Boat races are magnificent fiestas that bring alive the tranquil backwaters and these races are held in connection with Onam, the harvest festival in August/September. The snake boat festival is well known for its vigour and excitement.RESEARCH:
The race, which occurs once a year in the Malayalam month of Simha (usually August), is only the end of a long process which begins with the construction of the boats themselves. Specifications for every detail of the construction of these unusual vessels are revealed in the Sthap Athya Veda, an ancient scripture defining the building of yaman or odam (wooden boats).
The race, which occurs once a year in the Malayalam month of Simha (usually August), is only the end of a long process which begins with the construction of the boats themselves. Specifications for every detail of the construction of these unusual vessels are revealed in the Sthap Athya Veda, an ancient scripture defining the building of yaman or odam (wooden boats).
it takes 650 MAN-DAYSto build a single snake boat.
The long wooden planks used in the construction of the hull must be precisely 83 feet in length and six inches thick. The boats themselves are 158 FEET LONG AND HOLD 100 MEN. They are constructed so that the head and tail project out five and three feet, respectively, above the water. Each boat must have 64 seating compartments for 64 OARSMEN, representing 64 art forms. At the head of the boat on a raised platform are seats for four more master oarsmen who control the direction of the boat with large oars. These four oarsmen symbolize the four Vedas. In the middle of the boat is a platform for eight people to stand. They represent the Ashtadikpalakas (devas), who guard the eight directions.
There are 32 SNAKE BOATS representing 32 villages on the banks of the holy River Pampa, which winds through the district of Pathanamthitta. On the main day of the festival, everyone worships the murti of Lord Parthasarathy, a form of Lord Krishna, the presiding deity of the ancient Aranmula temple. On this day, all of the boats are adorned elaborately with decorations and maneuvered into view of the Parthasarathy temple, standing majestically above and near the shore.
The oarsmen, wearing white dhotis with white scarfs around their heads, row the snake boats to the rhythmic tunes of sacred hymns composed by the late, great poet, Ramapurathu Warrier. All of the local people participate in the festival. And all the pilgrims who come to Aranmula become the guests of the resident families. Food, especially, is made available to everyone.
The long wooden planks used in the construction of the hull must be precisely 83 feet in length and six inches thick. The boats themselves are 158 FEET LONG AND HOLD 100 MEN. They are constructed so that the head and tail project out five and three feet, respectively, above the water. Each boat must have 64 seating compartments for 64 OARSMEN, representing 64 art forms. At the head of the boat on a raised platform are seats for four more master oarsmen who control the direction of the boat with large oars. These four oarsmen symbolize the four Vedas. In the middle of the boat is a platform for eight people to stand. They represent the Ashtadikpalakas (devas), who guard the eight directions.
There are 32 SNAKE BOATS representing 32 villages on the banks of the holy River Pampa, which winds through the district of Pathanamthitta. On the main day of the festival, everyone worships the murti of Lord Parthasarathy, a form of Lord Krishna, the presiding deity of the ancient Aranmula temple. On this day, all of the boats are adorned elaborately with decorations and maneuvered into view of the Parthasarathy temple, standing majestically above and near the shore.
The oarsmen, wearing white dhotis with white scarfs around their heads, row the snake boats to the rhythmic tunes of sacred hymns composed by the late, great poet, Ramapurathu Warrier. All of the local people participate in the festival. And all the pilgrims who come to Aranmula become the guests of the resident families. Food, especially, is made available to everyone.
For years the "Aranmula Festival" had been exclusively a RELIGIOUS AFFAIR. However, beginning in 1978, politicians entered into its management and made it more of a sports event. This August, 2000, festival (reported here) commemorated the way the event was celebrated before 1978 and officially re-established those previous more religious customs and practices. Copying this colorful festival, there have been other boat races in the backwaters and rivers of Kerala for the purpose of attracting foreign tourists. But only at the impressive Aranmula festival do the true snake boats compete. 
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