ARANMULA UTHRITTATHI JALAMELA
A resplendent water regatta that showcases the grandeur of the
rich tradition of Kerala, the Aranmula Vallamkali is a boat race held on the Uthrittathi asterism
(as per the Malayalam calendar) during Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala.
This
annual festival which is more of a ritual than a boat race has an interesting
folklore associated with it. Legend has it that a Brahmin once offered all the
requirements for the thiruvonasadya (the
traditional feast on the day of Thiruvonam) at the Aranmula Parthasarathy
Temple.
On
one such occasion, the Thiruvona Thoni, as the
boat is called, laden with all these offerings got attacked by enemies. In
order to protect the Thiruvona Thoni, the
people from the neighbouring areas sent their snake boats. This tradition of
sending snake boats later evolved into an offering to Lord Parthasarathy in the
form of a snake boat race. This tradition held on the Uthrittathi day
later evolved into what we see today as the Aranmula Boat Race.
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