Chalakudy

Etymology During the second Chera dynasty, people outside Kerala visited Chalakudy to learn Vedas and Kalaripayattu from Chukkikulam Shala. These people lived in the banks of Chalakudy River and this accommodation is called Kudi. The combination of these two words Shalakudi is later modified into Chalakudy.

Administration Chalakudy Municipality came into existence in the year 1970. The municipality covering an area of 25.23 km2 is divided into 36 electoral wards. Chalakudy is a Grade II municipality. It was a major constituent of Mukundapuram Lok Sabha constituency from 1957 until Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency came into existence in 2008, following the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies based on recommendations of the Delimitation Commission of India. This constituency comprises seven assembly segments spread over two districts—Thrissur (3) and Ernakulam (4). In 2013, Chalakudy became a Taluk. Chalakudy is both a Kerala Assembly constituency & a Lok Sabha constituency.

Road National Highway 544 passes right through the town of Chalakudy and serves as the major access point between Thrissur and Ernakulam Districts. State Highways – SH 21, SH 51 and SH 61 are the other major roads along with district roads providing access to the low lying areas to the west and the high lying areas to the east. State Highway 21 which starts from Chalakudy and ends at the state boundary with Tamil Nadu at Malakkappara is 86.0 km (53.4 mi) long of which 50.1 km passes entirely through fully protected forest region and is often described as one of the best scenic routes in India due to its picturesque rainforests and frequent sightings of wildlife. The Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls are located along this route. The Chalakudy KSRTC bus stand is the main hub for intra state travel to major towns and cites in Kerala and also to the various remote locations within the Thrissur District. There are regular KSRTC bus services to Puthukkad, Athirappilly, Malakkappara and an inter state service to Valparai Hill Station in Tamil Nadu. Chalakudy also has a private bus stand that has frequent schedules to Irinjalakuda, Aloor, Kodakara, Kodungallur, Mala, Ashtamichira, Puthenvelikkara, Meloor, Koratty, Angamaly, Kodassery, Athirappilly, Valparai.

Railways Chalakudi is the 2nd largest Railway Station in Thrissur which is operated by the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways, and comes under Thiruvananthapuram railway division which provides a major connection to South and North Kerala.

Airport The nearest Airport is Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery which is 19 km from Chalakudy. All the major domestic and international flights are available here. Direct flights are available to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa, Mangaluru, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, London, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Malé, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Salalah, Jeddah, and Riyadh.

Population According to 2011 census, Chalakudy's total population comes to 114,901. The density of the population is 4554 per sq Km. Out of the total population, 55,276 constitute males and 59625 females. The children (aged 6–10) constitute 8.86% and is lower than National Urban average which is 10.93%. The literacy rate of Chalakudy is 96.42% and higher than the National Urban average which is 85% of which male literacy rate is 97.53% and female literacy rate is 95.41%. The sex ratio of Chalakudy stands at 96.42%.

Education Chalakudy hosts major educational institutions consisting of higher secondary schools, English and Malayalam medium high schools, an aeronautical college, a government industrial training institute, a medical college, and many other professional institutions.

Schools Government Boys' Higher Secondary School, Chalakudy Carmel Higher Secondary School, Chalakudy Sacred Heart Convent Girls' Higher Secondary School, Chalakudy  CKM NSS Senior Secondary School Crescent Public School, Chalakudy Vyasa Vidyanikethan Central School, Chalakudy CMI Public School, Chalakudy Government Higher Secondary School, V R Puram   Government Girls High School, Chalakudy Carmel Academy CMI ICSE School, Chalakudy

Colleges Panampilly Memorial Government College Sacred Heart College Chalakudy Southern College of Engineering & Technology St. James College of Pharmaceutical Sciences St. James College of Nursing Nirmala College of Arts and Science Nirmala College of Management Nirmala College of Engineering Nirmala College of Health Science

Tourism Chalakudy is sub urban town blessed with the abundance of greenery mainly due to the Chalakudy river and many green agricultural paddy fields. The Town is the major corridor for tourists travelling to Athirapally & Vazhachal Waterfalls and the hill stations of Malakappara & Valparai. The multiple access points to the Chalakudy River serves as a evening getaway location like Koodapuzha Checkdam, Arangali Kadavu and Urumbunkunnu. Chalakudy is also very popular for film shoots which are concentrated in the Athirapally region.The waterfalls are a recurring backdrop for iconic, glamorous scenes featuring actresses like Tamannaah Bhatia, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Preity Zinta

Industry, Commerce, and Agriculture Once home to several major industries such as Travancore Tanneries, Cochin Potteries, Tram Workshop, Cochin Rubber Works, Cochin Chemicals, Tapioca Products of India, Srinivas Timber Products, and a Plywood Factory, only a handful of industrial establishments exist at Chalakudy today.