Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, also known as Kallisseril Velayudha Perumal, was a 19th-century social reformer and warrior, known for his fight against many social evils prevalent in the state of Kerala. He was born into an affluent Ezhava family known as Kallisseril, in the small independent province called Mangalam, near Haripad in Alappuzha district.

Alappuzha district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to Alappuzha in 1990. Alappuzha is the smallest district of Kerala. Alleppey town, the district headquarters, was renamed Alappuzha in 2012, even though the anglicised name is still commonly used to describe the town as well as the district.