Thamarassery

Thamarassery
താമരശ്ശേരി
Town and grama panchayat
Landmarks in Thamarassery
Landmarks in Thamarassery
Thamarassery is located in Kerala
Thamarassery
Thamarassery
Location in Kerala, India
Thamarassery is located in India
Thamarassery
Thamarassery
Thamarassery (India)
Country India
StateKerala
DistrictKozhikode
TalukThamarassery
Block panchayatKoduvally
Government
 • TypeGrama panchayat
 • BodyThamarassery Grama Panchayat
 • PresidentRaseena Siyali
 • Vice-presidentNavas Master
Area
 • Total
27.17 km2 (10.49 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
35,706
 • Density1,314/km2 (3,404/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
673573
Vehicle registrationKL-57
Number of wards22
Assembly constituencyKoduvally
Lok Sabha constituencyKozhikode
Websitethamarasserypanchayat.lsgkerala.gov.in/en

Thamarassery (also spelt Thamarasseri) is a town and grama panchayat in Kozhikode (Calicut) district in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies on the Kozhikode–Wayanad route, National Highway 766. It is the headquarters of Thamarassery taluk and forms part of the Koduvally block panchayat.[1][2][3] The panchayat comprises the revenue villages of Raroth and Kedavur and covers 27.17 km2 (10.49 sq mi). It had a population of 35,706 at the 2011 census.[1]

The highway continues through the town towards Kalpetta and Mysuru. Thamarassery is an administrative and transport centre for the eastern part of Kozhikode district and a gateway to the Thamarassery Churam mountain pass and Wayanad district.[3][4]

Name

The panchayat's local-history account states that the name is believed to have developed from Thazhmalachery, a name associated with the settlement's position below the mountain ranges.[5]

History

Thamarassery was part of the former Malabar District under British rule. According to the panchayat's official local-history account, the local body was established in 1936; another history page maintained by the panchayat dates its formation to 1936–37.[5][6] The same account describes the area as having developed from a sparsely settled, wooded and hilly landscape into an agricultural settlement.[6]

The Thamarassery police station opened in 1940.[7] The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamarassery was established in 1986, with Thamarassery as its episcopal seat.[8]

Geography and administration

Thamarassery Grama Panchayat consists of Raroth and Kedavur revenue villages. The landscape includes hills, valleys and riverine areas associated with the western approaches to the Western Ghats.[1][6] The local government falls within Koduvally block panchayat, Thamarassery taluk, the Koduvally Assembly constituency and the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency.[1]

Thamarassery is also the headquarters of the larger Thamarassery taluk. The taluk contains 20 revenue villages: Engapuzha, Kizhakkoth, Kodanchery, Koduvally, Kedavur, Koodaranji, Koodathai, Puthuppadi, Puthur, Raroth, Thiruvambadi, Vavad, Kanthalad, Kinalur, Panangad, Sivapuram, Unnikulam, Narikkuni, Nellipoyil and Kattippara.[9]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Thamarassery Grama Panchayat had 35,706 residents: 17,053 males and 18,653 females. The panchayat contained 8,172 households. With an area of 27.17 km2 (10.49 sq mi), its population density was approximately 1,314/km2 (3,400/sq mi).[10][1]

Governance

Thamarassery Grama Panchayat has 22 electoral wards following the delimitation used for the 2025 Kerala local elections.[11] The president is Raseena Siyali and the vice-president is Navas Master. The vice-president also chairs the finance standing committee.[12] The elected members listed by the panchayat are:[13]

Elected members of Thamarassery Grama Panchayat
Ward Ward name Member Panchayat office or committee role
1ThekkumthottamAbdul Gafoor P. P.Welfare standing committee chairperson
2VattakkoruA. P. SamadFinance standing committee member
3KorangadHabeeb Rahiman A. P.Development standing committee member
4Chungam NorthVijith P. K.Finance standing committee member
5Chungam SouthSheeja DilipWelfare standing committee member
6VezhupurBindu AnandDevelopment standing committee member
7ThamarasseryKavya V. R.Health and education standing committee chairperson
8KaradiAsad KaradiHealth and education standing committee member
9RarothJyothi K. C.Welfare standing committee member
10KudukkilummaramAnil Kumar P. A.Welfare standing committee member
11KaringamannaSainulabdheenDevelopment standing committee member
12AndonaRaseena SiyaliPresident
13Parappanpoyil EastSouja AbdurahimanWelfare standing committee member
14Parappanpoyil WestBabitha BalanHealth and education standing committee member
15ChembraNaseera ShareefDevelopment standing committee chairperson
16OdakunnuRathnavallyHealth and education standing committee member
17Kedavur EastRajina M.Development standing committee member
18EarponaNavas EarponaVice-president and finance standing committee chairperson
19Kedavur WestKhadeeja SatharFinance standing committee member
20ThachampoyilSainul Aabideen ThangalFinance standing committee member
21PallippuramAbdul Rasheed M. K.Health and education standing committee member
22AvelamMoideenkoya V. K.Finance standing committee member

