Sultan Bathery is a town and municipality in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India, near its borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Once known as a strategic location in the Malabar region, Sultan Bathery is the headquarters of the Sultan Bathery taluk.

It is credited with being Kerala's cleanest town, and is known for its tourism and commercial activities.

The modern town was part of Kidanganad village, so-called because of the presence of the Kidangan tribe. During the invasion of Malabar by Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, the town was used by the Mysore army as the storeroom or battery for its ammunition and used a 13th-century Ganapathi Temple located here as a battery. Thus the town known as "Sultan's Battery" in British records later got to be called as "Sultan Bathery".

The recorded history of Sultan Bathery, commensurate with that of Wayanad, begins in the 10th century. In 930 AD, Emperor Erayappa of the Ganga dynasty led his troops to what would later become the district in the south-west of Mysore and, after conquering it, called it Bayalnad, meaning the land of swamps. After Erayappa died, his sons Rachamalla and Battunga fought each other for the new kingdom of their father's legacy. Rachamalla was killed and Battunga became the undisputed ruler of Bayalnad.

In the 12th century AD, the Gangas were dethroned by the Kadamba dynasty of North Canara. In 1104 AD, Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala invaded Bayalnad followed by the Vijayanagara dynasty in the 16th century. In 1610 AD, Udaiyar Raja Wadiyar of Mysore drove out Vijayanagara and became the ruler of Bayalnad and the Nilgiris. When Wayanad was under Hyder Ali's rule, the ghat road from Vythiri to Thamarassery was constructed. Later, the British rulers developed this route into Carter Road.

British rule began at the start of the 19th Century after the East India Company seized Wayanad from the hands of Pazhassi Raja and administered the district until it was superseded by the British Raj in 1858. Until 1947, Wayanad was under the rule of the Malabar collector. History has it that Wayanad has a rich folk culture that gave way to the British domination of Wayanad. The British named the village Sultan's Battery, which in later history means the Sultan's Armory.

The Edakkal Caves have evidence of the existence of a Neolithic civilisation in Wayanad. According to H. S. Graeme, the Thalassery Sub-Collector T. H. Balan was the first to start a revenue settlement in Wayanad. For administrative convenience, the area was divided into Munnadu, Muthoornadu, Ilangkornadu, Nallurnadu, Edanashankur, Poronnur, Kurumbala, Wayanad, Nambikkoli and Ganapathivattam (Ganapati). The importance and relevance of Ganapati has been mentioned often in the reports. History records that Sultan Bathery later became the place of Ganapati on the roadside during the battle of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Ganapati grew as the medieval cities flourished, the four-way street, the main highway, and the center of worship. In 1934, the Kidanganad Panchayat was established. From the administration of the Malabar District Board, Ganapati became the administrative centre of the Kidanganad panchayat. The Niluppuzha Panchayat was formed in 1968 by the division of Kidanganad Panchayat, Nenmeni Panchayat in 1974 and Sultanbathery Panchayat in 1968.

New places of worship and educational institutions have emerged in different parts of the panchayat with the support of Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities. The Ganapati Temple, the Jain Temple and the Malankara Mosque are examples of the ancient history of Sultan Bathery. There is evidence that Sultan Bathery and other parts of Wayanad had been in contact through Tamil, Karnataka and Kodagu villages since medieval times.

Sultan Bathery is located at 11°40′N 76°17′E / 11.67°N 76.28°E / 11.67; 76.28, on the Kozhikode–Kollegal National Highway (NH 766) 97 kilometers from Kozhikode. It is 114 km from Mysore and about 100 km from Ooty (Udagamandalam). It is also connected with Nilambur. It has an average elevation of 907 m (2,976 ft).

Sultan Bathery has a humid climate. The mean average rainfall in this area is 2,322 mm. Lakkidi, Vythiri and Meppadi are the high rainfall areas in Wayanad. The annual rainfall in these areas ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 mm. High-velocity winds are common during the southwest monsoon season and dry winds blow in March and April. High altitude regions experience severe cold. In Wayanad (Ambalavayal) the mean maximum and minimum temperature for the last five years were 29 °C and 18 °C respectively. This place experiences high relative humidity, which can rise to 95 per cent during the southwest monsoon period. Generally the year is classified into four seasons, namely, the cold weather (December–February), hot weather (March–May), southwest monsoon (June–September), and northeast monsoon (October–November) seasons.

In ancient times, the region was home to the native tribes of Chettiars, Paniyar, Kurumar and Urali Nayakkar. Although there are many ethnic groups among the people, their main occupation is agriculture. The panchayath has 26 temples, 15 churches and 15 mosques. Sultan Bathery has a Jain temple that is about 2,000 years old. The center, which is in the possession of the Department of Archeology, has no festivals other than temple rituals. The festival at Sultan Bathery Mariamman Kovil is one of the festivals celebrated here. It is considered to be the national festival of Bathery. Similar festivals are celebrated in the Bathery Mahaganapathi Temple, Kuppadi Devi Temple and Karivallikkunnu Temple.

