Cherthala

Cherthala CHERTHALA
Taluk
Government
• MLA	Mr. Tilothaman (M.L.A) 2005-10
Population  (1991)
• Total	302,194

CHERTHALA 'ചേര്‍ത്തല' (formerly known as SHERTALLAI) is a Taluk and a municipality in Alappuzha (Alleppey) district in the state of Kerala, India. It is 42 km from Cochin and 22 km from Alleppey on the Cochin-to-Alleppey section of National Highway 47 Road Route and Railway Route. Cherthala is in Alleppey District, of which Alleppey is the district headquarters. Cherthala is a Major Taluk consisting of 20 villages of which Cherthala is the Taluk headquarters.

The Name

According to the folklore, once a Namboodiri (the priestly class) named Villumangalath Swami was travelling through the present day Cherthala when he found the idol of the 'Devi'(The mother goddess) in a pond. The idol was found with its head immersed in mud. The priest took out the idol and established a temple at the location which is the present day Karthiyayani temple. The place is said to have got its name from this incident. Cher means Mud and Thala means Head in malayalam.

There is another story which say that the former name was Karappuram and this part of land was gifted by the erstwhile State of Cochin to the erstwhile State of Travancore for protecting it from enemies. The place got its name as Chertha (joined) Thala (abutting land).

How to reach

One can travel to the Town by train commuting through the Cochin-to-Alleppey rail route. The railway station is known as Sherthalai(Station Code:SRTL) in Indian railway parlance. The four-lane NH 47 runs through the town. The Cherthala town can be reached by road from Cochin (36 km) or from Vaikom (15 km) or from Kottayam (30 km) as well as from Alleppey (22 km). Thus it acts as the easy meeting point from the neighbouring towns. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport about 50 kilometers north west and the nearest seaport is Cochin Harbour about 36 kilometers north west of the town. The famous vembanad Lake flows along this beautiful town. The international tourist destination Kumarakom is only a 10 km travel from here.

Industry

The main industry here is based on the products from the humble coconut tree. The coconut oil is used for cooking, as hair oil and in manufacture of soap. The coir extracted from the husk of the coconut tree is used for making rope, door mats, carpets and as protection against soil erosion.

Fishing and allied industries is another major source of lively hood. The place is endowed with a network of canals which are invariably connected with either the Arabian sea on the west or the Vembanad back waters on the east side. Of late, prawn farming has caught up with the place. The prawns mainly go into the export market. There is a major industry involved in the export of sea food in Aroor industrial belt on the northern part of the taluk.

Recently tourism is also developing throughout Cherthala along the costal areas of Vembanad lake. So land prices are growing up much faster and lot of tourist restorts were built up throughout the costal area including one from the ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation. Work is in progress on implementing the proposed railway coach factory, a joint venture of Indian Railways and government of Kerala, at Autocast Ltd.

Demographics

As per kerala government website, Cherthala municipality had a population of 43,326 over an area of 16.18 square kilometres. The density of population is 2678 per square kilometre. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%.

Cherthala has an average literacy rate of 94%, with male literacy of 98.4% and female literacy of 89.7%.

Administration

Cherthala is one of 6 taluks of the Alappuzha district of Kerala. The taluk of Cherthala consists of 20 villages. Cherthala is covered by the assembly constituencies of Cherthala and Aroor. Both of them are assembly segments of the Alappuzha parliamentary constituency.

Villages in Cherthala Taluk

│ Arookutty │ Aroor │ Cherthala North │ Cherthala South │ Ezhupunna │ Kadakkarappally │ Kanjikkuzhy │ Kodamthuruthu │ Kokkothamangalam │ Kuthiathodu │ Mararikkulam North │ Pallippuram │ Panavally │ Pattanakkad │ Perumbalam │ Thannermukkam North │ Thannermukkam South │ Thuravoor South │ Thycattussery │ Vayalar East │

Block Panchayats in Cherthala Taluk

Pattanakad,Thycattuserry,Kanzhikuzhy,Thanneermukkom

Grama Panchayats in Cherthala Taluk

│Aroor│Arookutty│Perumbalam│Ezhupunna│Kodamthuruthu│Kuthiathode│Thuravoor│Pattanakad│Panavally│Thycattuserry│Pallipuram│Cherthala South│Muhamma│Thanneermukkom│Kanjikuzhi│Mannancherry│Mararikulam North│Aryad│Kadakarapally│Vayalar│

