Thamarassery (also spelt Thamarasseri) is a town and grama panchayat in Kozhikode (Calicut) district in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies on the Kozhikode–Wayanad route, National Highway 766. It is the headquarters of Thamarassery taluk and forms part of the Koduvally block panchayat. The panchayat comprises the revenue villages of Raroth and Kedavur and covers . It had a population of 35,706 at the 2011 census.It is included under Koduvally Assembly constituency.
The highway continues through the town towards Kalpetta and Mysuru. Thamarassery is an administrative and transport centre for the eastern part of Kozhikode district and a gateway to the Thamarassery Churam mountain pass and Wayanad district.
Name The panchayat's local-history account states that the name is believed to have developed from Thazhmalachery, a name associated with the settlement's position below the mountain ranges.
History Thamarassery was part of the former Malabar District under British rule. According to the panchayat's official local-history account, the local body was established in 1936; another history page maintained by the panchayat dates its formation to 1936–37. The same account describes the area as having developed from a sparsely settled, wooded and hilly landscape into an agricultural settlement.
The Thamarassery police station opened in 1940. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamarassery was established in 1986, with Thamarassery as its episcopal seat.
Geography and administration Thamarassery Grama Panchayat consists of Raroth and Kedavur revenue villages. The landscape includes hills, valleys and riverine areas associated with the western approaches to the Western Ghats. The local government falls within Koduvally block panchayat, Thamarassery taluk, the Koduvally Assembly constituency and the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency.
Thamarassery is also the headquarters of the larger Thamarassery taluk. The taluk contains 20 revenue villages: Engapuzha, Kizhakkoth, Kodanchery, Koduvally, Kedavur, Koodaranji, Koodathai, Puthuppadi, Puthur, Raroth, Thiruvambadi, Vavad, Kanthalad, Kinalur, Panangad, Sivapuram, Unnikulam, Narikkuni, Nellipoyil and Kattippara.
Demographics At the 2011 census, Thamarassery Grama Panchayat had 35,706 residents: 17,053 males and 18,653 females. The panchayat contained 8,172 households. With an area of , its population density was approximately .
Governance Thamarassery Grama Panchayat has 22 electoral wards following the delimitation used for the 2025 Kerala local elections. The president is Raseena Siyali and the vice-president is Navas Master. The vice-president also chairs the finance standing committee. The elected members listed by the panchayat are:
+ Elected members of Thamarassery Grama Panchayat Ward Ward name Member Panchayat office or committee role 1 Thekkumthottam Abdul Gafoor P. P. Welfare standing committee chairperson 2 Vattakkoru A. P. Samad Finance standing committee member 3 Korangad Habeeb Rahiman A. P. Development standing committee member 4 Chungam North Vijith P. K. Finance standing committee member 5 Chungam South Sheeja Dilip Welfare standing committee member 6 Vezhupur Bindu Anand Development standing committee member 7 Thamarassery Kavya V. R. Health and education standing committee chairperson 8 Karadi Asad Karadi Health and education standing committee member 9 Raroth Jyothi K. C. Welfare standing committee member 10 Kudukkilummaram Anil Kumar P. A. Welfare standing committee member 11 Karingamanna Sainulabdheen Development standing committee member 12 Andona Raseena Siyali President 13 Parappanpoyil East Souja Abdurahiman Welfare standing committee member 14 Parappanpoyil West Babitha Balan Health and education standing committee member 15 Chembra Naseera Shareef Development standing committee chairperson 16 Odakunnu Rathnavally Health and education standing committee member 17 Kedavur East Rajina M. Development standing committee member 18 Earpona Navas Earpona Vice-president and finance standing committee chairperson 19 Kedavur West Khadeeja Sathar Finance standing committee member 20 Thachampoyil Sainul Aabideen Thangal Finance standing committee member 21 Pallippuram Abdul Rasheed M. K. Health and education standing committee member 22 Avelam Moideenkoya V. K. Finance standing committee member
The other standing-committee chairpersons are Naseera Shareef for development, Kavya V. R. for health and education, and Abdul Gafoor P. P. for welfare. The panchayat secretary is Fawas Shameem T. K.
Education Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS) Thamarassery was established in 1957 and provides schooling from standards 5 to 12; its higher-secondary section began in 2004, and the institution also has a vocational higher-secondary section.
Government Upper Primary School Thamarassery, established in 1922, teaches standards 1 to 7. Other government schools in the panchayat include Government Mappila Upper Primary School Pallippuram, Government Lower Primary School Korangad and Government Lower Primary School Chembra. Aided and recognised private schools include A.M.U.P. School Andona and N.I.R. High School Parappanpoyil.
Healthcare Taluk Headquarters Hospital Thamarassery, situated near the civil station, is the principal government hospital in the town. The state health department's institution list records subcentres serving the panchayat at Andona, Kedavur, Parappanpoyil and Thachampoyil.
Transport National Highway 766 passes through Thamarassery and links Kozhikode with Kalpetta, Gundlupet and Mysuru. East of the town, the highway climbs the Western Ghats through Thamarassery Churam, a mountain-road section between Adivaram and Lakkidi with nine hairpin bends.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates a depot at Thamarassery. State-owned and private buses connect the town with Kozhikode, Koduvally, Kalpetta and settlements in the surrounding uplands.
Public institutions As a taluk headquarters, Thamarassery accommodates the taluk office and associated government offices. The town also has a police station and is the headquarters of the Thamarassery police subdivision, which was formed in 1986 and administers seven police stations and a traffic unit in the surrounding region. The grama panchayat office is at Thamarassery, PIN 673573.
Religion and culture Thamarassery is the seat of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamarassery. Mary Matha Cathedral is its cathedral church. The parish was established in 1984, and the present cathedral building was consecrated in 1999.
Tourism and regional access Thamarassery is commonly associated with Thamarassery Churam, although the mountain-pass section itself begins at Adivaram, east of the panchayat. The pass is a scenic and strategically important road connection between Kozhikode and Wayanad and is noted for its nine hairpin bends. The town functions as a road gateway for travellers heading towards Wayanad and upland destinations in eastern Kozhikode district.
See also Thamarassery taluk Thamarassery Churam Koduvally Kozhikode district
References
External links
Thamarassery ward details, State Election Commission Kerala