Thrissur, city, central Kerala state, southwestern India. The city is located 12 miles (19 km) inland from the Arabian Sea coast on an extensive lagoon system.

Thrissur, a commercial and cultural centre, is considered to be the oldest city on the west coast of India. Its name means “small sacred place.” The city is built around a hillock topped by the Vadakkumnathan Temple (dedicated to Shiva), the focus of an annual festival. A city of many faiths, Thrissur is also home to some of the oldest mosques and churches in the country. Its industries include cotton weaving, rice and oilseed milling, soap manufacturing, and sawmilling. The city is also a retail hub for the state of Kerala, and is home to some of the largest jewellery and textile businesses in the region. Thrissur has colleges affiliated with the University of Calicut, a museum, and zoological gardens. The city has good road and rail connections with the rest of Kerala and with the interior.

The area surrounding Thrissur lies largely on the coastal plain except in the southeast, where it overlaps the hills of the Western Ghats. Agriculture is important in the region—rice and coconuts are the main crops—and there is also some industry. Pop. (2001) 317,526; (2011) 315,957.

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