The other standing-committee chairpersons are Naseera Shareef for development, Kavya V. R. for health and education, and Abdul Gafoor P. P. for welfare. The panchayat secretary is Fawas Shameem T. K.[12]

Education

Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS) Thamarassery was established in 1957 and provides schooling from standards 5 to 12; its higher-secondary section began in 2004, and the institution also has a vocational higher-secondary section.[14][15]

Government Upper Primary School Thamarassery, established in 1922, teaches standards 1 to 7.[16] Other government schools in the panchayat include Government Mappila Upper Primary School Pallippuram, Government Lower Primary School Korangad and Government Lower Primary School Chembra.[17][18] Aided and recognised private schools include A.M.U.P. School Andona and N.I.R. High School Parappanpoyil.[19][20]

Healthcare

Taluk Headquarters Hospital Thamarassery, situated near the civil station, is the principal government hospital in the town.[21] The state health department's institution list records subcentres serving the panchayat at Andona, Kedavur, Parappanpoyil and Thachampoyil.[22]

Transport

National Highway 766 passes through Thamarassery and links Kozhikode with Kalpetta, Gundlupet and Mysuru.[3] East of the town, the highway climbs the Western Ghats through Thamarassery Churam, a 14 km (8.7 mi) mountain-road section between Adivaram and Lakkidi with nine hairpin bends.[4]

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates a depot at Thamarassery.[23] State-owned and private buses connect the town with Kozhikode, Koduvally, Kalpetta and settlements in the surrounding uplands.

Public institutions

As a taluk headquarters, Thamarassery accommodates the taluk office and associated government offices.[2] The town also has a police station and is the headquarters of the Thamarassery police subdivision, which was formed in 1986 and administers seven police stations and a traffic unit in the surrounding region.[24][25] The grama panchayat office is at Thamarassery, PIN 673573.[26]

Religion and culture

Thamarassery is the seat of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamarassery. Mary Matha Cathedral is its cathedral church. The parish was established in 1984, and the present cathedral building was consecrated in 1999.[8]

Tourism and regional access

Thamarassery is commonly associated with Thamarassery Churam, although the mountain-pass section itself begins at Adivaram, east of the panchayat. The pass is a scenic and strategically important road connection between Kozhikode and Wayanad and is noted for its nine hairpin bends.[4] The town functions as a road gateway for travellers heading towards Wayanad and upland destinations in eastern Kozhikode district.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Thamarassery Grama Panchayat". Department of Panchayats, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Taluk". Kozhikode District Administration. Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "New numbering of National Highways notification" (PDF). Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Thamarassery Churam—A unique mountain pass in Kozhikode". Kerala Tourism. Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 "താമരശ്ശേരി ഗ്രാമപഞ്ചായത്ത്". Thamarassery Grama Panchayat (in Malayalam). Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "History and geography". Thamarassery Grama Panchayat. Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "History of Kerala Police" (PDF). Kerala Police. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Thamarassery". Eparchy of Thamarassery. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Villages". Kozhikode District Administration. Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Population details of grama panchayats in Kozhikode district". Department of Panchayats, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ward list: Thamarassery Grama Panchayat". State Election Commission Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Thamarassery Grama Panchayat". Thamarassery Grama Panchayat. Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Elected members". Thamarassery Grama Panchayat. Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "GVHSS Thamarassery (47072)". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Vocational higher secondary schools in Kozhikode district". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "GUPS Thamarassery (47473)". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Government upper-primary schools in Thamarassery sub-district". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Government lower-primary schools in Thamarassery sub-district". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "AMUPS Andona (47469)". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Recognised unaided high schools in Kozhikode district". Sametham. Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Institution details". Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "List of modern medicine institutions 2024–25" (PDF). Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Depot heads directory". Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Thamarassery Police Station—contacts". Kerala Police. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Thamarassery subdivision". Kozhikode Rural Police. Kerala Police. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Thamarassery Grama Panchayat office". Department of Panchayats, Government of Kerala (in Malayalam). Retrieved 25 August 2026.
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