Thalassery, also known as Tellicherry, is a small town on the Malabar coast of Kerala, South India.

Contents

1 History 2 British Influence 3 Of Cricket, Cakes and Circus 4 Literary and Social Contributions 5 Geography

History

The roots of the name can probably be traced as follows. The Chera dynasty that ruled Kerala from 9th century AD declined by the beginning of 12th century AD. After the decline of Cheras, the kingdom broke into smaller regions under local chieftains. This led to the formation of provincial states. Venadu , Kolathunadu , Kochi and Kozhikode were prominent among them. Thalassery was the northenmost place in Kolattunadu. Due to this fact, the place was called "Thalakkathe" (for Northernmost or Topmost to be precise) "Cheri" (for Place) which later was abbreviated to Thalassery.

British Influence

The 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 where exported. The world famous Tellicherry Peppers are named after this quaint little town. In 1708, the British built a fort by the sea to protect and control the spice trade from the town. In 1781, this fort was attacked unsuccessfully by the Indian ruler and military commander Hyder Ali of Mysore.

The British also established the district judicial court in Tellicherry. During the British rule, jurisdiction of Tellicherry Court extended up to Mysore.

Of Cricket, Cakes and Circus

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

Cricket was played in Thalassery much before it was introduced in Calcutta in 1860. The Thalassery Municipal Cricket Ground 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 an one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka.

Thalassery is considered to be the birth place of Indian circus. Keeleri Kunhikannan , the circus legend hails from this town. 90% of the Indian Circus companies and artists are from Thalassery.

Mambally Bakery , the first bakery in the state of Kerala was founded in Thalassery.

Literary and Social Contributions

Thalassery also has a few contributions to the Malayalam literary history. Oyyarathu Chandumenon , author of the first Malayalam novel Indulekha was from Thalassery. Herman Gundert, the German missionary who lived in Thalassery wrote the first English-Malayalam translator dictionary. Sanjayan (M. R. Nair ), the Malayalam satirical essayist and contemporary social critic was from Thalassery. Rajya Samacharam the first Malayalam newspaper was published from Thalassery.

C. V. Devan Nair, the third President of Singapore hails from Thalassery. NTTF (Nettur Technical Training Foundation) - one of the premier technical institutions of India with branches across the country was founded in Thalassery in the year 1961, with the patronage of Swiss Missionaries.

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

Geography

Thalassery is situated in the district of Kannur. The geography of Thalasserry 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 monikered as the English Channel, because it separated Tellicherry (ruled by Britain) from Mahé (ruled by French). Muzhappilangad beach, a 5km long pristine beach is located within 10 km from the city centre.