TRICHUR

town, administrative headquarters of Trichur district, central Kerala state, southwestern India. The town is located 12 mi (19 km) inland on an extensive lagoon system. A commercial and cultural centre, it is considered to be the oldest town on the west coast of India; its name means small sacred place. Trichur is built around a hillock topped by the Vatakkunatha temple, the focus of an annual festival. Its industries include cotton weaving, rice and oilseed milling, soap manufacturing, and sawmilling. Trichur has 13 colleges affiliated with the University of Calicut, a museum, and zoological gardens. The town has good road and rail connections with the rest of Kerala and with the interior. Trichur district, 1,167 sq mi (3,032 sq km) in area, was formed from parts of the former princely state of Cochin. It lies largely on the coastal plain, except in the southeast, where it overlaps the hills of the Western Ghats. Although agriculture is important (rice and coconuts are the main crops), the district also has some industry. Pop. (1981) town, 77,923; metropolitan area, 170,122; district, 2,439,543.