Chundan Vallam

Chundan vallam is made from specifications from Sthapathya Veda.It is completely made up of wood.It is made From Anjili wood(Jackfruit tree Wood ).It is usually 100-130 ft in length.They are about 5 ft wide .It can accomodate 110 -140 men accoding to size of the vallam.Chundan valam belongs to specific villagers and the villagers there worship it as a diety,women are not allowed anywhere near the vallams,even men touch it barefooted as a symbol of respect to diety.Chundan Valloms were the traditional Battle vessels but now they are used for vallom kalis or Boat races.

To make the boat slippery while in the water it is oiled with a mixture of fish oil, coconut shell carbon( Cherrata kari ) and eggs,repair works on this valloms are usually done anually by the village carpenter.Aries Punnamada chundan is one of the latest additions ,it is made of steel .

Traditionally it is commanded by Karanadhan ( Village leader) and under him there will be 3 main oarsmen who control the movement of the boat with a 12-foot-long main rudder-oar . Sitting two to a row along the length of the boat there will be 64 oarsmen. They row in rhythm of the vanchipattu (boatman's song). There will be around 25 singers in a row at the middle between the oarsmen. In the middle of the second half of the boat is a platform for 8 people to stand from where the main singer will lead the song. A colourful and decorated umbrella also will be there with them.

Some of the Famous Chundan Vallam kalis are Nehru Trophy Boat race at Allapuzha,Neeratupuram Vallamkali,Paippad vallam kali,Ezapuzha vallamm kali at Chengannur,Uthiritadi valam kali at Aranmula (One of the Famous ),Santhosh trophy Vallam kali,Chambakulam vallam kali.

Some of the famous Chundan vallam are Ayyaparambu Veliya Deevanji,Karichal Chundan,Paipad Chundan,Kavalam Chundan,Pulikunnu CHundan,Kalooparamban Chundan,Parthsarathi Chundan,Pattara chundan,Sree Vinayakan,Jawahar Thayangari.

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