Thuckalay is one of the major towns, among Kuzhithurai, Marthandam, and Nagercoil which are on the national highway that connects Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and Kanyakumari.

Thuckalay is famous for Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, which is situated in Villavor panchayat, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Vattakottai, APMA and makkaipalayam jumma Masjid, Murugan temple of Kumarakoil, and Saint Eliyasiar holy church.

Thuckalay is a small town that grew due to the location of the bus stand, public library, Jail, Court, and the national highway going through it.

The Dutch commander Eustachius De Lannoy was buried in the nearby Udayagiri Fort, situated near the Padmanabhapuram palace.

It is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock, 260 feet (79 m) high enclosing an area of almost 90 acres (360,000 m2).

The fort was rebuilt in 1741-1744 during the reign of Marthanda Varma, under the supervision of De Lannoy, a Belgian General who served as the chief of the Travancore Army for 37 years.

His birthday is celebrated every year on a grand scale on the full moon day in the Arabic month of Rajab.

Both the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu attend the celebrations on large numbers irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.