Changanassery

Changanassery
Municipality[1]
Clockwise, top to bottom: St. Berchmans College; The Anchuviḷakku; Iḷamkavu Devi Temple; The boat jetty; NSS Hindu College
Changanassery Show map of Kerala Changanassery Show map of India
Coordinates: 9°28′00″N 76°33′00″E / 9.466667°N 76.55°E / 9.466667; 76.55
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kottayam
Government
• Body	Municipality
Area
• Municipality[1]	13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
• Metro	43.8 km2 (16.9 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Municipality[1]	47,485
• Density	3,500/km2 (9,100/sq mi)
• Metro	127,987
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English[2]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	686101
Telephone code	0481
Vehicle registration	KL 33

Changanassery, (Malayalam: ചങ്ങനാശ്ശേരി; IPA: [t͡ʃɐŋːɐnaːʃeːɾi]) is a municipality^[3] in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located 17 km (10.6 mi) south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about 115 km (71.5 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Changanassery has a population of 47,485 people, and a population density of 3,517/km² (9,110/sq mi).

Changanassery is an important market town, was historically one of the centres of administration and culture in the Central Travancore region. The Changanassery market, established in AD 1805, served as the main trading point in the transport of rice, pepper, dry ginger, and piece goods between the coastal areas in the west and the mountains of the east. The "Anchu Vilakku" lamps were installed by the locals in 1905 near the boat jetty, and continues to serve as a symbol of the religious and ethnic harmony of the region.^[4][5]