N E W S
Historians tell us that this boat was used in water front battles in the back waters of Kuttanad – the rice bowl of Kerala. The history of battling boats goes back to nearly 400 years. It is understood that the principalities and the rajas of erstwhile Chemapakasseri (Ambalappuzha), Kayamkulam, Thekkumkoor (Changanacherry), and Vadakkumkoor (Kottayam) in the old Travancore State crossed swords in the back waters of Kuttanad. Chempakasseri suffered heavy casualties at the hands of its rivals which had superior navy. Raja of Chempakasseri reviewed the defeats and came to the conclusion that his boats were sluggish and cumbersome.
The Raja summoned the boat architects of his domain to the court and made his wish – to have better, faster boats for his navy. Kodupunna Venkitanarayanan Asari known to be the best boat architect in the locality came up with a specimen after days of hard work. Satisfied by the model, the Raja went ahead with asari’s plan and got the boat ready. It had a capacity to carry 100 able – bodied warriors on board besides having speed and maneuverability. The salient feature of the boat was its shape like an eel, which helped the boat to make an ambush from concealment behind the overhanging bushes on the river bank. Chempakasseri emerged victorious in the battles that followed. Asari was generously rewarded by the Raja for his work. Kayamkulam Raja who was at the receiving end engaged a spy to learn the secret about the new war boat owned by Chempakasseri Raja. The spy – a handsome youth had his task cut out – to seduce Asari’s daughter. Asari’s wife was over joyed to give her daughter in marriage to the youth. She wanted Asari to teach the art of boat making to their future son in law. The deceitful youth vanished the moment he felt that he had mastered the art. The Raja of Chempakasseri imprisoned Asari for treason. He was released and showered with many a honor as the boats used by Kayamkulam Raja proved to be no match for Chempaksseri’s boats in the battles that followed.
The subtleties of the snake boat’s design are hard to pick, one would require years of training under a master craftsman boat architect to come to terms with the technicalities of snake boat making.
A village committee will be formed for the procurement of a Snake boat. The committee will raise an amount of Rs.20 lakh for the procurement. Then the boat architect is summoned and the search for the ‘anjili’ tree of the required size begins, it often takes the villagers to the high ranges of Kerala. As the snake boat takes shape out of the huge trunk the asari relies mainly on his instinctive estimates.
Of late, the boat builder’s prime concern is to make the snake boat as long as possible, so as to seat more and more rowers for speed. The Nedumbhagom snake boat entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest rowing boat in the world. But its 135 feet length has since been over taken by Vellamkulamgara with 140 feet.
Snake boat Napoleon came into the hands of Pooppally family in the year 1933. The total cost of the boat was Rs.1001 of which Rs. 900 was paid by Pooppally family and Rs. 101 by the villagers of Ponga in Alleppey District. The Snake boat ‘ Vellamkulangara’ which is the current name of Napoleon was owned by late Joseph Cherian Pooppally which took the second prize in the First Boat Race held in Alleppey back waters in the year 1952 in the distinguished presence of the first Prime Minister of Independent India , Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Subsequently the Trophy awarded to the winner of the Alleppey Boat Race was named Nehru Trophy to commemorate the visit of Prime Minister Nehru in 1952. After the demise of Joseph Cherian Pooppally, late Cherian Joseph Poppally became the captain of the boat, which won the Nehru Trophy during the years 1957 – 1959 and once again in 1961. In 1964 Mr. Cherian Varghese Pooppally became the Captain of the boat and won several trophies until 1973 when the boat was sold to the present owners and renamed as Vellamkulamgara. Under the new owners, the boat won the Nehru Trophy in the year 2002.
Technical Specifications of the boat Napoleon/ Vellamkulamgara
Length – 140 feet
Width – 10 feet
Weight 4 to 5 tons
Tail end height – 20 to 25 feet
General height – less than 15