Chalakkudy Chalakudy
—  mini city  —
Chalakkudy Location of Chalakkudy in Kerala and India
Coordinates	10°18′N 76°20′E / 10.30°N 76.33°E / 10.30; 76.33Coordinates: 10°18′N 76°20′E / 10.30°N 76.33°E / 10.30; 76.33
Country	India
State	Kerala
District(s)	Thrissur District
M L A	B.D. Devassy
Population	48,371 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 680307 • Telephone • +0480 • Vehicle • KL-8,KL-45,KL-64

Chalakudy (ചാലക്കുടി) is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur District of the Kerala State in India. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly and Vazhachal Falls.^[1] It lies on National Highway 47 and located about 36 km (23 mi) north of the city of Kochi, the commercial capital city of Kerala and 30 km (19 mi) south of Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala.

History[link]

The name "Chalakudy" is derived from the word "Shalakudy", meaning a place where sacrifices are made. The best season to visit Chalakudy is December to March and also in monsoon season. Chalakudy is a place of historical importance as it was the base for the operations of the Mysore invader Tipu Sultan while attacking the "Travancore lines'.^[2]

Demographics[link]

As of the 2001 census,^[3] Chalakudy had a population of 48,371. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Chalakudy has an average literacy rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 86% and female literacy of 84%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Government[link]

Chalakudy Municipality came into existence in the year 1970. The municipality covering an area of 25.23 km² is divided into 36 electoral wards. The Municipality has a total population of 48,371 with a density of 1,917 per km². Chalakkudy is a Grade-II municipality.^[4] Chalakudy assembly constituency was a segment of Mukundapuram (Lok Sabha constituency).^[5] Later it became a segment of Chalakudi (Lok Sabha constituency).

In last local body elections, UDF won the Chalakudy Municipality. Currently, Pailappan (Indian National Congress) is the Municipal Chairman of Chalakudy.

Visitors attraction[link]

Chalakudy is a prime destination of tourists and especially for those who love nature, its a heavenly experience to be here. Chalakudy is blessed with scenic beauty and the weather here is very refreshing. It is one of the very best places in Kerala to settle down. It has all amenities of a suburb and is well connected by National Highway and Railways. It is being developed as a high demand residential area and the cost of land is shooting up. New IT park, Kinfra park @ Koratti, easiness to reach Kochi and Thrissur etc make Chalakudy a real estate attraction.

• Chalakudy River: It has one of the highest fish diversities in Kerala

• Divine Retreat Centre, Potta
• Athirappilly Water Falls
• Vazhachal Falls
• Sholayar Dam
• Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kodassery
• Kannanpuzha Temple
• Moonjeli Church, West Chalakudy
• Pisharikkal Bhagavathi Temple - It is one of the 108 durgalayas

Transport[link]

A view of Chalakudy river from the Chalakudy Bridge

Road[link]

Located along the National Highway 47, between Kochi and Thrissur. Another major road is State Highway 21 which connects Chalakudy to Vazhachal and ends at the border of Tamil Nadu. Chalakudy has a KSRTC and private bus station in the town only. The KSRTC station provides inter-district and inter-state buses in and around Kerala and outside the state. The private station runs local bus services in to the suburbs of Chalakudy. There is a newly proposed north bus station (for private buses) near Anamala Junction, Chalakudy.

Railways[link]

The main rail transport system in Chalakudy is operated by the Southern Railway Zone of Indian Railways, and comes under Trivandrum Railway Division. There are two railway stations in Chalakudy, Divine Nagar Railway Station (in Muringoor village) and Chalakudy Railway Station. Chalakudy and Divine Nagar Railway Station lies in the busy route of Shoranur-Cochin Harbour section. All the passenger trains and some express trains stop here.

Air[link]

The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery which is 22 KM from Chalakudy. All the major domestic and international flights are available here. Direct flights are available to Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata.

Business[link]

A morning in Chalakudy market

Madura Coats, Apollo Tyres, Paulson Distillery, Choice Foods, Amoeba Associates, Carborundum Limited, Eddie Current and the Sthree Shakti Paper Mills are the major industrial establishments. The Government Press has a division functioning in Chalakudy. The Peringalkuthu Hydro-electric project is about 42 KM east of Chalakudy. In the business map, Chalakudy has a notorious place being one of the largest selling outlets of Beverages Corporation.

Education[link]

The Panampally Memorial Government College, Sacred Hearts Women’s College, Nirmala College, St. James Medical Academy Pharmacy College, Nirmala College of Information Technology, Lakshmi College of Science Technology & Management and Southern college of Engineering & Technology are the major higher educational institutions in Chalakudy. The ITI here is one of the oldest in the Kerala state.^[6]

See also[link]

• Chalakudy River Protection Forum (CPF)
• Scienetic Technologies Web Design and Software Development @ Chalakudy (CPF)

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chalakudy