Athirappilly Grama Panchayat, Rural administrative region in Thrissur district, Kerala, India

Athirappilly Grama Panchayat covers 489 km² in Chalakudy Taluk, Thrissur district, Kerala, with its headquarters 24 km from Chalakudy town and 52 km from Thrissur city. The Chalakudy river crosses it at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges of the Western Ghats, where the 80-foot Athirappilly Falls drops over a dark rock face into a boulder-strewn pool, with the Vazhachal Falls further upstream.

Athirappilly Grama Panchayat lies on the eastern edge of Thrissur district, east of Chalakudy, and is made up largely of forest. Its modern history is bound to the Chalakudy River: in 1982 the Kerala State Electricity Board proposed a 120 MW hydroelectric project with a 23 m high, 311 m wide dam about 5 km upstream of Athirappilly Falls. Clearance was quashed by the Kerala High Court in 2006, and in June 2011 the Union environment ministry refused approval.

Athirappilly's name is often linked to the Malayalam words for 'river bank' and 'plenty', though the exact origin is not documented. The Chalakudy river and the falls shape daily life: the Kadar tribal community lives in the surrounding forests, and the waterfalls have drawn Tamil film crews, including Mani Ratnam, who shot songs for Dil Se.., Iruvar and Raavanan here.

Athirappilly lies on SH-21, the highway linking Kerala and Tamil Nadu, about 24 km from Chalakudy town; buses and rented vehicles from the Chalakudy private bus terminal are the usual approach. Night driving on the forest stretch is not advised. A police camp is stationed at the falls, and precautions are enforced around swimming in the Chalakudy river.

Athirappilly is the only place in the Western Ghats where four endangered hornbill species are seen, and the International Bird Association has declared the area an Important Bird Area. Tamil director Maniratnam shot songs for Dil Se.., Iruvar, Guru and Raavanan at the falls.