Places of importance

Cherthala

The town is famous for the well known Devi (Karthyayani) temple located at the heart and centre of the town. Padayani and vela thullal of the temple are famous. The idol of Bhagavathy (goddess) is said to have been consecrated by Vilwamangalath Swamiyar (A famous priest). A large pond exists in front of the Taluk office which belong to the Karthyayani Devi temple. Another famous temple of chrthala is the Muttathu Thirumala Devaswam temple. The MTD temple is famous for the Lord Narasimha Murthy's idol. The temple has its annual festival either ahead of the Kartyayani Devi's festival or soon after that. The Pallivetta is a beautiful procession where it ie believed that God is going for the divine hunting. The festivals of both the temple lasts for 8 days each. Cherthala is well-connected by road and rail. The famous Muttom St. Mary's church is located near the market. The Muttom church is also a Marian pilgrimage center. A silver flag mast (Kodimaram) in the church courtyard depicts its unique Kerala heritage found in many Syrian Catholic churches of Kerala. Cherthala is a major centre of coir industry. The well-known politician and the Union Defence Minister A K Antony hails from Cherthala Town. The Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri. Vayalar Ravi is also from Cherthala. There are many Drama /Theater troupes in Cherthala. The old Municipal Lodge which is now demolished had many booking offices of these drama troupes.

There a Mini Civil station complex which houses various Govt departments under one roof. There is a court complex which houses the Magistrate court and Munsif courts. There is also the office of Deputy Supernatant of Police (DySP) near the Taluk office. The office of Tahsildar is also located in the Taluk office complex. The Taluk office has a treasury, Land & Revenue department, Election commission's office. The only fire station in Cherthala taluk functions round the clock next to Civil station. A memorial stands in front of the taluk office, dedicated in the memory of various soldiers from Cherthala who took part in World war II. A large BSNL microwave tower functions near the BSNL Telephone exchange used for high speed data transfer and telephone communication. A busy bus stand and depot run by Kerala State RTC is situated on the east side of Devi temple. The Cherthala Municipality building and a shopping complex is situated near to this bus stand. A govt Guest house (Traveler's Bungalow) function at the north end of Court junction.

Aroor

Aroor is situated on the National Highway 47 between Cherthala and Kochi. Aroor is identified as industrial park for sea food exports. It is also one of the fish landing centres. There are few workshops specialised in automobile body building in Aroor.Aroor Industrial Estate and Chemical industrila estate is situated at northern tip of aroor, Which is Inagurated by Revenue Minister Smt. K R Gouriamma.The studio complex of the Manorama News channel is located in this area.Saint Augustine Church ,one of the oldest Latin Catholic churches is located near the busy NH47 Bypass-Edacochin junction and famours Pavumabai Temple is there. The Saint Augustine Higher school situated nearby.

Arthunkal

It is an important pilgrim centre of Latin Catholic Christians and is famous for well known St. Sebastian and the original name of the Church is St.Andrues church, popularly known as 'Arthunkal Church' situated 8 km south-west of Cherthala town facing the sea coast. Historians interpret the name Arthunkal differently. One version is that the thatched chapel built initially was at Arthikulangara and later the name was modified as Arithikulangal, Arithinkal and Arthunkal. Another version is that the "Siva" temple of the Puliyamkottu family used to conduct the 'Arattu Ulsav every year. The distance from the temple to the sea where Arattu was conducted came to be known as Arattunkal and later became Arthunkal.The temple doesn't exist anymore. Hindu pilgrims from Sabarimala used to visit Arthunkal and take bath in a tank in the Church premises to formally conclude their penance. The tank is not in existence now.

Andhakaranazhy

Andhakaranazhy is a place in the Thuravoor village 4-km west of Pattanakkad. It is important for its beach which is a marvellous site for the tourists and also domestic visitors. An azhy is a sand sedimentation formed by the action of sea water, and it can be seen at particular weather conditions and the nature of the sea. An azhy is the place where the backwaters merges into the sea. A majestic light house stands like a signal tower guiding the seamen during night. This light house is thrown to public during the Onam. This place is one the popular locations for shooting Malayalam film songs. One can reach Andhakaranazhy via the Thanky-Andhakaranazhy-Pallithode beach road or divert towards west at Padmakshi-Kavilpalli junction on NH 47 near Pattanakkad. This place was one of the seriously affected area in Tsunami disaster which had hit the Kerala Coast on 26-Dec-2006. Smt. K. R. Gowri Amma,one of the cabinet minister in the Kerala State's first elected government is from this village. She was the sitting MLA from Aroor constituency for many years.

