Thalassery

State

Thalassery is a Malayalam name and is also called as Tellicherry which is the anglicized form of Thalassery.
This town is the second largest city in North Malabar with a long coastline and four rivers flowing through it, of which one is Mayyazhi or Mahe river. Mahe river was named as the English channel as it separated the Brtish ruled Tellicherry town from French ruled Mahe town.

Thalassery can be referred to as the first town. It is the City of Cricket as cricket was first played by Indians here when introduced by Colonel Arthur Wellesley in 1800.

The first bakery in Kerala was found here- Mambally bakery is famous for its cakes since British times.
The town is the birthplace of Indian circus and artist and coaches from this town are in demand all over. Keeleri Kunhikannan is a legend in the history of circus.

Thalassery with its small hills, canals and rivers has traditional Kerala houses with wide verandahs, solid wooden doors etc and each house has its few own coconut, jackfurit, mango, papaya trees. The beaches with fishermen’s boats bobbing near the harbour is a common sight.

It has been an important sea port since ancient times for trading of spices like pepper, cardamom, etc.

Thalassery, also known as Tellicherry, is a city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India. This is the second largest city of North Malabar in terms of population. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized form of Thalassery. Thalassery municipality has a population just less than 100,000.[1] Established in 1866, it is the second oldest municipality in the state. Possessing an area of 23.98 sq. Kms, Thalassery, is a town strategically located on the western coast of Kannur district on the Malabar Coast of Kerala. It is 22 km from the district headquarters at Kannur. The town is situated between 11°44’N latitude and 75°26’E longitude, at an altitude ranging between 2.5m above the mean sea-level in the low-lying areas, to 30m above the mean sea-level in the higher regions.

History

The British came to Kerala in the year 1682 and got the right to settle in Thalassery from Prince of Kollatunad, Vadakkilamkur. The costal town became a major commercial centre for trading spices during British rule and hence in 1708 they built the Thalassery fort to control the trade from town.

Accessibility

Air: Nearest airport is Karipur international airport at Kozhikode, which is about 93 km away from Thalassery city. Karipur is connected to many cities in India including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Airline services are available from Karipur to many gulf countries, like Oman, Quatar, Kuwait and Saudi. Taxi Services are available from the airport to Thalassery costing about Rs 2000.

Rail: Thalassery railway station is well connected to all major cities in India and regular direct train services are available from Thalassery to Kozhikode, Kannur, Trivandrum, Kochi, Chennai and Bangalore.

Road: KSRTC buses connect Thalassery with all nearby cities. Public super fast buses connect Thalassery with Trivandrum, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kochi. Deluxe bus services are available from Bangalore, Chennai and Trivandrum upto Kozhikode bus stand, which is 70 km way.

District
Kannur district
STD Code
0490
Termperature
Summer 24-36°C, Winter 20-32°C
Best time to visit
October to March