Valanchery | |
|---|---|
Municipal town | |
 An aerial view of Valanchery town | |
  Valanchery Location in Kerala, India Show map of Kerala Valanchery Valanchery (India) Show map of India Valanchery Valanchery (Asia) Show map of Asia.svg) Valanchery Valanchery (Earth) Show map of Earth | |
| Coordinates:10°53′0″N76°4′0″E / 10.88333°N 76.06667°E /10.88333; 76.06667 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Malappuram |
| Taluk | Tirur |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Valanchery Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 21.90 km2 (8.46 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 40,318 |
| • Density | 1,841/km2 (4,770/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 676552 |
| Telephone code | 0494 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-55, KL −10 |
| Nearest towns |
|
| Sex ratio | 1047♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 94.6% |
| Niyamasabha constituency | Kottakkal |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Ponnani |
| Climate | Normal(Köppen) |
| Website | valancherymunicipality |
Valanchery is a major municipal town inMalappuram district,Kerala,India.[2][3] It is situated about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast toKaripur International Airport and 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwards to the district headquarters, and forms a part ofMalappuram metropolitan area.[4] It is also one of the major commercial towns under the Malappuram urban agglomeration.National Highway 66, from toPanvel toKanyakumari, passes throughvalancheryMunicipality. Valanchery, which was a part of the erstwhile princely state of theValluvanad in the early medieval period, had been under the direct control of theZamorin of Calicut following theTirunavaya war of 14th century CE. DuringBritish Raj, Valanchery was included in thePonnani Taluk of erstwhileMalabar District.
Valanchery was originally part of theValluvanad Swaroopam dynasty in the early medieval period (12th century CE).[5]Valluvanad was an erstwhile princely state in the present state ofKerala, that extended from theBharathappuzha river in the South to thePanthaloor Mala in the North.[5] On the west, it was bounded by theArabian Sea atPonnani and on the east by theAttappadi Hills during their zenith in the early Middle Ages.[5] The capital of erstwhileValluvanad was at the present-day town ofAngadipuram.[5] According to local legends, the lastCheraman Perumal ruler gave a vast extension of land inSouth Malabar during his journey toMecca to one of their governors,Valluvakonathiri, and left for pilgrimage.[5] Valluvanad was famous for theMamankam festivals, held once in 12 years and the endless wars against theSamoothiri of Kozhikode.[5]
The region came under the direct control of the Kozhikode Samoothiris in 13th/14th century CE by the defeat ofValluvakonathiris inTirunavaya War. Assisted by the warriors of their subordinate chiefs (Chaliyam,Beypore,Tanur andKodungallur) and the Muslim naval fleet under theKoya ofKozhikode, theSamoothiri's fighters advanced by both land and sea.[6] The main force under the command of Samoothiri himself attacked, encamping atTriprangode, an allied force of Valluvanadu andPerumpadappu from the north. Meanwhile, another force under the Eralppadu commanded a fleet across the sea and landed atPonnani and later moved to Thirumanasseri, with the intention to descend onTirunavaya from the south with the help of the warriors of the Thirumanasseri Brahmins.Eralppadu also prevented the warriors of Perumpadappu from joining Valluvanadu forces. The Muslim merchants and commanders at Ponnani supported the Kozhikode force with food, transport, and provisions. The warriors of the Eralppadu moved north and crossed theBharathappuzha and took up position on the northern side of the river.[6] The Koya marched at the head of a large column and stormedTirunavaya. In spite of the fact that the warriors of Valluvanadu did not get the timely help of Perumpadappu, they fought vigorously and the battle dragged on. In the meantime, the Kozhikode minister Mangattachan was also successful in turning Kadannamanna Elavakayil Vellodi (junior branch of Kadannamanna) to their side. Finally, two Valluvanadu princes were killed in the battles, the Nairs abandoned the settlement and Kozhikode infested Thirunavaya.[6]
The battles along the western borders of Valluvanadu were bitter, for they were marked by treachery and crime. Panthalur and Ten Kalams came under Kozhikode only after a protracted struggle. The assassination of a minister of Kozhikode by the chief minister of Valluvanadu while visitingKottakkal in Valluvanadu sparked the battle, which dragged on for almost a decade. At last, the Valluvanadu minister was captured by Samoothiri's warriors and executed at Padapparambu, and his province (Ten Kalams, includingKottakkal and Panthalur) was occupied by the Samoothiri. The Kizhakke Kovilakam Munalappadu, who took a leading part in this campaign, received half of the newly captured province from Samoothiri as a gift. The loss of this fiercely loyal chief minister was the greatest blow to Valluvanadu after the loss ofTirunavaya andPonnani.[6]
During the last decades of the eighteenth century, the army of theKingdom of Mysore reached here. The region was annexed with theEast India Company with theTreaty of Seringapatam, following theThird Anglo-Mysore War. Under theBritish Raj, Valanchery was anAmsom included inCheranad which was scattered in the Taluks of Eranad and Ponnani in the erstwhileMalabar District.[7]Cheranad had been under the direct rule of theZamorin of Calicut during the late medieval period.[7] The pottery industry and the blacksmith community, which has adopted it as a traditional caste occupation, were a part of Valanchery's identity.Changampally Mammi Gurukkal was a well-known figure in martial arts and neurology.
