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Welcome to Thalassery, the historical Capital of North Kerala. Thalassery (Tellicherry), also known as Tellicherry, is a town on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, in southern India. It is 21 km from the district headquarters at Kannur. Tellicherry is the anglicised form of Thalassery. Thalassery municipality has a population just less than 100,000.

Contents:
1 Geography
2 History
2.1 Early history
3 British influence
4 Of cricket, cakes and circus
5 Educational institutions
6 Famous personalities
7 Transport
8 Places of Interest
9 External links

Geography:
Thalassery is situated in the Kannur District. The geography of Thalassery is adorned with four rivers, hills and a long coast line. One of the four rivers is the Mahé (Mayyazhi) river. During the British rule, the Mahé river was nicknamed the English Channel, because it separated British-ruled Tellicherry from French-ruled Mahé. Muzhappilangad, a 5 km-long pristine beach, is located within 10 km of the town centre.

History:

Early history
The Chera dynasty that ruled Kerala from the ninth century declined by the beginning of the 12th century. The kingdom then broke into smaller regions under local chieftains. This led to the formation of provincial entities such as Venadu, Kolathunadu, Kochi and Kozhikode. Thalassery was the northernmost place in Kolathunadu, and was called "Thalakkathe" (which means "northernmost" or "topmost" in the Malayalam language) + "cheri" (which means "place"), which was later abbreviated to Thalassery.

The Keyi Family, a prominent trading family, has its roots in Thalassery. The Keyi family were the nobles among the Mappilas of Malabar known for their immense wealth and landed properties which they acquired through brisk trade they carried out in Kerala even before the advent of English East India Company.

British influence
Thalassery Pier (Kadalpaalam) extends into the Arabian Sea Thalassery FortThe British established their presence in Kerala in 1682, when they obtained permission from the Vadakkilamkur Prince of Kolattunad, to settle at Thalassery. In the following years, the British presence in the state of Kerala strengthened. During this period, there were many organised revolts held by the natives of the region against the empire. Among them was the revolt of 1704, that the natives of Thalassery organised, but this revolt was quickly crushed by the British forces due to its localised, non-nationalistic nature.

Due to its coastal location, the town of Thalassery was a major commercial centre during the British rule of India. During the British rule, the Malayalam name Thalassery was anglicised into Tellicherry.

The British built a seaport in Tellicherry through which a variety of spices such as pepper and cardamom were exported. (Tellicherry pepper, ground from locally grown pungent black peppercorns, is much sought after by chefs around the world). In 1708, the British built Thalassery Fort by the sea to protect and control the spice trade from the town. The square fort, with its massive walls, secret tunnels to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, is an imposing structure. The fort was once the nucleus of Thalassery's development. It is now a historical monument. In 1781, this fort was attacked unsuccessfully by the Indian ruler and military commander Hyder Ali of Mysore.

Arabian Sea coast from Overbury's Folly, ThalasseryThe British also established the district judicial court in Tellicherry. During the British rule, jurisdiction of Tellicherry Court extended up to Mysore.

One of the popular tourist spots in the town, Overbury's Folly, was built by E. N. Overbury a local British judge in the 1870's.

Of cricket, cakes and circus:
Thalassery Stadium. Thalassery is at times referred to as the city of cricket, cakes and circuses.

Cricket was played in Thalassery much before it was introduced in Calcutta in 1860. The Thalassery Municipal Cricket Ground (see Thalassery Stadium) hosts the Ranji Trophy cricket matches every year. On this ground, the first ball was bowled in the early 1800s, thanks to Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who brought the game to this Malabar town. In the year 2002, Thalassery cricket ground celebrated its 200th birthday by hosting a one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka.The famous English Cricketer Collin Crowdey has played in Thalasseri during British regime.

Thalassery is considered to be the birth place of the Indian circus. Keeleri Kunhikannan is a legend in the history of circus. The circus artist and coaches from Thalassery are very much in demand. There is also a proposal to start a circus school, which will give employment opportunity for many persons. This could serve as recruitment ground for circus companies. There is also scope for earning foreign exchange as the circuses are very popular in other countries. The cultural exchange programme with Russian performers by Jumbo Circus was well-received. The roots of many major circus companies such as Kamala Circus, Gemini Circus, Jumbo Circus, Great Rayman Circus, New Grand Circus, Great Royal Circus are in Tellicherry

Mambally Bakery, the first bakery in the state of Kerala, was founded in Thalassery. Rajya Samacharam, the first Malayalam newspaper, was published from Thalassery.

Educational institutions
Thalassery is home to Brennen College, one of the oldest educational institutions in the region. The college evolved from a school established by English philanthropist Edward Brennen, who had made Thalassery his home. This college, which is more than 100 years old, is one of the premier educational institutions in Kerala. In December 2004, the government of Kerala decided to bestow the status of university on Brennen College.

Besides, there are other famous schools such as St. Joseph's Boy's High School, Sacred Heart Girls High School, BEMP School, Govt. Brennen High School, which have produced many famous personalities. All these schools had very eminent teachers.

NTTF (Nettur Technical Training Foundation), one of the premier technical institutions of India with branches across the country, was founded in Thalassery in 1961 by Swiss missionaries.

College of Engineering, Thalassery was established in 2000 and offers Bachelor of Technology courses in information technology, computer science and engineering,electronics and communications engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical and electronics engineering.

Famous personalities:
Herman Gundert, who wrote the first English-Malayalam dictionary C. V. Devan Nair, the third president of Singapore, hailed from Thalassery.
Oyyarathu Chandumenon, author of the Malayalam novel, Indulekha was also from Thalassery.
Herman Gundert, a German missionary who lived in Thalassery, wrote the first English-Malayalam dictionary.
Sanjayan (M.R.Nair), a Malayalam satirical essayist and contemporary social critic was from Thalassery.
Keyi Family, a historically prominent trading family of north Malabar has its roots in Thalassery.
Rev.Fr.George Pathiyil - (former Head Master of St. Joseph's Boys' High School)
Justice (Retd) V.R. Krishana Iyer is from Thiruvangad, Tellicherry
Music Director, K.Raghavan (Raghavan Master) - Neelakkuyil ("kaayalarikathu valayerinjappol")
Panchavadyam ace - Mattanur Shankarankutty
Artist K.K. Marar (Krishna Kumar Marar)
Keeleri Kunhikannan Teacher - father of Indian Circus

Transport
By air: The nearest airport is at Kozhikode International Airport, Kozhikode, about 93 km south.
By rail: Thalassery railway station is a main line station at which almost all trains stop. Kannur railway station is well linked to major towns up country as well as within the state.
By road: Thalassery is accessible by road from Kozhikode which is 67 km distant.

Places of Interest:
Sree Ramaswamy Temple, Thiruvangad
Sree Jagannath Temple, Temple Gate
Sree Narasimha Temple, Chetty Theru
Overbury's Folly
Odathil Palli
Thalassery Pier (Kadalpaalam)
Thalassery Fort
Thalassery Stadium
Dharmadam Island
Muzhapplilangad Drive-thru beach

www.thalasseryonline.com
www.tellicherry.com