Chavakkad Chowghat
Municipality
Chavakkad beach
Interactive map of Chavakkad
Coordinates:10°32′N76°03′E / 10.53°N 76.05°E /10.53; 76.05
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Thrissur
Area
• Total	12.41 km2 (4.79 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	39,098
• Density	3,151/km2 (8,160/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam,English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	680506
Telephone code	+91487
Vehicle registration	KL 46

Chavakkad, formerlyChowghat, is a municipality inThrissur district of theIndianstate ofKerala. Chavakkad is known for its beach and fishing.^[2] It lies onNational Highway 66 and is located about 77 km (48 mi) north of the city ofKochi, 22 km (14 mi) northwest ofThrissur, and 23 km (14 mi) south ofPonnani.

Chavakkad (Koottungal) is famous for its communal harmony and diversity among people. The famousManathala Juma Masjid situated in Chavakked.St. Thomas Church which is founded by St. Thomas the Apostle in 52 AD is situated at Palayoor, Chavakkad is believed to be the first church in South Asia. Manathala Vishwanatha temple is another landmark in Chavakkad. Koottungalangadi is famous for trade in the earlier era. The town's anglicized name was Chowghat. It was renamed Chavakkad in the early 1970s, much earlier than other towns and cities in Kerala were renamed.

As of 2011^[update]census of India^[3], Chavakkad had a population of 39,098. Males constitute 45.42% of the population and females 54.58%. Chavakkad has an average literacy rate of 94.36%, higher than the national average of 74.04%; with male literacy of 95.95% and female literacy of 93.08%. 12.03% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Current population estimates (2026) are ~55,000. Major religious identities includeIslam (53.58%),Hinduism (41.87%) andChristianity (4.25%), while 0.3% are either practicingother religions or haveno religious identity.

The Chavakkad Panchayath was established in 1918. Later on 1 October 1978, the Panchayat was upgraded to the status of a Municipality with an area of 12.41 km² and is divided into 27 electoral wards. In 2010, the electoral wards were increased to 29.^[4] The municipality has a total population of 37,789 and a density of 3,045 per km². Chavakkad is a Grade-III Municipality and the headquarters of the Chavakkad Taluk.^[5]Chavakkad houses the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court and Munsif Courts.^[6] It also has a Sub Jail.^[7] Major political parties here include theIndian Union Muslim League,Indian National Congress, and theCommunist Party of India (Marxist).

Chavakkad educational district has 93 high schools, three special schools, one Kalamandalam arts school, two schools for the deaf, and a fisheries’ school. Kadappuram Government Higher Secondary School, M.R.R.M.H.S, St Joseph's School, I.D.C IEHS, St Francis ICSE School, Amrita Vidyalayam, Rajah School, MIC English School, National Huda School, Focus IEHS School, Sree Narayana Vidyaniketan Central School, and V.R. Appu Master Memorial Higher Secondary School are some of the prominent schools in and near Chavakkad.

National Highway 66, commonly referred to as NH 66, passes through the Chavakkad town.This busy National Highway runs roughly north–south along the western coast of India, parallel toWestern Ghats. It connectsMumbai toCochin, passing through the states ofMaharashtra,Goa,Karnataka, andKerala. Another road isState Highway 50 that starts in Chavakkad and ends inWadakkancherry. The highway is 31.515 km long.^[8] Chavakkad has a municipal bus stand with frequent buses to and fromErnakulam,Kozhikode,Ponnani, the district headquartersThrissur and to other nearby towns. All private andKSRTC buses that ply southward fromGuruvayur and other northern towns stop at Chavakkad.

The nearest railway station to Chavakkad isGuruvayur about 5 km away. Guruvayur railway station lies in theThrissur–Guruvayur section.Thrissur railway station is the major railhead near to Chavakkad from where you can get allSouth Indian andNorth Indian trains.

The nearest airport is theCochin International Airport atNedumbassery which is about 75 km away. All international, domestic and chartered flights are available here.Calicut International Airport atKaripur is about 90 km away.