Chennam Pallippuram (Pallippuram)

Chennam Pallippuram, commonly known as Pallippuram, is a panchayath, situated in Cherthala taluk and belongs to Thycattussery block panchayath. The panchayath has an area |25.53 square kilometers,6202 households and a population of 27307 (13365 men and 13942 women) as per census of 2001.
A serene village vedged between Cherthala municipality and Thycattussery panchayath, it is noted for its huge deposits of silica sand. It is surrounded with Vembanad lake on eastern and western sides and Chenganda river on its southern side. The bridge over the river connect this area to the mainland of Cherthala. It is also connected to Vaikom by means of ferry service and boats.
Thereis an engineering college(IHRD), Arts and Science College (N.S.S,College, Cherthala) and many schools both in Kerala and CBSE syllabi.

There is an industrial growth centre in Pallipuram. Malabar Cements (owned by Government of Kerala) is the major industrial unit operating out of the industrial growth centre.

It has many places of worship like Thiruayranikkulam Kalathil temple, Kadavil Bhagavathi temple, and St. Mary's Church.
There is a Public Health Centre (managed by the Government health department) and a private hospital called St. Thomas Hospital with 100 beds and with surgical unit.

Pallipuram is connected to Cherthala by road at a distance of 5 km. The major roads are the Cherthala -Arukutty -Aroor road with a high frequency of buses and the MLA road (parallel to Cherthala -Arukutty -Aroor road) with a comparative less frequency of buses.

Kanichukulangara

Situated 13 km north of Alappuzha town, Kanichukulangara is famous for the Bhagavathy temple. It is believed that the shrine was consecrated by a Brahmin who happened to recognize Devi who had reached the shore. The souls of the brahmin and the maiden who is said to have fallen in love with Brahmin have been consecrated in small shrines inside the temple.

Kokkothamangalam

The Kokkamangalam Church

Situated on the western shore of Vembanad lake is the seat of one oldest churches world. It is said that the apostle St. Thomas, who visited Kerala and established 7 churches including one here, consecrated a cross there. Later the cross was found missing and it was recovered from Pallipuram and brought back to Kokkothamangalm where a church was built. The present church was built in 1900. It is a major pilgrim centre. St Antony's High School is located in Kokkothamangalam. The place is 4.5 km southeast from Cherthala town accessible via the Chertala - Tannermukkom - Muhamma road .

Muhamma

Muhamma is a Grama Panchayath in Cherthala Taluk. It is home to the famous Cheerappanchira kalari, where Ayyappan had his training in the martial arts; the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Mrs. Susheela Gopalan (wife of A. K. Gopalan), was from this family.

Muhamma was also the village where the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P. Krishna Pillai died after sustaining a snake-bite. Pathiramanal island ,the most beautiful point in vembanad lake is a part of Muhamma Panchyath.

Pathiramanal

Pathiramanal roughly translated as the 'mysterious sand of midnight', is a small beautiful island of tourist importance. It is situated in the centre of Vembanad lake, 4 km east of Muhamma. This island is full of coconut trees and luxuriant vegetation. It is also home to alarge flock of migratory birds.

Pathiramanal Bio Park Muhamma panchyath has launched big project in Pathiramanal with central assistance.The estimated cost of the project is about 10 cores.Bio park,Fish breading area, Natural Historical musium,aquarium etc are the main parts of the project.The project is submitted by the panchayath samithy headed by Sri. C.K.Bhaskaran, President and P.P.Udayasimhan Secretary

Panavally

Panavally is a serene village that is part of Cherthala taluk and Alappuzha district. It is at the north frontier of old Travancore state. Different branches of the backwaters of Vembanad surround the village. The studies on the soil of the place has shown that, like many regions of Kerala, this part of the land also emerged from the sea a few centuries ago. The sand in the southern part of this village is a great source of special silica sand, containing high concentration of pure silica. This is being used in many industries, in particular in brick (white) making. The Cherthala-Arookutty bus route goes through this village and runs parallel to the national highway NH 47. The economy in general is agriculture based, but equally supported by the seafood processing industry. Due to the proximity to the Cochin city, this village supplies workforce to the city as well. Major industries in this include Century Shipyard, Kuncharath coir mills etc. Nalpathaneeswaram Sree Mahadeva Temple, Thrichattukulam Mahadeva Temple, Edappangazhi Sree Krishna Temple, Odampally Devi Temple are the main Hindu religious centres in Panavally. Poochakkal Police Station and Thykkattussery Block Office are situated in this village.

