The Couple Ayyankara Devan and Padikutty anthrajan of the famous Ayyankara Illam of North Malabar was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Padikutty anthrajanam was living in sorrow and agony due to having no child long years after their marriage. One day in her dream she saw the Lord. The next day, Padikutty and her maid servants went for royal bath at Thiruvan Kadav, Hardly had she made a dip when rising up, she heard a cry of an infant baby. a pretty child lying on a rock nearby, the child was carried along with great affection to illam, where the child grew up as the son of Ayyankara couple.

The child was taught vedhas and epics as per acharya norms. The boy used to visit the jungle near their illam for hunting with His bow and arrows. He would then take food to the poor and mingle with local communities. As these acts were against the way of brahmin life, His parents earnestly requested Him to stop this practice, but the boy turned a deaf ear to their warnings. Ayyankara Vazhunavar became very disappointed.

Ayyankara Vazhunavar decided to take the matters into his hands and admonished him. The boy revealed His divine form (Visvaroopam) to His parents. They then realized that the boy was not an ordinary child, but God. They prostrated themselves in front of Him, surrendering themselves to him. The moment he got out of his house, and looked around all the vegetation around got burned in the fire of his warth everything that came under Muthappan's vision burned and turned into ashes due to his sadness in leaving the house. His mother told him that he should not walk all the way destroying every creation in this world. Muthappan pierced his eyes so that nothing shall be disintegrated with his vision. Thiruvappana is depicted as blind because of this.

He then started a journey. The natural beauty of  Kunnathoor  detained Him. He was also attracted by the toddy of palm trees.

Chandan (an illiterate toddy tapper) knew that his toddy was being stolen from his palm trees, so he decided to guard them. While he was keeping guard at night, he caught an old man stealing toddy from his palms. He got very angry and tried to shoot the man using his bow and arrows but fell unconscious before he could let loose even one arrow. Chandan's wife came searching for him. She cried brokenheartedly when she found him unconscious at the base of the tree. She saw an old man at the top of the palm tree and called out to Him, saying "Muthappan" (muthappan means 'grandfather' in the local Malayalam language). She earnestly prayed to the God to save her husband. Before long, Chandan regained consciousness. She offered boiled gram (chickpea), slices of coconut, burnt fish and toddy to the Muthappan. (Even today, in Sree Muthappan temples, the devotees are offered boiled grams and slices of coconut.) She sought a blessing from Him. Muthappan chose Kunnathoor as His residence at the request of Chandan. This is the famous  Kunnathoor Padi .

After spending some years at Kunnathoor, Sree Muthappan decided to look for a more favorable residence so that He could achieve His objective of His  Avataram . He shot an arrow upward from Kunnathoor. The shaft reached  Parassini  where the Parassini Temple stands today. The arrow was found pierced in kanjiram (Indian Poison Nut Tree), was glowing in the near the temple. The arrow was placed on the altar. Since then, Lord Sree Muthappan has been believed to reside at  Parassinikkadavu.

When Thiruvappan-Muthappan traveled through the jungle, he reached Puralimala Here he met another muthappan; Thiruvappan called him cherukkan, meaning 'young boy', in Malayalam, and accompanied him. This second Muthappan is called  Vellattam  (or Vellatom). Thus, there is Thiruvappan - Valiya Muttapan (Vishnu) - called Muthappan; and a second Muthappan, called Vellattam or Cheriya Muthappan (Shiva). From where they travelled and built 308 Madappuras and innumerable podikkalams thereby reinforcing their dominion.

The worshipping place of Muthappan is called Madappura. Many Madappuras are there in North Malabar. Of all such Madappuras; Parassani Madappura is the most prominent. Here Muthappan devotees of Muthappan who throng here being supplied with Tea, steamed pear and a small piece of coconut. Relief and consaltion is accorded to all devotees of Muthappan who come here and conolation is accorded to all devotees of Muthappan who come here and after the lighting of the lamp called Deeparadhana. Devotees are blessed with the ‘Holy Darsan’ by both Cheriya Muthappan and Valiya Muthappan when they conduct Thirivappana Vellattom in the wee hours of morning.