Early medieval period Valanchery was originally part of the
Valluvanad Swaroopam dynasty in the early medieval period (12th century CE).
Valluvanad was an erstwhile princely state in the present state of
Kerala, that extended from the
Bharathappuzha river in the South to the
Panthaloor Mala in the North. The main force under the command of Samoothiri himself attacked, encamping at
Triprangode, an allied force of Valluvanadu and
Perumpadappu from the north. Meanwhile, another force under the Eralppadu commanded a fleet across the sea and landed at
Ponnani and later moved to Thirumanasseri, with the intention to descend on
Tirunavaya from the south with the help of the warriors of the Thirumanasseri Brahmins.
Eralppadu also prevented the warriors of Perumpadappu from joining Valluvanadu forces. The Muslim merchants and commanders at Ponnani supported the Kozhikode force with food, transport, and provisions. The warriors of the Eralppadu moved north and crossed the
Bharathappuzha and took up position on the northern side of the river.
Cheranad had been under the direct rule of the
Zamorin of Calicut during the late medieval period. After the
Guruvayur Temple Satyagraha and Kelappan's fast, a referendum was held to get the views of the upper caste Hindus of
Ponnani taluk. The central office of the referendum was Valanchery. It was on this occasion that prominent national leaders including
Kasturba Gandhi,
C. R. Das's sister Urmila Devi, Sadashiva Rao,
C. Rajagopalachari, and U. Gopala Menon, visited Valanchery.
V. T. Bhattathiripad is also a notable figure in this group. The first
Indian National Congress committee in Valanchery was formed in 1936. The Muslim League was formed in 1938 here. During the hike of rice prices,
Valanchery Matta Rice had possessed a position in the newspapers. As a result of the efforts of Mazhuvanchery Damodaran Namboothiri and others, a united currency group (
Aikya Nanaya Sangham) had functioned in Valanchery. After the war, as a result of
K. Kelappan's efforts in Malabar, the Firka Consumer Co-operative Society was formed on a
Firka basis. A cooperative society was also formed in Valanchery under the presidency of TKC Moideenkutty Kalathil. Today's
Kuttippuram Service Co-operative Bank is a continuation of that.
Post-Independence C. M. Ramakurup was the founding manager of Valanchery High School, which was started in 1951 at Puthenkalam, Kolamangalam. Today, it is the largest school under the private sector in the
Tirur educational district.
Kattipparuthi Grama Panchayat, which was upgraded to a Special Grade Panchayat in 1980, was renamed Valanchery in 1981. Valanchery became one of the major commercial and educational hubs of
South Malabar region during the last decades. It was upgraded to a Municipality in the year 2015. Now Valanchery is one of the 12 municipal towns in
Malappuram district, and forms a part of the
Malappuram metropolitan area, which is also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state according to the latest census conducted in
2011. ==Demographics==