Pattanakkad

Pattanakkad is a panchayath in Cherthala taluk. Andhakaranazhy is a major tourist destination in Pattanakkad.Andhakaranazhy is a beautiful beach and is also what is known in local language as azhi(അഴി). Azhi is the natural join of the sea with the back water. There is a light house at this place and is also a shooting location for Hindi and south Indian films. Pattanakkad temple is famous.Pattanakkad Public School currently known as St.Joseph's Public School and Bishop Moore Vidya Pith are well known for their schooling. Govt. Higher secondary school, pattanakkad is also a well known school at Pattanakkad.

Poochakkal(പൂച്ചാക്കല്‍)

Nagari SreeDharmaSastha Kshetram

Poochackal is an important small town. It is located jointly in Thycattussery and Panavally panchayaths. It is about 14 km from Cherthala and 25 km from Ernakulam. There are three schools, one VHSC, one Plus Two and one BEd centre in Poochackal. Royal and KC movies are the main cinema theatres. Nagari Sree Dharmasastha Temple, Sreekandeswaram Mahadevar Temple, Elikkattu Sreedharmasastha Temple, Thevarvattom Masjid, Manappuram St. Theresas church are the main worship places. Poochackal market is the local market of the area. Federal Bank, State Bank of Travancore, the Alleppey Dist Co-Operative Bank, Chertala service Co-Opertive Bank, Sub Treasury and the KSFE are the financial Institutions of the area. Thaliyaparambu temple famous for 'kalam kary' is here. Poochakkal police station and Land Registration Office fulfills the needs for the entire Thycattusserry Block.

Thannermukkom

It is situated on the western bank of Vembanad lake. The Thannermukkom salt water barrier was constructed as apart of Kuttanad Development Scheme. The Thannermukkom regulator constructed across Vembanad lake between Thannermukkom and Vechur is to prevent tidal action and intrusion of salt water.

Thiruvizha

Thiruvizha is situated about 5 Km south-west of Cherthala and is famous for Shiva temple. The temple attracts large number of devotees on account of the divine prasadam which is supposed to possess medicinal and curative properties for mental illness.

Vayalar

Vayalar Raktha Sakshi Mandapam

Situated about 2.5 km north of Cherthala, Vayalar is a politically important place in the history of modern Kerala. The historic struggle at Vayalar by the communist party against Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, Diwan of Travancore, resulted in the relinquishment of the rule of Diwan. Hundreds of communists fell victim to the tragic police firing in 1946. There is martyrs' platform (Raktha Sakshi Mandapam) erected at this place. You can still find stump of the cocunut tree in which a hole was created due to the police firing. Every year leading communist leaders come down here on the memorial day. This place is home to the late poet Vayalar Rama Varma and Union Minister Vayalar Ravi. It is also a birth place of Mr. S.Raja a famous industrialist in erode of tamilnadu

Famous temples

• Karthayayani Devi temple- Chertala town
• Muttathu Thirula Devaswam temple - Charthala town -to reach: Get down at Cherthala Bus Station and you can see the Kartyayani temple on your right side. On either side of the temple there are roads taking you all around the temple to Nadakkavu Road. From Nadakkavu Road one can see the T D Road and the temple.
• Velorvattom Mahadevar temple - Velorvattom 1 km from Manorama Junction towards West
• Kuttikattu sree bhadra kali devi temple
• Chertala Thirumala Devasom Lakshmi Narasimha Temple - Chertala town
• Varanaadu Bhagavathy temple-Varanaadu
• Kottaram Sri Dharmasastha Temple-Near Ottapunna NH47 Bypass
• Kadambanadu Sri Devi Temple, CMC-1, Cherthala
• Sri Dharmasastha Temple-Near Ottapunna NH47 Bypass
• Dhanvanthri temple-Maruthorvattom
• Vellappally Sree Dharma Daiva Kshetram - [Maruthorvattom]
• Kandmangalam Devi temple- Kandmangalam 4 km from Town on Cherthala-Thanky-Anthakaranazhi road
• Nalpathenneeswaram Sree Mahadeva Temple-Panvally
• Thrichattukulam Mahadeva Temple -Panvally
• Mahadevar temple-Tiruvizha
• Mahadevar temple-Mararikulam
• Thycattuserry Bhagavathy temple-Thycattuserry
• Sreekandeswaram Mahadevar Temple-Poochakkal
• Mahadevar temple-Pattankad - 6 km North of town on NH-47
• Kanichukulanghara Bhagavathy temple-Kanichukulanghara
• Thuravoor Narashimha Moorthy-Sudharshana Moorthy Mahakshethram-Thuravoor - 12 km North of town on NH-47
• Thuravoor Tirumala Devasom Lakshmi Narasimha temple-Thuravoor
• Nalukulanghara Bhagavathi temple -Parayakad, Thuravoor
• Karthayayani Devi temple- Aroor - 20 km North of town on NH-47
• Kalavancodam saktheeswara temple, famous for kannadi prathista - 6 km north on Kalavancodam-saktheeswara road
• Sivasubrahmanyapuram Temple, Nadubhagom, Thyckattusery
• kadambanakulangra temple,Pallippuram,P.O,cherthala
• Subrahmanya Temple, Puthanambalam
• Kochanakulangara Bhagavathy Temple, Kayippuram, Muhamma
• Nagamkulangara Temple, Vayalar