Chavakkad is an important trading center forcopra,coir, andfish. The major source of revenue in Chavakkad is repatriated income mainly from theNon-Resident Indians working in theMiddle East, typically from theGCC countries. The place is called as "MiniGulf". The Rajah Group, owners of famous Kajah Beedi, Rajah Tiles, andRajah Motors, has its headquarters in Chavakkad. The company, Kaja Beedi, was started in the year 1948 by Hajee Abdul Khader.Rajah Motors, which produced the first multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in India, known by the name ‘Tiger’ and ‘Kangaroo’, has its factory and offices in Chavakkad.^[9][10]

• Chavakkad Beach: Located on the coast ofArabian Sea in West Coast, Chavakkad Beach is counted amongstKerala's most popular beaches. It is two kilo metres from the Chavakkad town. Chavakkad Beach is famous for the spectacle called 'Azhimokam' inMalayalam which means a place where a river confluences with the sea.^[11]

• St. Thomas Church (Palayur): Located atPalayur, according toSaint Thomas Christian tradition, the Syrian church was established in 52 AD bySt Thomas, one of the twelve apostles ofJesus Christ.^[12] PalayoorSyro-Malabar church is the oldest Christian Church in India and is called an Apostolic Church credited to the Apostolate ofSt. Thomas who preached and also started conversion of people to Christianity here. The main feast is observed in the month of July. The 3rd of July is the day of "Dukhrana" which is observed as a remembrance day of St Thomas the apostle. And the Sunday which comes after the tenth of the month is observed as the day of "Tharpana" to remember the first christening ceremony done by St Thomas the apostle at the Thaliyakulam near to the church.^[13][14]
• Guruvayur Temple: Located very close (4 km east) to Chavakkad, this is a major shrine in India. It is the fourth temple in India by the number of pilgrims, afterBadrinath,Tirupati andPuri. It has a standing four-armed LordVishnu as the main deity, facing east. This idol is believed to be worshipped byVasudeva andDevaki, parents of LordKrishna, an avatar himself and later by Lord Krishna himself. The legend says that after Lord Krishna ascended to heaven after his earthly life,Dwaraka, where he lived, got flooded andBrihaspati, the Guru of Devas andVayu, the wind god took the idol and with the help of LordShiva, they consecrated it on a special place. As the idol was consecrated by Guru and Vayu, the place came to be known as Guruvayoor and the main deity came to be known asGuruvayurappan. Though the main idol is that of Lord Vishnu, devotees consider the deity as Lord Krishna, mainly in his infant form. There are many legends which show the greatness of the temple. The most important festival is that in the month of 'Kumbham', which starts with hosting the flag on Pooyam day and ends with the holy bath on Anizham day. Next goes to Guruvayur Ekadasi and Ashtami Rohini in the months of 'Vrischikam' and 'Chingam' respectively. Mandalakalam, Kuchela Dinam, Thursdays, etc. are also celebrated with great pomp. LordGanapathi,Ayyappan andDurga are the sub-deities. Udayasthamana Pooja and Krishnanattam are the main offerings. Thanthram goes to Puzhakkara Chennas family, while the high priests (Melsanthi) are theNamboothiriBrahmins fromSukapuram & Peruvanam villages in ancient Kerala. The temple is well known for the number of elephants and cows. There are more than 60 elephants and 500 cows in the temple. The elephants are accommodated at Punnathoor Kotta, 3 km north of the temple, and cows are accommodated at Vengad inMalappuram district, almost 60 km north-east of Guruvayoor. The temple is managed byGuruvayoor Devaswom, an autonomous temple body under the Government of Kerala, with 12 small temples under its control.
• Manathala Mosque & Nercha : Manathala Mosque is a famous and old mosque in Chavakkad.This mosque is a very sacred place for the people following Islamic faith. It has a dome and four minarets, and the building is whitewashed and the edges are lined with green borders. The interior of the mosque is the same as other mosques. Manathala Mosque is flamboyantly decorated during the annual festival called nercha, which happens during the month of January–February. Throngs of people from different religions visit the mosque and the festival goes on for 4 days. This Nercha is conducting in remembrance of a martyr called "Hydrous Kutty Moopar" general of Hyder Ali buried in the courtyard of the mosque. Hydrous Kutty Moopar fought for justice and truth and was a trusted lieutenant of Hyder Ali.

• Kadalaayimana
• Ponnani

• Chavakkad Municipality Official Page

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