Payippadan Chundan won the 66th Nehru Trophy Boat Race, that took place in Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad, Alappuzha today.

Four Chundans had come into the finals. At second place is Mahadevikadu Thekkathil. Ayarambu Pandi came in third and Champakkulam became fourth in the race.

Eighty one boats had taken part in the race, out of which 25 were chundan (snake) boats and the rest were cheru vallam.

This is the fourth time that Payippadan Chundan of Palluruthi Boat Club is winning the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, conducted anually in August. Due to the floods, the race had to be pushed to November this year.

Gabriel of Village Boat Club, Edathua, won the Chundan losers final.

Kodimatha of Malarvadi Boat Club won the first place in churulan category.

Devas of Puthooran Boat Club won the Thekkenodi women category.

Payippadan Chundan in the race

The 66th Nehru Trophy Boat Race was inaugurated today by Kerala Governor P Sathasivam at the Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad, Alappuzha. The event’s special guest is Tollywood star Allu Arjun, who came with his wife Sneha Reddy. Team members of Kerala Blasters were also special invitees.

Earlier today, Allu Arjun and his wife Sneha Reddy arrived in Kochi, and got a grand welcome from the star's many fans in Kerala. The Kerala Blasters team also arrived, bringing a lot of joy to fans in a place that had gone through a lot of suffering in the last few months, following a bout of heavy rainfall and floods. Kuttanad in Alappuzha was one of the worst-hit areas and this had, in turn, affected the state's tourism industry, which depended heavily on the houseboat business of these parts.

In their attempts to rebuild the place and revive tourism, district authorities recently conducted a houseboat tour called ‘Back To Backwaters’. Those who took part in the event were asked to spread the word on social media.