Famous Churches

• St. Marys Forane Church, Muttom ,Cherthala town
• St. Joseph Church Madakkal - 3 km S.West from town on Cherthala-Thanky-Thumboly road
• St. George Church, Arthinkal- 8 km S.West from town on Cherthala-Thanky-Thumboly road
• St. Andrews Church ( famous Arthinkal palli),Arthinkal- 8 km S.West from town on Cherthala-Thanky-Thumboly road
• St. Mary's Forane Church, Thankey -5 km North from Town on Cherthala-Thanky-Anthakaranazhi road
• St. Marys Fornane Church, Pallippuram -8 km North from Town on Arukutty-Cherthala road
• St. Augustine Church and Pontifical Seminary ,Manapuram - 15 km North from Town on Arukutty-Cherthala road
• St. Thomas Church, Kokkamangalam - 6 km S.East from town on Cherthala-Tannirmukkom-Muhamma road
• St. Martin de Porres Church,Vadakkumuri- 2 km West from town near Kizhekkenalpathil
• St. Sebastian's Church, Areepparampu-- 6 km S. West from town on Cherthala-Kanichukulangara road

Colleges

Nair Service Society College

The N.S.S College, Cherthala, owes its origin to the hardwork and patronage of the Nair Service Society, an educational agency in Kerala and to the initiative and vision of its founder the late Mannathu Padmanabhan.

This institution which acts as a nexus linking the Cherthala and Vaikom taluks and fulfilsthe long felt need of the area to provide higher education to aspiring students, came into being as a Junior College in 1964. It was upgraded in 1968. Its first PG course was started in 1995.

The college has a very active NCC Unit, three socially committed National Service Scheme Units and a very efficient Sports and Arts wing, the students of this premier institution, situated in an economically and educationally backward area, had won laurels in the University examinations, Youth Festivals and Athletic meets.

Currently it offers the following courses. Bachelor of Arts (English, Malayalam, History and Economics), Bachelor of science (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Environment & Water Management), Master of Arts(Economics), Bachelor of commerce and Master of Science in Mathematics.The college is affiliated to Kerala University

Sree Narayana College

The SN College was inaugurated in 1964 by the late Sri. R. Sankar, the founder -Secretary of S.N. Trusts and the then Chief Minister of Kerala. What began as a Junior college grew over the years into a major institution, offering instruction in, ten Degree courses and two PG courses.

The college at present has on its rolls more than 2,500 students and faculty of more than 90 members. Apart from the academic activities, due emphasis is given to co-curricular activities also. There are 4 very active NSS units in the college. A Population Education Club and a Women's Cell are also functioning well in the college. The NCC wing could have its cadets participate in Republic Day Parade many times. In sports and games the college teams could win laurels on different occasions, especially in Kabaddi and Kho-Kho.

Currently it offers the following courses: Bachelor of Arts (Malayalam, Politics, Philosophy, History and Economics), Bachelor of science (Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology), Master of Arts(Economics), Bachelor of commerce and Master of Science (Botany, Zoology, Physics).The college is affiliated to Kerala University

St. Michael's college

This institution was a long cherished dream of His Excellency Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Arattukulam, the first Bishop of Alleppey. From the time of its very inception in 1967, the college has made its mark in the academic field, in athletics, in National Service Scheme and in arts and cultural activities.

It has a student strength of 1,700 with 62 members on the teaching staff and 47 on the non-teaching staff. The college has had a consistently bright academic record all through the years. The college has distinguished itself in sports and games, one of its former students became even the Captain of the Indian Basketball Team. The performance of the college in cultural activities has been equally impressive.