• Saint Mary Orthodox Cathedral and Pilgrim Centre is the oldest church in Sultan Bathery, established in 1944. The church has the holy relics of three saints and is the headquarters of Sultan Bathery Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church the administrative head of the 48 orthodox parishes in the area. There is also the Nirmalagiri Aramana where the diocesan metropolitan resides in Poomala.
• Edakkal caves are located 10 km from Sultan Bathery and are noted for anthropological research. The caves are two natural rock formations believed to have been formed by a large split in a huge rock.
• Sultan Bathery Jain Temple is one of the prominent Jain temples in Kerala, believed to have been built in the 13th century. This Mahavir stone temple at Kidanganad in Sultan Bathery is also known as Digambara Jain Temple and Kidanganad Basti. The temple architecture, inscriptions and drawings on the pillars and walls are strongly influenced by the architectural style of the Vijayanagara dynasty. An inscription on one of the pillars depicts Dharnendra Bandanam, in the form of a coiled snake.
• Krishnagiri Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Krishnagiri village in Wayanad. It holds up to 20,000 people and at 2,100 feet above sea level is the highest-altitude stadium used exclusively for cricket.
• Thovarimala Ezhuthupara
• Wayanad Heritage Museum, Ambalavayal
• Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary houses a wide range of mammals, birds and other fauna. The mammals include elephants, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bison, deer, and bears. More than 200 species of birds, including peacocks, babblers, cuckoos, owls, woodpeckers and jungle fowl, and 45 species of reptiles like monitor lizard and a variety of snakes and tortoises reside there.

There are many government and private schools offering education. Compared to other districts of Kerala, institutions offering higher education are limited in Wayanad. One of the oldest colleges in Wayanad is St Mary's College, Sulthan Bathery, established in 1965. This arts and science college is affiliated with the University of Calicut.

Sultan Bathery has very good road connectivity with south Indian states. The major road is NH 766 which connects to Mysore, Bangalore and Kozhikode, two state highways connected to Ooty and Coimbatore and a state highway connected to Mangalore, Kannur, Thalassery and Kasaragod. Sultan Bathery is the biggest transport hub of Wayanad district. It is located near the border with the Karnataka state.

There is a major Kerala Transport Depot in Sultan Bathery. Most of the long-distance buses to Kozhikode, Ooty and Bangalore start from this depot. The town also has two smaller bus stations for local travellers. The Periya ghat road connects Mananthavady to Kannur and Thalassery. The Thamarassery mountain road connects Calicut with Kalpetta. The Kuttiady mountain road connects Vatakara with Kalpetta and Mananthavady. The Palchuram mountain road connects Kannur and Iritty with Mananthavady. The road from Nilambur to Ooty is also connected to Wayanad through the village of Meppadi.

The nearest railway stations are at Mysore and Calicut. The nearest airports are at Mysore, Calicut and Kannur.

The Sultan Bathery assembly constituency is part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Its member of parliament is Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress (INC) party, and the MLA is I. C. Balakrishnan (INC).

The Sultan Bathery Municipality has been governed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) since 2015.

• Chairperson: TK Ramesh (Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))
• Vice Chairperson: Elsy Paulose (CPI(M))

Since its establishment in 1962, the Bathery panchayat (council) has mainly been held by the INC-led United Democratic Front (UDF). P. C. Ahmed Haji of the Indian Union Muslim League was the first president and held office for three decades. The LDF was in power for only eight months in 2005 with the help of the Democratic Indira Congress (Kerala) party. The president was CK Sahadevan who later became the first chairman when it was converted to a municipality in 2015.

Source:

Sultan Bathery Municipality Chairperson list

No:	Name	Party	Year		Division
1	C. K. Sahadevan	CPI(M)	18 November 2015–03/04/2018	1st	Beenachi
2	T. L. Sabu	Kerala Congress (M)	26 April 2018–11 November 2020		Kattayad
3	T. K. Ramesh	CPI(M)	28 December 2020–incumbent	2nd	Dottappankulam

Source:

Election	Niyama Sabha	Member	Party		Tenure
1977	5th	K. Raghavan Master	INC		1977–1980
1980	6th	K. K. Ramachandran Master			1980–1982
1982	7th				1982–1987
1987	8th				1987–1991
1991	9th	K. C. Rosakutty			1991–1996
1996	10th	P. V. Varghese Vaidyar	CPI(M)		1996–2001
2001	11th	N. D. Appachan	INC		2001–2006
2006	12th	P. Krishna Prasad	CPI(M)		2006–2011
2011	13th	I. C. Balakrishnan	INC		2011–2016
2016	14th				2016–2021
2021	15th				2021–2026

Source:

