Kerala! God’s Own Country! And truly so. There is no place, at least none that I have seen or heard of, that is as tranquil as this. It feels that the blues of the vast skies and the greens of the swaying palms were only created to accentuate the splendor of this picturesque land. This was my first visit to this mystic land where a leisurely pace of life meets the gushing rivers, and I couldn’t have felt more blessed.
While I had mostly heard about the natural beauty of Kerala, and had imagined it to be more of dull place, this place took me by surprise! And How! Though I had a very faint idea about the Boat races that take place in this part of the country, I had absolutely no clue, that these races were much more than just another sport. This apparently casual water sport is, in fact, what can be termed as, a serious fight put up for recognition and pride of one’s clan.
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| Kovalam Beach, Kerala |
I still can’t thank my stars Aadyaetravel.com enough that my Kerala Tour collided with what I would call as an experience of a lifetime. Yes, you guessed it right! I am talking about the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. Held on the Punnamda Lake, this stupendous boat race or Vallam Kali as they call it, was witnessed by about a whopping 2 lakh tourists, from India and abroad alike.
The humongous crowd got me extremely curious, and I decided to get a quick knowledge bite from a native. I was told, that the tradition of this yearly race started back in 1952, when Jawahar Lal Nehru, the then Prime Minister visited the state. He was greeted with a thumping reception by the villagers who were escorted by Magnificent Snake Boats. Overwhelmed by this grand welcome, Mr. Nehru gave away a rolling trophy and commanded that a race should be organized every year. He suggested that the winning team should be awarded this very rolling trophy, year after year, and hence the name.
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| Nehru Trophy Boat Race |
Predominated by magnificent snake boats, which are essentially 100 feet long wooden canoes, this race offers some breath-taking sights. Each boat is loaded with a 100-odd oarsmen, all of who splash their oars into the calm waters with beaming enthusiasm. While the boats are rowed with utmost discipline and seamless co-ordination, the beats of the drums and the rhythmic chants in chorus fill the atmosphere with an unparalleled exuberance.
And, as if this wasn’t just enough, the race boats are followed by floats that showcase the best of Kerala’s cultural heritage. A tremendous number of artists create a memorable experience with their flawless performances of Kathakali, Theyyam, Padayani and many other forms of art unique to this land, just enough to mesmerize each and every onlooker.
Now that my experience was more than just fulfilling here’s hoping that you don’t miss out on such an exhilarating experience when you set out for booking your next holiday. Hence, here’s a quick tip. Just look out for Pre Booking for Nehru Trophy Boat Race Holiday while you hunt for the most reasonable yet promising Kerala Packages.
This post first appeared on Welcome To Aadya E-Travel Blog | Travel Tips, News, please read the originial post: here