Currently it offers the following courses. Bachelor of Arts (Economics), Bachelor of science (Physics, Chemistry and Zoology), Master of Arts(Economics)and Bachelor of commerce.The college is affiliated to Kerala University

KVM College of Engineering & Information Technology

KVM College of Engineering & Information Technology is a long cherished dream of K.Velayudhan Memorial Trust. KVM College of Engineering & Information Technology started in 2001-2002 academic year. It is approved by the All India Council of Technical Education AICTE and is recognized by Cochin University of Science & Technology CUSAT.

Currently it offers the following courses. Master of Computer Application, Msc Biotechnology and Msc Vishual Communication and MBA

College of Engineering, Cherthala

Run by Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD), College of Engineering, Cherthala has been the leading technical institution in Kerala since it's venture in 2004. Affiliated to Cochin University of Science And technology CUSAT, CE Chertha offers B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, reflecting the modern technological advancements through its updated syllabi.

The institution is approved by AICTE, New Delhi and affiliated to CUSAT.It is under the management of IHRD, a Kerala Government undertaking.

SNGM Institutions - Valamangalam, Thuravoor

The Sree Narayana Guru Memorial Charitable and Education (SNGM) Trust offers MEd.,BEd., TTC, Hotel Management, Pharmacy and other Professional courses at PostGraduate and graduate level. The campus also has an Art & Science college offering Degree courses affiliated to Kerala University. Professional courses are approved by AICTE,New Delhi. Its located at Valamangalam 4 km east of Thuravoor - NH 47 junction.The K.R. Gowriamma Engineering college for Women started in 2008 under SNGM Trust, is situated in the same campus.

St. Joseph's School of Pharmacy

Situated near Cherthala

ITI and Nursing Colleges

• St.Joseph's ITI - Kurakanchanda,Thuravoor South
• KVM Nursing College - KVM Hospital Cherthala
• Sacred Heart Nursing College & Hospital - Mathilakam ,Cherthala

Co-operative Training Centre/College

This institute is under the management of State Co-operative Union Kerala.

Co-operative training center and college functions here.

junior diploma in co-operation (JDC)& Higher Diploma in Co-operation &Business Management(HDC&BM) are the courses conducted there.(Govt approved courses)

qualifications: 1.for JDC - SSLC (medium : Malayalam/English) 2.for HDC&BM - any degree (medium : Malayalam/English)

(some of the seats are reserved for SC/ST,employees of co-operative societies& Govt.Departments)

The Subjects of Study

Co-operation Types of Co-operative Societies and their functions Co-operative Laws & Other Laws applicable to Co-operative societies Co-operative Audit Rural Development Management Banking Accountancy Software Applications

The courses also include field studies and viva voce

Schools in and around Cherthala

• Govt. Polytechnic College, Xray Jn.,Cherthala Town
• Govt. Lower Primary School,Cherthala Town
• Govt. Boys Higher secondary School,Cherthala Town
• Govt. Girls Higher secondary School,Cherthala Town
• Holy Family Higher secondary School,Cherthala Town
• St. Mary's Girls Higher secondary School,Cherthala Town
• St.Joseph Public School,Pattanakad,one of the oldest ICSE schools in Kerala

Public Utility services

Bank Name	IFSC	Location
Catholic Syrian Bank Ltd.	CSBK0000084	Muttom Bazar, Cherthala
Dhanalakshmi Bank Ltd	DLXB0000013	North Gate of Karthiayini Temple, Cherthala
Federal Bank Ltd	FDRL0001095	Muttom Bazar, Cherthala
HDFC Bank Ltd	HDFC0001489	BNNP Building, Muttom Bazar, Cherthala
North Malabar Gramin Bank	NA	Nadakkavu Road, Muttom Bazar, Cherthala
Punjab National Bank	PUNB0389400	Amritha Complex, Opp. K.S.R.T.C. Bus Station, Cherthala
South Indian Bank	SIBL0000120	NSS Building, A.S. Road, Cherthala
State Bank of India	SBIN0005046	Gandhi Bazar hopping Complex, Private Bus Stand, Cherthala
State Bank of India	SBIN0011916	X-Ray, Bye Pass, Cherthala
State Bank of Travancore	SBTR0000081	Court Junction, Cherthala
Union Bank of India	UBIN0536091	Karunakara Building, A.C. Road, Cherthala
Vijaya Bank	VIJB0002034	Opp. K.S.R.T.C. Bus Station, Cherthala

