About Dharmadom

Belonging to Dharmadom Vidhan Sabha, the village lies in Thalassery taluk of Kannur district. It is located on the geographical coordinates of 11.79⁰N and 75.47⁰E. The total area covered is 10.68 kilometers and the strength of the population is 29,169 strong.


The density of persons living per square kilometer works out to be about three thousand persons per square kilometer. The official languages practiced in Dharmadom are Malayalam and English. The population largely favours the women as the sex ratio works out to be 1120 women for every section of 1000 men. Dharmadom enjoys a high literacy rate much higher than the national average. The literacy rate among the women is only a little less (86%) than that of the men (88%).

Currently, the males comprise forty seven per cent of the population while the females comprise fifty three per cent.

An interesting feature is that the Dharmadom Island is located about one hundred meters away from the main land. This island is surrounded on three sides by the river Anjarakandy and on the fourth by the Arabia Sea.

History and Religious Affiliations of Dharmadom

Historically, it had has been observed that during the twelfth century the place was named Dahfattan by the Jews and the Arabs. Later, the British called it Dharmapatam and, subsequently, the Portuguese named it as Dharampatao. Apparently, there were trade ties between Arabs and South India. It is believed that Mahabali was the son of the Perumal's sister, Sreedevi. He converted to Islam and went on to become the first Raja of the Arakkal Kingdom.

One of the oldest edifices still standing in Dharmadom till date is the Govt. Bremman College which is over a century old. Another interesting feature of the island is the Thalassur Circus academy which is one of the premier circus academies of the country.

The island, lying just a 100 meters away which had been a bastion of the Buddhists was named Dharampattanam by them.

The Andalur Kaavu Festival is one of the main attractions of the Dharmadam village. It is a Hindu religious festival for propitiating the serpents in the forest.

A week-long festival is held during the month of February. It has thousands of devotees coming to the island where innumerable teams of dancers participate and compete whole-heartedly. The entire population observes special austerities, especially involving diet. There are offerings of rice cakes, jaggery and plantations to the gods as well as the guests. There is no other food served on the mainland. All restaurants and hotels are located at Thalasseri, just four kilometers away.

Just about 200 meters from Dharmadam Island is the Muzhuppilangad drive-in beach. Being the only such beach in Kerala, it is one of the best drive-in beaches in India.

How to Reach Dharmadom

Traveling to Dharmadam Island is easy as private buses ply from Kannur and Thalasseri to stop at Dharmadam Land.

A taxi or auto-rickshaw can be hired from either Kannur or nearby Thalasseri to travel the short distance to Dharmadom main land.

The nearest Railway station is the one located at Thalasseri just about 4 kms away.

The nearest airport is the International airport at Kozhikode which lies at a distance of 100 kms.
It is easy to walk to the Dharmadom Island during low tide. However, during high tide there are regular ferry boats available.

Also Read: Tourism in Dharmadom