Mal: ചാലക്കുടി c(h)ālakkuṭi
‘Prosperous Settlement’ Town, Kerala
From Tam/Mal: c(h)āla/c(h)āl ‘abundant’, ‘noble’; and kuṭi ‘settlement’, ‘colony’.
Chalakudy was the site of the Nedumkotta defence fortification to resist the military advances of Hyder Ali Khan against Travancore State. Tipu Sultan later used Chalakudy as his military base for incursions southwards into the Travancore kingdom.
The 145.5 km Chalakudy river, Kerala’s fifth longest, is named after the town.
Chalakudy is a convenient stopover for visits to the Athirapally Falls
Also: Some have suggested that it may have been an ancient sacrifice site – I think not. [Skt: yājña, ‘sacrifice’; śāla, ‘tent’, ‘enclosure’; and Mal: koṭi, ‘flag’, ‘banner’].
For related place names see Indian Place names and Kerala place names.
Athirapally Falls during the monsoon Jan Joseph George