Thrissur district

Thrissur (Malayalam: [t̪r̥iʃːuːr] (listen)), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and the 21st largest in India. The city is built around a 65-acre (26 ha) hillock called the Thekkinkaadu Maidaanam which seats a large Hindu Shiva Temple. It is located central of the state, and 304 kilometres (189 mi) north-west of the state's capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. Thrissur was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin, and was a point of contact for the Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Romans, Portuguese, Dutch and English. Thrissur is also known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala because of its cultural, spiritual and religious leanings throughout history. The city centre contains the Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Academy. The city hosts the Thrissur Pooram festival, the most colourful and spectacular temple festival in Kerala. The festival is held at the Thekkinkadu Maidan in April or May, in the Malayalam month 'medam'.Religion is important and varied in Thrissur. The city has historically been a centre of Hindu scholarship, and Christianity, Islam and Judaism are believed to have entered the Indian subcontinent through Thrissur and its surrounding areas. Thrissur has a large number of well-known temples including the Vadakkumnathan temple, Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple, and Paramekkavu temple. There are three major Catholic churches, the St. Antony's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane, Our Lady of Lourdes Syro-Malabar Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral and Our Lady of Dolours Syro-Malabar Catholic Basilica, the largest Christian church in India. India's first mosque, Cheraman Juma Masjid, is believed to have been constructed in 629 CE.The city is the headquarters of four major scheduled banks, South Indian Bank Ltd, Catholic Syrian Bank, Dhanalakshmi Bank and ESAF Small Finance Bank as well as several chit funds. The city is also a big centre for silks and gold jewellery. Thrissur attracts the largest number of domestic tourists in Kerala.Apart from being the cultural nerve centre of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and is home to several educational institutions including the Kerala Kalamandalam, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sree Kerala Varma College, St Thomas College, Jawahar Bal Bhavan Thrissur, Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala Police Academy, Police Dog Training Centre, Kerala Fire and Rescue Services Academy, Excise Academy and Research Centre, Government College Of Music And Performing Arts, Government College of Fine Arts, Government Law College, Government Engineering College, Government Medical College and Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College.

Thiruvambady Convention Centre is located at Marar Road in Thrissur city of Kerala state. The convention centre was built by Thiruvambady Devaswom, that manages day-to-day administration and functions of Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple, Thrissur.The convention centre is spread across an area of 1.25 acres (5,100 m2) with a built-up area of 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) and has been divided into 2 blocks. The main block consists of a lobby, centralized air-conditioned auditorium named "Nandanam" which can seat more than 1100 people and a dining hall "Dwaraka" that can accommodate more than 500 people at a time. The second block named "Sreevalsam" annexed to convention centre has a mini hall, 22 living rooms, and cafeteria. This edifice also offers parking facility for around 140 cars within the compound.

Padinjarechira is one of the four oldest ponds in Thrissur city of Kerala in India. It was built by Shakthan Thampuran (1751-1805) and is one of Thrissur's famous landmarks. It is owned by Vadakke Madhom.

Vadakke Madhom popularly known as Brahmaswam Madham, is one of the four ancient South Indian madhoms that propagate Adwaita or nondualism. Spiritual leader Adi Shankara's disciple Hasthamalakacharya started the Madhom. It is located at Thrissur city in Kerala, India. Totakacharya was the first Madhapathi (Head) of Vadakke Madhom.

Thrissur KSRTC bus station is a state-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus station in Kokkalai in the heart of the Thrissur City, India. The bus station is very near to the Thrissur railway station.

Vadakke Madham Brahmaswam Vedic Research Centre is a residential institution for the study of vedas. It is located on the compound of Vadakke Madhom in Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. The centre once was the centre of learning for Vedas in South India and is the oldest Vedic school still running in India.

Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a kuttambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parasurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.In the year 2012 the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recommended 14 sites, including Vadakkumnathan Temple and palaces, from Kerala to include in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The temple is also the first one among the 108 Shiva Temples in ancient Kerala, established by Parasurama.

Thekkinkadu Maidanam is situated in the middle of Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. This hillock which seats the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is an open ground in the centre of the Thrissur city which is under the custody of the Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB). It hosts the spectacular cultural festival Thrissur Pooram, which is considered the Mother of all Poorams in Kerala.

Vanchikulam (Malayalam: വഞ്ചികുളം) is a freshwater lake in Thrissur city in the Kerala state of India. The pond was a water way connecting Thrissur to Kochi in older days.

Kottappuram Siva Temple is one of the 108 Shiva Temples in India. This temple is situated near to Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala.

Marth Mariam Cathedral is the cathedral of the Chaldean Syrian Church of India, part of the Assyrian Church of the East. It is located in Thrissur City in the state of Kerala, It is the city's first Christian church inside the fort gates and is the fourth church in the Thrissur Municipal Corporation The church established in 1814 by Sakthan Thampuran, the maharajah of Cochin, for the Chaldaya Suriyani Nasrani (Ancient Indian Christian community) whom he invited to live in Thrissur to strengthen the trade sector of the new city. The church was or A group supporting Chaldean Catholic bishop Elias Mellus was based in Our Lady of Dolours. They eventually broke with the Catholic hierarchy and formed the Chaldean Syrian Church which is part of the universal Assyrian Church of the East. They retained the Our Lady of Dolours building, but renamed it Mart Mariam. Mart Mariam church, Thrissur now serves as the cathedral of the Chaldean Syrian Church of India which is part of the universal Assyrian Church of the East.

Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) is a state university located in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It was established by the Kerala University of Health Sciences Act 2010, for ensuring proper and systematic instruction, teaching, training, and research and also to have uniformity in the various academic programmes in medical and allied subjects in the State of Kerala. The University is mandated to affiliate all Colleges and Institutions in Kerala, imparting professional education in health care. So far 296 professional colleges have been affiliated to the University. The Governor of Kerala serves as the University Chancellor.