# Balussery

Balussery is a town located about 25 km northeast of Kozhikode city, situated on State Highway 34. It is one of the 12 block Panchayats in the Kozhikode district and serves as the northeastern entry point to Kozhikode city.

## Geography and Climate

Balussery is located about 25 km from Kozhikode, the district headquarters, and is well connected by road to nearby towns. Three main roads lead out from the Balussery city centre. Kozhikode is accessible by two routes: the Balussery-Kozhikode Main Road and the Balussery-Ulliyeri-Kozhikode Road. The major town of Thamarassery is about 15 km away and can be reached via the Koyilandy-Edavanna state highway, while Koyilandy is about 16 km away. Balussery has a bus stand with a shopping complex and serves as the starting point for bus services to all major surrounding areas.

## Overview

Balussery block has an area of 278.54 km$^2$. There are eight Grama Panchayats in the block: Atholi, Balussery, Koorachundu, Kottur, Naduvannur, Panangad, Ulliyeri and Unnikulam. The total population is 212,592: 105,962 males and 106,631 females.
Government offices are situated in the heart of the town. Kerala State Electricity Board has a 33 kV substation (at Manjappalam), a division office/subdivision, and a section office here. There is also an employment exchange at Balussery Mukku, a Kerala Police station, a PWD rest house, a Sub Registrar Office, an Educational Department Office, six The Co-operative Bank, State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Punjab National Bank, Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, Union Bank,Axis Bank and ICICI Bank.
Regular bus services operate throughout Kozhikode, Thamarassery, Koyilandy, Perambra, Narikkuni and Cheekilode. Mini-buses connect the hinterland to Balussery Town. KSRTC operates services to the hilly regions of Balussery, like Kinalur, Mankayam, Koorachundu, Kakkayam, Kallanode and Vayalada.

## Education

There are three government higher secondary schools located in Balussery. Govt. Vocational Higher Secondary School and GHSS girls high school are near the town, and Kokkallur HSS is 3 km away from town. There are also primary and upper primary schools, like Balussery GLP school, A.L.P School Thuruthyad.
There is a central government institute named Adarsha Sanskrit Vidya Peetham, located in Vaikundam, Balussery. It is one of several Sanskrit Colleges in Kerala.
Usha School of Athletics is at Kinalur. Saraswathy Vidya Mandir is situated 2 km away from Balussery.

## Politics

Balussery has always been the most influential constituency of the LDF. Most of the workers are from CPIM. The Left Front has been winning with a huge lead in successive assembly and panchayat elections. As of the 2021 assembly elections, the current MLA is Adv K.M Sachindev of CPI(M) and he got a massive lead of 20372 votes The opposite candidates are Dharmajan Bolgaty for UDF and Libin Balussery for NDA. Other political parties in the area are Muslim League, Indian National Congress, BJP, NCP, Janata Dal, welfareparty, and SDPI.

## Notable people

* Ranjith -Director
* Girish Puthenchery- Lyricist
* Sarasa Balussery- Actress
* Anoop Menon- Actor

## Places of interest

Vayalada Hill Station
Vayalada Hill Station is a hill station in Balussery in the proximity of Vettakkorumakan Temple.And its popularly knowns as Gavi of Malabar.
Thonikadavu Tourist Place
Thonikadavu is a tourist place located in Balussery,its called as Switzerland of Kerala.
Ponkunnu Hills View Point
Ponkunnu Hills View Point, Commonly known as Ponkunnu Mala, is a hill station in Balussery
Balussery-Kotta and Manjapuzha River
Balussery is home to the Central Fort of Kurumbranad Rajas, the Balussery Kota. It is flanked by a temple dedicated to Vettakkorumakan, known as the largest Vettakkorumakan Temple anywhere. It is 2 km from the bus stand. The Manjapuzha River flows by the side of the temple. There are several small temples nearby, such as Kunnatheru Maha Ganapathy Temple, Ponnaram Theru Maha Ganapathy Temple, Chamundeshwari Temple, Vaikuntam Vishnu Temple, Chinthramangalam SreeKrishna Temple, Ellath Mookambika Temple, and Narasimha Kshetram Nirmaloor. Thekkedathu Nagathan Kavu are also here.
Kinalur Estate (Cochin Malabar Estates)
Kinalur Estate (Cochin Malabar Estates) is a valley with a mountain on one side and a rubber plantation on the other. There is a plane in the middle of the plantation and the mountain, a proposed site for the KSIDC (SEZ) industrial area.
The Usha School of Athletics is located at Kinalur estate,. The school is located here at Kinalur estate around 5 km from Balussery.
Kakkayam Dam Site
Kakkayam power station and dam is the sole dam in this region. The powerhouse is around 19 km from Balussery, and the dam is around 35 m

## Transportation

Balussery connects to other parts of India through Kozhikode and Koyilandy. The National Highway 66 passing through Kozhikode and Koyilandy

## Suburbs of Balussery

Panangad, Koorachundu, kallanode,Kottur, Ulliyeri, Atholi, Naduvannur, Kayanna, Vattoli Bazaar, Karumala, Ekarool, Estate mukku, Nanminda 14, Nanminda, Nanminda 12, Kokkallur, Parambinmukal, Kinalur, Mankayam, Thalayad, Kariyathumpara, Vayalada, Kakkayam