Thalassery also known as Tellicherry, is a town on the Malabar Coast of Northern Kerala, India. It is the second largest municipality of North Malabar in terms of population. Thalassery's history over the past 500 years has had enormous significance for the development of the state of Kerala. Thalassery municipality has a population just under 100,000. Possessing an area of 23.98 km2, Thalassery is strategically located on the western coast of Kannur district on the Malabar Coast of Kerala. It is 22 km from the district headquarters at Kannur. The town is situated at 11°44’N latitude and 75°26’E longitude, at an altitude ranging from 2.5m to 30m above mean sea-level. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized form of the Malayalam name Thalassery, which originates from the words 'Thala' (Head) and 'Kacheri' (Office), thus Thalassery or 'head of offices'. There are also other arguments that the name Thalassery could also have been emerged from Talakkathe cheri a combination of 'Talakkat' (Head) and 'Cheri' (Place or Brahminic settlement). However there is no mention about brahminic settlements in Thalassery in Keralolpathy so this argument is also debated. The administration manual vol. 2, 1885 of the former Madras Presidency cites research in regional legends and folklore to indicate that the puranic name of Thalassery was Swetharanya pura. The Upanishad Acharya Swethakethu took penance in this place and it is said that Lord Shiva danced ananda thandava here.

The British established their presence in Kerala in 1682, when they obtained permission from the Vadakkilamkur Prince of Kolattunad to settle in Thalassery. In the following years, the British presence in the state of Kerala strengthened. During this period, there were many organised revolts held by the natives of the region against the empire. Among them was the revolt of 1704, organised by natives of Thalassery; this revolt was quickly crushed by the British forces due to its localised, non-nationalistic nature. Thalassery is in Kannur district.The town has Dharmadam Panchayat in north, Eranjoli and Kodiyeri in east, and New Mahe in south and Arabian sea on west. The palm-fringed terrain of Thalassery has a scenic coastline and features four rivers, canals and hills with orange-hued rock. One of the four rivers is the Mahé River (Mayyazhi river). During the British Raj, the Mahé River was nicknamed the English Channel, because it separated British-ruled Thalassery from French-ruled Mahé. Muzhappilangad, a 5 km long Drive in beach, in fact it's the only Drive in beach in Asia, is located within 6 km of the city centre.

The regional culture was heavily influenced and by the British, the Christian missionaries, the educational reforms and also due to the migration of a huge number of people, a majority of them was the Royal family, Nair and Namboothiri feudal lords and their associates, to Travancore during Hyder Ali's and Tipu Sultan's invasion was another factor,resulting in lesser social discrepancies between upper and lower casts between 18th century to mid 20th century. This was entirely different from Travancore Cochin area which was not under the Madras Presidency, where there were huge inequality in the society. So British Malabar and Travancore-Cochin had a small difference in culture and society in those days . The economic strength was largely increased to to middle-east migration. Thalassery is known as the political and cultural capital of modern malabar. Its the centre of progressive political and literary movements. In the colonial era itself Thalassery was the centre of learning in north Kerala. The first Malayalam newspapers, novels and short stories in Malayalam were born here. Earlier, the well known romantic poem in Malayalam, "Veenapoovu" (Fallen Flower) of Kumaran Asan was published from Thalassery. It's also the birthplace of the Communist movement in Kerala. Thalassery has a composite cosmopolitan culture. Rajya Samacharam, the first Malayalam newspaper, was published from Thalassery.