I must install python-dev on my embedded linux machine, which runs python-2.7.2. The linux flavor is custom-built by TimeSys; uname -a gives:
Linux hotspot-smc 2.6.32-ts-armv7l-LRI-6.0.0 #1 Mon Jun 25 18:12:45 UTC 2012 armv7l GNU/Linux
The platform does not have package management such as 'yum' or 'apt-get', and for various reasons I prefer not to install one. It does have gcc. 
Does python-dev source contain C/C++ code? Can I download python-dev source code as a .tar.gz file, for direct compilation on this machine? I have looked for the source but haven't been able to find it.
Thanks,
Tom
Does python-dev source contain C/C++ code? 

Yes. It includes lots of header files and a static library for Python.

Can I download python-dev source code as a .tar.gz file, for direct compilation on this machine? 

python-dev is a package. Depending on your operation system you can download a copy of the appropriate files by running, e.g.
sudo apt-get install python-dev or sudo yum install python-devel depending on your operation system.
python-dev installation without package management?