In 1932, as a part of the freedom struggle, a favorable environment was created for the seeds of a national political outlook to germinate in Valanchery.[8] After theGuruvayur Temple Satyagraha and Kelappan's fast, a referendum was held to get the views of the upper caste Hindus ofPonnani taluk.[8] The central office of the referendum was Valanchery.[8] It was on this occasion that prominent national leaders includingKasturba Gandhi,C. R. Das's sister Urmila Devi, Sadashiva Rao,C. Rajagopalachari, and U. Gopala Menon, visited Valanchery.[8]V. T. Bhattathiripad is also a notable figure in this group.[8] The firstIndian National Congress committee in Valanchery was formed in 1936.[8] The Muslim League was formed in 1938 here.[8] During the hike of rice prices,Valanchery Matta Rice had possessed a position in the newspapers.[8] As a result of the efforts of Mazhuvanchery Damodaran Namboothiri and others, a united currency group (Aikya Nanaya Sangham) had functioned in Valanchery.[8] After the war, as a result ofK. Kelappan's efforts in Malabar, the Firka Consumer Co-operative Society was formed on aFirka basis.[8] A cooperative society was also formed in Valanchery under the presidency of TKC Moideenkutty Kalathil.[8] Today'sKuttippuram Service Co-operative Bank is a continuation of that.[8]
C. M. Ramakurup was the founding manager of Valanchery High School, which was started in 1951 at Puthenkalam, Kolamangalam.[8] Today, it is the largest school under the private sector in theTirur educational district.[8]Kattipparuthi Grama Panchayat, which was upgraded to a Special Grade Panchayat in 1980, was renamed Valanchery in 1981.[8] Valanchery became one of the major commercial and educational hubs ofSouth Malabar region during the last decades. It was upgraded to a Municipality in the year 2015.
Now Valanchery is one of the 12 municipal towns inMalappuram district, and forms a part of theMalappuram metropolitan area, which is also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state according to the latest census conducted in2011.[4]
The total population under municipality limits is 40,318 according to the2011 census. Males form 48.1% and females 51.9%.[1]Malayalam is the widely spoken language in the town. Valanchery has been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious town since the earlymedieval period. TheMuslims form the largest religious group, followed byHindus.[9] The municipality of Valanchery has an averageliteracy rate of 94.6%, which is higher than the state average of 94%.[1]
The town is administered by the Valanchery Municipality, headed by a chairperson. For administrative purposes, the town is divided into 33wards,[10] from which the members of the municipal council are elected for five years. The municipality comes under the jurisdiction of Valanchery police station, which was formed on 18 October 1988.[11] Valanchery police station has also the jurisdiction over the villages ofAthavanad,Edayur,Irimbiliyam, andNaduvattom, besides Valanchery town.[11]
| S.No. | Party name | Party symbol | Number of Councillors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | UDF |  | 17[12] |
| 02 | Independents |  | 12 |
| 03 | LDF | _Logo.svg){kind=logo} | 03 |
| 04 | BJP |  | 01 |
Demand
Places adjacent to Valanchery | |
|---|---|