• ATMs - SBT |Federal Bank | Axis Bank | Catholic Syrian Bank | South Indian Bank | SBI | PNB | Union Bank
• Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE)
• Co-Operative Banks - Cherthala Urban Co-operative Bank | Muttom Co-operative Bank | Alleppy Dist. Co-operative Bank | CARD Bank (ഭൂപണയബാങ്ക്)
• Indian Postal Service -Cherthala Town Main Post office
• Fuel Stations - HP | IO | IBP | BP | Reliance
• KSRTC - Bus Station & Depot - Halt for all KSRTC buses including Interstate Bus services |Municipal Bus Station
• Cherthala Railway Station with Online Reservation counter -Halt for all trains except Rajadhani and Executive
• BSNL Customer care center | Telephone Exchange
• Fire Station | KSEB | Kerala State Health Services | Kerala University- Information Center
• Passenger Boat services - Tavanakadavu-Vaikom | Manapuram - Nerekadavu | Thycattuserry-Thuravoor | Aroor keltorn - Kumbalangi | Panavally- Perumbalam | Arukutty - Kumbalam,Edakochi |Muhamma-Kumarakom |
• Ferry/Jangar service - Tavanakadavu-Vaikom | Manapuram - Nerekadavu | Thycattuserry-Thuravoor | Aroor keltorn - Kumbalangi run by KSWTC and Authorised Pvt. contractors

• Movie Theaters in Cherthala Town- KSFDC's Chithranjali Movie theater Non A/C DTS,Paradise Cine House Non A/C DTS

• Halls / Auditoriums in Cherthala Town - Municipal Town Hall, S.S.Kalamandir, S.S. Kalabhavan, NSS Auditorium, Brahmana Samooham Hall, Mahadeva Mandir-Velorvattom, Ashwini Residency Conference Hall
• Parcel and Courier Services - ABT

Government and Judiciary offices

• Office of the Cherthala Tehsildar
• Election Commission Office | State Treasury | Land & Reveune Department | Land Registration Office
• Regional Transport Office
• Ist Class Judicial Magistrate Court | Munsif court
• Office Of the Deputy Superintendent of Police
• Office Of the Circle Inspector of Police -Cherthala Circle. First Among the stations to start the Janamaithri Police service
• Civil Supplies | Sub-District Education Department | Sales Tax Circle office | Excise Circle office | Kerala Water Authority | Public Works Department
• Govt. Guest House | Govt. Employment Exchange
• Cherthala Municipality Office | Village Office - Cherthala Village

Hospitals

• Govt. Taluk Hospital, Cherthala
• Agasthya Ayurvedic Medical Centre, Ezhupunna
• SNMM Hospital, (aka X-Ray Hospital), Cherthala
• Dharmagiri hospital,Cherthala
• KVM Super-speciality Hospital with 24- Hr Accident Emergency care unit, Cherthala
• Sacred Heart Hospital, Mathilakam
• Lakshmi hospital, Aroor
• Mercy hospital, Aroor
• Karthika hospital, Aroor
• Jeevans hospital with 24- Hr Accident Emergency care unit, Chandiroor
• Moham Hospital, Chammanad
• Nicholas hospital, Eramaloor
• Santhi hospital, Kuthiathode
• PHC, Aroor,
• St.Sebastian's visitation hospital,Arthunkal.

Drama/Theater troupes in Cherthala

• Cherthala Jubilee Theatres -Ran by Late Rajan P.Dev

Industries

• Coir

Coir is the traditional and most popular industrial produce in Cherthala. Coir industry is run both under private and Cooperative sector. A politically well organised coir workers and availability of raw coir fibre are the basic resources of coir industry in Cherthala. The big export housed have mechanised their plants with latest Hi-tech automated coir looms.They roll out tons of carpets, mats and jute items every month both for exports. We can find exquisitely designed carpets and mats displayed in the showrooms along the NH-47.
1. TMMC group -Chertala
2. Koncherry Coir Exporters
3. Maithara Coir house
4. Loomcraft
5. Charangattu Mats and Coir
6. Shertallai Coir Cooperative Society
7. MC MILLS, Kalavamkodam
8. COMET EXPORTS, Cherthala

• Seafood Export

The coastal inland area of Cherthala is closely interlocked with the Kerala backwaters and Vembanad lake. Secondly the Cochin fishing harbour and port is just 15 km away from Aroor. The abundance of marine wealth and logistical advantages has helped the seafood export to grow especially around Aroor, Chandiroor, Ezhupunna, Thuravoor, Arookutty. There are lot of marine food processing units in these places which provide employment to large number of people. Large scale prawn and shrimp farming is done as an alternative in the low lying paddy fields which have the interlocked water system connected to the backwaters. The raw seafood catch is also purchased by large seafood export firms from North Kerala, Kollam, South Karnataka, Orissa, Tamilnadu etc, proceesed and preserved in cold storages and then trans-shipped through Cochin port.