Sultan Bathery Municipality Vice Chairperson list

No:	Name	Party	Year		Division
1	Jisha Shaji	CPI(M)	18/11/2015–11 November 2020	1st	Kuppady
2	Elsy Paulose	CPI(M)	28/12/2020–incumbent	2nd	Sultan Bathery

Source:

Sultan Bathery Grama Panchayat President List

No:	Name	Party	Year
1	P. C. Ahamad Haji	IUML
2	Special Officer	–	1979–1980
3	P. C. Ahamad Haji	IUML	1980–1985
4	Special Officer	–	1985-1988
5	P. C. Ahamad Haji	IUML	1988-1995
6	P. C. Ahamad Haji	IUML	1995-1998
7	N. M. Vijayan	INC	1998–2000
8	Nafeeza Ahamad koya	IUML	2000–2005
9	C. K. Sahadevan	CPI(M)	2005–2006
10	Babu Pazhupathoor	INC	2006-2006
11	Radha Raveendran	INC	2006–2009
12	O. M. George	INC	2009–2010
13	P. P. Ayyoob	IUML	2010–2012
14	O. M. George	INC	2012–2015

Sultan Bathery Municipality
History
Founded	2015 (2015)
Leadership
Chairperson	T. K. Ramesh
Secretary	K. M. Sainudheen
Structure
Political groups	LDF (24)   CPI(M) (21)   KC(M) (1)   Independent (2) UDF (11)   INC (5)   IUML (3)   Kerala Congress (1)   Independent (2)
Website
sulthanbatherymunicipality.lsgkerala.gov.in/en

Governing Council

Position	Name	Party	Division
Chairperson	T. K. Ramesh	CPI(M)	Dottappankulam
Deputy Chairperson	Elsy Paulose	CPI(M)	Sultan Bathery

Standing Committee	Chairperson	Party	Division
Finance	Elsy Paulose	CPI(M)	Sultan Bathery
Development	Lisha Teacher	CPI(M)	Kidangil
Welfare	C. K. Sahadevan	CPI(M)	Manthamkolly
Health	Shamila Junaise	Independent (LDF)	Manichira
Public Works	K Rasheed	CPI(M)	Kuppady
Education, Arts & Sports	Tom Jose	Kerala Congress (M)	Manthandikunnu

Councillors

Division number	Division name	Member	Role	Party	Category
1	Aram mile	Girija Chandran	Councillor	IUML	ST Woman
2	Chethalayam	A. R. Jayakrishnan	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
3	Chenad	Nisha P. R.	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
4	Vengur North	Bindhu Ravi	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
5	Odappallam	Priya Vinod	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
6	Vengur South	Sheeba Chacko	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
7	Pazhery	Radakrishnan	Councillor	CPI(M)	ST
8	Karuvallikunnu	Valsa Jose	Councillor	INC	Woman
9	Armad	Samshad P	Councillor	Independent (UDF)	General
10	Kottakunnu	P. K. Sumathi	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
11	Kidangil	Lisha Teacher	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
12	Kuppady	K Rasheed	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
13	Thirunelly	Saly Paulose	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
14	Manthandikunnu	Tom Jose	Councillor	Kerala Congress (M)	General
15	Sathramkunnu	Prajitha Ravi	Councillor	INC	Woman
16	Cheroorkunnu	Radha Raveendran	Councillor	INC	Woman
17	Palakkara	Pramod K. S.	Councillor	CPI(M)	SC
18	Thelambatta	Hema C	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
19	Thoduvatty	Asees Madala	Councillor	INC	General
20	Kaipanchery	Jamsheer Ali	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
21	Maithanikunnu	Babu M. C.	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
22	Fairland	Shameer Madathil	Councillor	Independent (LDF)	General
23	Kattayad	Nisha Sabu	Councillor	Independent	Woman
24	Sultan Bathery	Elsy Paulose	Deputy Chairperson	CPI(M)	General
25	Pallikandi	Harif A. C.	Councillor	IUML	General
26	Manichira	Shamila Junaise	Councillor	Independent (LDF)	Woman
27	Kalluvayal	Salim Madathil	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
28	Poomala	Bindhu Saji	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
29	Dottappankulam	T. K. Ramesh	Chairperson	CPI(M)	ST
30	Beenachi	Bindhu Pramod	Councillor	CPI(M)	Woman
31	Poothikadu	K. C. Yohannan	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
32	Cheenapullu	Radha Babu	Councillor	IUML	ST Woman
33	Manthamkolly	C. K. Sahadevan	Councillor	CPI(M)	General
34	Pazhupathur	Mercy Teacher	Councillor	INC	Woman
35	Kaivattamoola	Shoukath Kallikudan	Councillor	Independent (UDF)	General

• Basil Joseph, director in the Malayalam film industry

• Jainism in Kerala
• Mysorean invasion of Malabar
• Sultan Battery (Mangalore)

• Media related to Sultan Bathery at Wikimedia Commons
• Sultan Bathery travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website of the Wayanad district