The Thrilling Spectacle That Arrives on Rowed Oars!

For the old-timers of Kottayam, the grand finale of Onam celebrations was always the Kottayam boat race — the competitive vallamkali held on the Meenachil river at Thazhathangadi!

To us, the day of the boat race almost felt more significant than Thiruvonam itself. Being a hospitable people generally, families would receive relatives and friends arriving that day from distant places. Those who arrived before noon had to be served a proper feast, along with the usual courtesies. And if anyone showed up after the race, they too had to be entertained. It was the one day of the year when relatives would visit! But much of that has faded now. In these busier times, relatives and friends, perhaps not wanting to trouble anyone, tend to make just a quick visit before or after the race and then leave.

The boat races of the old days carried real excitement. Even we children were devoted fans of particular boats — whether chundan (snake boats) or odi (racing boats) — and this rivalry ran deep. We would place bets among ourselves. While the boats were being rowed, we would go down to the river, climb into inflated inner tubes, swim out, and cheer the boats on by splashing water toward them. Today, it feels like people mostly just wander through the crowd in the heat, treating it as a passing amusement. That's simply how times have changed! These days, there are even people who, after watching the whole race, don't know which boat actually won!

The Kottayam boat race is among the earliest competitive boat races in Kerala's history. The first competitive vallamkali took place on the Thazhathangadi river on 29 June, AD 1895. But even a century and a half before that, the Thekkumkur king used to organize a competitive boat race at the broad waterbody in Kottayam once known as Parasuraman Chira (later Chirayilpadam). Boats of various kinds — Vadakkanodi, Valavara, Churulan, right down to the small kothumbu vallam — competed there! Chundans, veppus, and iruttukuthi boats, however, were not yet in use here at the time — those, back then, remained the exclusive preserve of Chempakassery.

Before this festival-season race, held during Onam, the Idathil Thampuran and family members would come and be seated at the Madathil pavilion, north of the market. In the afternoon, they would take their seats at the eastern platform and give the signal for the race to begin. Prizes of money purses were awarded to the winners in each category. That era, and Thekkumkur itself, has long since passed. The Chira that was once the Nettayam waterbody became a paddy field, and today, filled in further, is covered with houses.

In later years, several boat races — competitive and otherwise — were held from time to time at Chungam and Thazhathangadi, but the continuous, annual tradition of the boat race only began (in 1895) after Sir T. Rama Rao arrived in Kottayam as Dewan Peshkar. This can be seen as his way of making amends for a harsh act he had committed against the people of old Kottayam. Was it not, after all, a harsh act to demolish the historic fort at Thali — bringing an end to the decline of the once-prosperous Thazhathangadi — and sell off its stones at auction, and to have police forcibly drive away those who came to the old market selling tapioca and vegetables, chasing them to the Thirunakkara market instead! Even so, it was he who, through methodical measures, truly built modern Kottayam. And yet, there isn't even a single memorial to him anywhere in Kottayam today!

The 1896 boat race was held at Valiyangadi. In 1903, as part of the birthday celebrations of Maharaja Sree Moolam Thirunal, the race was held over three days. The 1922 race began at Pandyalakkadavu (the site of the old salt warehouse) and ran up to Kulippurakkadavu. The prize money that year was set at 25, 20, and 15 rupees, in that order!

Maharaja Chithira Thirunal of Travancore — a descendant of Marthanda Varma, whose conquest had led to old Kottayam's decline — along with the Queen Mother, the Crown Prince Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, and his sister Karthika Thirunal Thampuratti, were the guests of honor at the 1927 boat race. Newspapers of the time reported that nearly a hundred thousand people, of every caste and religion, gathered that day — a crowd the likes of which Kottayam had never seen before!

The 1949 Kottayam boat race also made its first appearance on film. Scenes from the race were shot for a Tamil film directed by T.R. Mahalingam, which was later screened at Kottayam Central Theatre. Loudspeaker commentary began in 1952. The chief guest in 1953 was Colonel Godavarma Raja; that same year also marked the start of radio commentary broadcasts of the Kottayam boat race.

During the 1957 visit of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, a boat race was organized in his honor. Haile Selassie instituted a trophy on that occasion, and the winning chundan has been awarded the Haile Selassie Trophy ever since. That Haile Selassie was himself later overthrown by his own people, owing to unpopular policies, is, of course, a separate matter!

The 1961 race was made part of the state government's official Onam celebrations. The chief guest in 1963 was the then Chief Minister, R. Sankar. In 1969 and 1970, the race was shifted to Chungam, returning to Thazhathangadi from 1971 onward.

In 1981, a Navy helicopter took part for the first time, performing demonstration exercises — the main highlight being a simulated rescue of a person from the water, hoisted up by rope from the helicopter! In 1983, the chief guest was the Governor of Kerala, P. Ramachandran.

Following the passing of Eempile Kunju (Alexander Lukose), who for many years had delighted the public with his humorous parallel boat race, a boat race was held in his memory. After the 1988 race, no vallamkali was held for the next nine years; during this period, the bridge connecting Thazhathangadi to Kummanam was constructed. The boat race resumed in 1999, and today the Kottayam West Club serves as its main organizer.

Echoing with the memories of a heritage-rich past, the Kottayam boat race held on the Meenachil river remains the defining symbol of old Kottayam.