Ollur

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Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in Thrissur city, Kerala, India. It sits about five kilometres from Swaraj Round along the old National Highway 47 toward Kochi, between Kuriachira and Thalore. Today it is part of the Thrissur Municipal Corporation.

History
The first well-known landmark in Ollur is St. Anthony's Forane Church, founded in 1718. Before India’s independence, Ollur belonged to the Kingdom of Cochin and later became part of Travancore-Cochin. In 1919, Ollur Panchayat was formed with nearby Edakunni. After independence, local governance evolved to one person, one vote. In 1997, Ollur Panchayat was merged into the newly created Thrissur Municipal Corporation.

Landmarks
St. Anthony's Forane Church helped start Ollur's first primary school in 1896. Edakkunni Sri Durga Bhagavathy Temple is one of 108 Durga temples believed to have been built by Parasurama. The temple’s main goddess is Vaishnava, and it participates in the Arattupuzha Pooram festival. Edakkunni Uthram Vilakku is a festival held at the temple. The tomb of Euphrasia Eluvathingal and a convent are in Ollur, with a small museum inside.

Economy
Ollur has many industries. There are about 20 tile factories, and tiles from Ollur were once exported by rail. The timber and wooden packing-box industry is large, with many units making packing boxes from rubber wood. Rolled gold jewelry, a 200-year-old craft, employs around 6,000 people and is sold across India and to the Middle East. Ayurvedic manufacturers Oushadhi and Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala operate here, with the former run by the government. The Catholic Syrian Bank has a staff training college in Ollur. Ollur is also known for its significant wooden packing and timber trade.

Transport
Ollur is well connected by rail and road. It lies on the old NH 47 and has a railway station on the Shoranur–Cochin line, with several passenger trains stopping there. It is about 50 km from Cochin International Airport and 85 km from Kozhikode International Airport. KSRTC and private buses connect Ollur to Thrissur, Kochi, Palakkad, and many other cities in Kerala, and even to Chennai.

Politics
Ollur Assembly Constituency is part of the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency. The current MLA is Adv. K. Rajan.

Notable note
In 2014, a pastor from Ollur was convicted of sexually abusing a minor and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The 2015 film Spotlight mentions Ollur in connection with church abuse stories.