Chalakudy
Chalakudy is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls. Chalakudy lies on National Highway 544 and located about 47 km (23 mi) north of the city of Kochi, and 30 km (19 mi) south of Thrissur.
Chalakudy | |
---|---|
Large Town | |
Chalakudy | |
Chalakudy South Junction | |
Chalakudy Location in Kerala, India Chalakudy Chalakudy (India) | |
Coordinates: 10.30°N 76.33°E | |
Country | India |
State | Kerala |
District | Thrissur district |
Government | |
• Type | Taluk |
• Body | Municipal Council |
• M L A | B.D. Devassy |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 114,901 |
Languages | |
• Official | Malayalam, English |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 680307 |
Telephone code | 0480 |
Vehicle registration | KL-64, KL-8, KL-45 |
History
The name "Chalakudy" is derived from two words "Yagashala" (temporary settlement for conducting sacrifices) and "koti" (flag). Once Chalakudy was famous all over India as a place for conducting sacrifices. Many "rishis" (including Saptarshis) used to come over here as it was considered as a sacred land. In order to identify these settlements, they hoisted flags next to it. Thus those entire area got its name "yagashalakoti". History also says during the second Chera dynasty, people outside kerala visited Chalakudy to learn vedas and Kalaripayattu from Chukkikulam Shala. These people lived in the banks of Chalakudy River and this accommodation is called Kudi. The combination of these two words Shalakudi is later modified into Chalakudy.[1]
Demographics
As of the 2011 census, Chalakudy had a population of 114,901 with a density of 4,554 per km2. The male population of which is 55,276 while female population is 59,625. The children (0-6 age) population of Chalakudy UA is around 8.86% of total Chalakudy UA population which is lower than National Urban average of 10.93%. Total children in Chalakudy Urban region were 10,176 of which 5,225 were male and 4,951 female. The literacy rate of Chalakudy Agglomeration is 96.42% which is higher than National Urban average of 85%. Literacy rate for male and female for Chalakudy stood at 97.53% and 95.41% respectively. Total literates in Chalakudy UA were 100,977 of which males were 48,815 and remaining 52,162 were females. The sex ratio of female to male in Chalakudy UA was found higher with figure of 1079 females against national urban average of 926 females per 1000 males. For children (0-6 age), girls were 948 per 1000 boys in Chalakudy Urban region against national average of 902 girls per 1000 boys.
Administration
Chalakudy Municipality came into existence in the year 1970. The municipality covering an area of 25.23 km2 is divided into 36 electoral wards. Chalakudy is a Grade-II municipality.[2] Chalakudy is an assembly constituency & Lok Sabha constituency)]].[3] Benny Behnan is the current MP of the Parliamentary constituency and B.D. Devassy is the current M.L.A. of Legislative Assembly Constituency.
Transport
Road
Located along the National Highway 544, between Kochi and Coimbatore. Another major road is State Highway 21 which connects Chalakudy to Vazhachal and ends at the border of Tamil Nadu.
Railways
The main rail transport system in Chalakudy is operated by the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways, and comes under Trivandrum railway division.
Airport
The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery which is 21 km from Chalakudy. All the major domestic and international flights are available here. Direct flights are available to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa, Mangalore, Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Malé, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Salalah, Jeddah and Riyadh.
Business
Madura Coats, Geetha Flour Mill, Apollo Tyres, Codemazk, Paulson Distillery, Choice Foods, Amoeba Associates, Carborundum Limited, Eddie Current and the Sree Shakti Paper Mills are the major industrial establishments.
Education
Schools
- Carmel Higher Secondary School, Chalakudy
- CKM NSS Senior Secondary School
- CMI Public School Chalakudy
- Crescent Public School[4]
- Vysasa Vidyanikethan[5]
- Government boys higher secondary school chalakudy
- Sacred Heart Convent Girls Higher Secondary School
Colleges
- Panampilly Memorial Government College
- Sacred Heart College Chalakudy
- Southern College of Engineering & Technology
- Nirmala College, Chalakudy
Institutes
- GTEC Computer Education Chalakudy
- GINTERNATIONAL Finishing School Chalakudy
Villages in Chalakudy taluk
Notable people
- C. S. Venkiteswaran
- Antony Thachuparambil
- Jose Pellissery
- Kalabhavan Mani
- Lijo Jose Pellissery
- A K Lohithadas
- Porinju Veliyath
- B. D. Devassy
- Innocent (actor)
- Dinesh Kariyattil, Malayalam Lyricist
- Raghavan Thirumulpad
References
- "ചരിത്രം | Chalakudy Municipality". www.chalakudymunicipality.in. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- "Profile". Janasevana Kendram. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- "Assembly Constituencies — Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
- "Crescent Public School Chalakkudy, Thrissur – Crescent Public School". Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- "Vyasa Vidyanikethan Central School Chalakudy". Retrieved 27 June 2019.