaram - 5 PersonsNilakkar - 5 PersonsTotal no. of team members - 111Online Ticket Platforms: bookmyshow.com and southindianbank.com
Ticket Charges:
| SL.NO. | CATEGORY OF TICKETS | RATE |
| 1 | Tourist Gold (Admit 1) | INR 3000/- |
| 2 | Tourist Silver (Admit 1) | INR 2000/- |
| 3 | Rose Corner (Admit 2) | INR 1500/- |
| 4 | Rose Corner (Admit 1) | INR 800/- |
| 5 | Victory Lane (Admit 1) | INR 500/- |
| 6 | All View (Admit 1) | INR 300/- |
| 7 | Lake View Gold(Admit 1) | INR 200/- |
| 8 | Lawn (Admit 1) | INR 100/- |
The first boat race, conducted in honour to welcome the then Prime Minister of India - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru - to Alleppey, took place in 1952. Supposedly when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru came to see the event, he got so involved in the competition that he jumped in one of the boats which later won the race. Since then, the event has been called Nehru Trophy Snake Boat race. The men rowing the boats and cheerleaders motivating them is a sight to witness. The winners get a Silver Trophy (a replica of a snake boat on a wooden abacus), donated by Jawaharlal Nehru with the words “To the winners of the boat race which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore Cochin” engraved on the trophy, which is now known as Nehru Trophy.
With a footfall of around 2 lakhs people coming from all corners of India, and even abroad, this festival is the most awaited of all. Several pavilions have been created for spectators. Even security is increased to ensure a smooth race. Even though Kerala is forecasted with rains, the race will be held without any delay for which training seasons are being conducted in the backwaters. There will be 6 rounds in which the newly appointed nine boat clubs of Champion’s Boat League will also be participating. CBL will be kicked off at the Nehru Trophy Boat Race and will go on till November 1 with the winner taking home a whooping INR 6 Crores as prize money.
Let us know how excited you are to attend this event in the comments below!