North Latitudes : 10° 31′ 12″
East Longitudes : 76° 12′ 36″
Tourist Season
September to March
STD Code
0487
Thrissur district, constitutes the central region of the State. It has played an important role in the political history of the Kerala state as well as the entire southern India. Physiographically, the district is divided into three distinct regions, viz., the highlands comprising of extensive ravines and dense forests in the terraces and hills. The midlands or plains consisting extensive paddy fields, interpersed by rivers and canals. The lowlands as a narrow stretch bordering the coastline is made of the sand, slit and alluvium brought down by
the rivers. The backwaters, locally called as Kayals, lie parallel to the 50 km long coast, interconnected with canals, which provide facilities for inland navigation. The important crops grown are paddy, coconut, tapioca, arecanut, cashew, banana, rubber, pepper, turmeric, pulses etc. Various traditional industries like handloom, weaving, oil crushing, pottery, coir, basket making, bell metal, mat weaving etc. flourish in the district.
Thrissur with its rich history, cultural heritage and archaeological wealth, it is called the cultural capital of Kerala. Named after Lord Shiva, from ancient times this district has played a significant role in the political history of South India.
Many rulers and dynasties beginning with the Zamorins of Kozhikode, Tipu Sultan of Mysore and Europeans including the Dutch and the British have had a hand in moulding the destiny of this region.
Raja Rama Varma, popularly known as Sakhtan Thampuran was the architect of the present Thrissur town.
The Vadakkunnathan Kshetram, where the reigning deity is Lord Shiva, is on a hillock in the heart of the town. Magnificent murals here explain the epic of the Mahabharata. This temple is famous for its spectacular celebration of the Pooram festival.
A cultural centre, the Kerala Kala Mandalam, the Kerala Sahitya Academy and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy are located here.
From very early times Thrissur has been a centre of learning. With the decline of Buddhism and Jainism due to the growing supremacy of Brahminism during the revival of Hinduism, Thrissur became an important centre of Sanskrit learning. It is believed that the great Hindu Saint, Adi Shankara, was born in answer to the prayer made by Arayambal and Sivaguru at Vadakkunathan
temple. Sankara's disciples Hastamalaka, Thotaka, Padmapada and Sudhachara established four Madoms (mutt) in the city, namely the Northern Madom, the Middle Madom, the in-between Madom and the Southern Madom respectively.
History
This sacred land had been visited by other religious icons like Swami Vivekananda, St. Thomas and Sree Narayana Guru, who fought against the caste system in Hindu religion, founded his first temple in Koorkanchery. Thrissur, for a brief period, was the capital of the Kochi kingdom. The Shaktan Thampuran palace, which was the abode of the Cochin king, was recently renovated by the Archeological Survey of India.
Thrissur gained prominence under the reign of Raja Rama Varma, who is referred as Sakthan Thampuran, in 1790. It was Sakthan Thampuran to whom the modern Thrissur is ever indebted, because it was he who rebuilt Thrissur from the destruction caused by the attacks of Tipu Sultan's army.
Thrissur city has played a significant part in the political history of South India. Even as early as 1919, a committee of the Indian National Congress was functioning in Thrissur. In the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1921, several persons in city took active part and courted arrest. Long ago, the vast open area around the Vadakkumnatha temple was a magnificent teak forest called Thekkinkaadu. Today, the forest has given way to one of the most important
cultural, educational and commercial hub of Kerala.
