One of the premier boat races in Kerala, Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held on the second Saturday of every August. People come in multitudes to watch long boats (around 100 ft) compete with each other. The participants make merry and sing old tunes as they battle it out in the Punnamada Lake. It is said that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited here in 1952 and was so taken with the spectacular sights that he himself jumped on a snake boat. Eventually, he donated a silver trophy in the form of a snake boat as a memento of his visit.