Vallam kali

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Vallam kali (vaḷḷaṃ kaḷi, literally: boat game), also known as snake boat race, is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in spring. Vallam kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats and 'snake boats'. Each team spends about ₹60 lakhs for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.^[1]

The race of chundan vallam ('snake boat', about 30–35 meter (100–120 feet) long with 64 or 128 paddlers aboard^[2]) is the major event and a major tourist attraction. Other types of boats which do participate in various events in the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi Vallam, Veppu Vallam, Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular vallam kali event held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, Kerala, India.

In an effort to aggrandise ^{[definition needed]} this sport and showcase Kerala's backwaters to the world, the Government of Kerala initiated IPL style regatta ^{[clarification needed]}named Champions Boat League in 2019.^[3]