SSC
The Kumarakom boat race on the Vembanad lake takes place during which festival season?
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Answer: Option D — Onam
Detailed Solution
The Kumarakom boat race is held on the Vembanad lake at Kumarakom, in the Kottayam district of Kerala, during the Onam festival season in August-September. It is one of the many snake boat races (Vallam Kali) that are held in Kerala during Onam.
The Kumarakom boat race, also known as the Sree Narayana Jayanti boat race, is held on the day of Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the great social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, which falls on the Chathayam star, two days after Thiruvonam. It commemorates the visit of Sree Narayana Guru to Kumarakom in 1903 by boat, when he was welcomed by the people in a grand procession of boats.
Boat races (Vallam Kali) are an important part of Kerala's culture, especially in the backwater regions of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. The most famous boats used are the "chundan vallams" (snake boats), long, narrow wooden boats over 100 feet long, with a raised stern that looks like the hood of a snake. Each boat carries about 100 to 120 rowers, who row in rhythm to the songs of boatmen (vanchipattu). Each snake boat belongs to a village, and the races are a matter of great pride for the villages.
The most famous boat race of Kerala is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held on the second Saturday of August on the Punnamada lake in Alappuzha. It was started in 1952 in honour of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was so impressed by a boat race during his visit that he donated a silver trophy. The Aranmula Uthrattathi boat race on the Pampa river, linked with the Aranmula Parthasarathy temple, is another famous race. Since 2019, the Champions Boat League has organised races across Kerala.
The Vembanad lake is the longest lake in India and a Ramsar wetland site.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Vishu is the Kerala New Year, in April.
- ✗Thrissur Pooram is the temple festival of Thrissur, in April-May.
- ✗Christmas is celebrated in December.
Quick tip
Remember: The Kumarakom boat race = Onam, the Vembanad lake and Sree Narayana Guru. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race = the Punnamada lake in Alappuzha.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.