• Heavy Engineering

SILK (Steel Industries Limited Kerala) -Maithara and Thuravoor.Proposed Railway coach factory will be coming up at Maithara.

• Brewery

Mac-Downell's Breweries near Varanadu,Cherthala

Roads

Route display panel across NH-47 Near Aroor

• NH 47 is the major road providing a four-lane motorway running across the Cherthala Taluk. NH-47 connects Cherthala to Cochin city at the North end and Alapuzha town at the south end. The Aroor-Kumbalam bridge is the longest railway bridge in South India measuring 993 meters, connects the Ernakulam District (at Kumbalam) with Alapuzha district (at Aroor) across the Vembanad lake. There are two bridges, one carrying a 2-lane motorway traffic on NH-47 and another carrying the single lane Alapuzha-Ernakulam Railway line. In the night, the panaromic view of South Cochin city is visible from the bridge against the foreground of backwaters. The old Aroormukkom-Edacochin bridge is also visible. On the sunny days the Western ghat mountain ranges are also visible on the eastern side of the bridge. The Kollam-Kottapuram Inland waterway passes below this bridge en marked with navigation lamp buoys floating over the backwaters. A 24-hr Toll checkpost functions on both the ends of the motorway bridge. Except two-wheelers and authorised Govt vehicles, all other vehicles have to pay a nominal Toll charge to cross the bridge.

• Cherthala -Kypuzhamuttu- Kottayam road (30 km) can be used to reach tourist destinations Kumarakom and obviously Kottayam.
• Chertala-Arukutty-Aroor road is another major road connecting the eastern villages lying along the shores of Vembanad lake to the north end of the taluk and finally reaching NH47 at Aroor.
• Chertala-Muhamma-Alapuzha road runs across the Tanneermukkom panchayat along the south eastern side of the taluk parallel to NH 47. One can get down at Kaipuram to reach the famous Pathiramanal bird sanctuary on this road.
• Cherthala-Arthunkal-Tumboly beach road connects the coastal areas to Alapuzha.
• Thanky-Andhakaranazhy-Pallithode-Chellanam beach road connects the taluk to the coastal area of Cochin city.

Waterway

Cherthala lies between the Kottapuram-Kollam National Inland Waterway passing through the Vembanad lake. Prior to the coming of NH-47 the cargo and freight from Cochin market was transported in country boats through the Vembanad lake via the small lake diverting from Arukutty-Thycattuserry-Vayalar. Now these country boats are no more used for cargo transportation, instead converted into tourist floating house boats. We can still find the canal running across the center of the town which was once busiest waterway. We can reach Vaikom by the Tavankadav-Vaikom ferry service covering approx 3.5 km across the Vembanad lake and joining the Kottayam district at Vaikom jetty. There are small inland waterways or rivers which flow across the villages, still navigationable through county boats. They transport coir, marine products, vegetables, paddy, sand, construction materials etc where roads are inaccessible. Majority of these inland rivers flow from Vembanad lake on the eastern side and merge into the azhi or sea near Anthakaranazhi on the west coast, crossing the NH-47 at different places.

Famous personalities

• Mr. Itty Achudan- The major contributor of ethno-medical information for the compilaiton of Hortus Malabaricus,
• Mr. A.K. Antony- Thrice Chief minister of Kerala, Indian Defence Minister
• Mr. Vellapally Natesan - General Secretary of SNDP Yogam
• His Holiness Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru, the founder of Santhigiri Ashram
• Mr. Vayalar Ravi - Former Home minister of Kerala, Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs & Minister for Parliamentary Affairs
• Smt. K.R. Gowri Amma - Revenue Minister in the first Kerala LDF ministry, initiated the revolutionary Land reforms in Kerala, Agriculture minister in Kerala UDF Ministry
• Late Mr. Vayalar Ramavarma- Great Malayalam Poet and film lyricist
• Mr. Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma - Famous film lyricist
• Late Mr. Rajan P. Dev - Malayalam Film actor and Drama/Theater personality
• Mr. K L Mohanavarma - Malayalam Author.
• Mr. Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan - Writer & Film Critic.
• Mr. Joy J. Kaimaparamban - English & Malayalam Author.

See also

• Chengannur
• Chengannur Mahadeva/Devi Temple