President’s Trophy Boat Race – Kollam

The President’s Trophy Boat Race is a prestigious Vallam Kali (Boat Race) held on the Ashtamudi lake in Kollam on November 1 every year. The day marks the birth of the Indian state of Kerala known as Kerala Piravi.

This is the most popular of the races to be held during the season of the harvest festival Onam in Autumn on ashtamudi lake in Kollam, the cashew paradise in Kerala. The races are held in five categories, namely Chundan Vallam (snake-boats), two grades of Veppu Vallam, and two grades of Iruttukuthi Vallam. Sixteen snake-boats compete in four heats.

It is the only regatta in the country in the name of the Honorary President of India and reflects the ethos of the backwaters of Kerala. The trophy had been instituted in the name of the President of India. President of India will be present to witness the race and would also give away the trophy and cash prize to the winning team. The first edition of this event was inaugurated by the then Honorary President Dr. Partibha Devi Singh Patil on 30th August 2011. The President also blessed the occasion by awarding the President’s Trophy designed by the architect of Rastrapathi Bhavan.

Winners of the first edition of President’s Trophy Boat Race were Sree Ganeshan Chundan (St. Francis Boat Club, Kollam). The Runner up was Devas Chundan (Jesus Boat Club, Kollam). Her Excellency the Honourable President of India, Smt.Pratibha Devisingh Patil gave away the Gold Plated President’s Trophy and cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh to the winners.

Kollam is a miniature of Kerala in all its pomp and pride in tourism map. The Ashtamudi Lake – beautiful calm water spread with enchanting greenery on the blanks. It is also gifted with unique representative features – sea, lakes plains, monuments, rivers, streams, backwaters, forest, and vast green fields.

The venue is at Gateway of Ashtamudi. The race starts from the water column near Thevally Palace and finishes in front of the house boat terminal. The water body having 1250 m long in between these two points is scheduled as the Track for the race.

As the oarsmen row their oars in unison to the fast paced rhythm of the vanchipattu (Song of the Boatmen), the huge black crafts slice through pristine race course of Ashtamudi Lake to a spectacular finish. Hundreds of spectators, including tourists from abroad, throng the lake front, and erupts with joy.

 The Special Cover issued on the eve of the boat race on 31st October 2016,(KL/27/2016) carries images of the trophy, a snake boat racing past palm fringed Shore of Astamudi Lake, the logo of the race. The special pictorial cancellation is a graphic of a snake boat and the Chinnakada Clock tower of Kollam.

Chinnakada Clock Tower is a landmark in Kollam City in Kerala. Situated in the city centre at Chinnakada, the tower lies in the heart of the city, close to Kollam Junction Railway Station. As the first clock tower in the erstwhile Travancore state, it has now become a non-official emblem of the entire city and the major landmark of Kollam.

The quadrangular clock tower was built in 1944 by the natives as a tribute to Unichakam Veedu K G Parameshwaran Pillai, the former chairman of Kollam Municipality from 1932–48. Construction of the tower began in 1941 and was completed three years later in brick and white cement. The tower has four clocks facing the four directions of the city, which were brought from Kolkata.