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Chundan vallam ('beaked boat'), known outside Kerala asKerala snake boats, are one of the icons ofKerala culture used in theVallamkali or boat race.
Constructed according to specifications taken from theSthapatya Veda, an ancient treatise for the building of wooden boats, these boats vary from 100 to 138 feet in length.[1] With the rear portion rising to a height of about 20 feet, and a long tapering front portion, it resembles asnake with its hood raised. Hulls are built of planks precisely 83 feet in length and six inches wide. The boats are a good example of ancientvishwakarma' prowess innaval architecture.
Traditionally each boat belongs to a village, and the villagers worship that boat like adeity. Only men are allowed to touch the boat, and to show respect they should be barefooted. To make the boat slippery while in the water and to reduce absorption of water and thereby reduce the resistance of the hull, it is oiled with a mixture of fish oil, the ash ofcoconut shells, andeggs. Repair work is done annually by the villagecarpenter.
Traditionally a boat will be commanded by a village leader (kaarnavan orkaranaadhan) with firstadanayampu,[clarification needed] and under him there will be three main paddlers who control the movement of the boat with a 12-foot-long (3.7 m) main rudder-oar (adanayampu). Sitting two to a row along the length of the boat, there will be 64 paddlers, representing 64 art forms (or on occasion 128 paddlers). They row in rhythm of thevanchipattu ('boat[man's] song'). There will be around 25 singers in a row at the middle between the paddlers. In the middle of the second half of the boat is a platform for eight people to stand from where thecantor will lead the song. They represent theAshtadikpalakas (Devas or gods who guard the eight directions).[2]
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