A snake boat, in the service of the temple is
known as palliyodam, which means the boat that belongs to the Lord. In the beginning,
on the main day of the festival, 48 palliyodam of the 48 karas, from Chennithala
in the west to Ranni in the east, participated in the festival. Now this has
been reduced to thirty-two snake boats representing 32 villages. Adorned elaborately
with decorations, the boats are manoeuvered in such a way as to view the Parthasarathy
temple, on the banks of the Pampa . The oarsmen, wearing white dhotis and covering
heads with scarfs, row the boats in rhythm to the tunes of hymns composed for
the purpose.
Boats are built with the liberal donation of the devotees, in accordance
with the specifications laid down in ancient scripture on odam/ wooden boat
building. It takes 650 man-days to build a single snake boat. The hull made
out of wooden planks is 83 feet in length and six inches thick. This 150 feet
long boat can hold 100 men. The head and tail are constructed in such a way
as to project out five and three feet, respectively, above the water. The
boat provides seating compartments on a raised platform for 64 oarsmen who
represent 64 art forms. Four master oarsmen, who symbolize the four Vedas,
control the direction of the boat with large oars. The platform in the middle
of the boat facilitates eight people to stand. They represent the Ashtadikpalakas
(devas), who guard the eight directions.
