Parasurama went all over India twentyone times killing all the Kshatriyas, and thereby incurred a lot of sin. He did not know how to get over the sin and attain Moksha. So Paramasiva blessed his disciple Parasurama by giving him an idol of Vishnu which he himself was worshipping daily. Parasurama found Vilwamala the most suitable place to install the idol. He installed the idol at the western end of Vilwamala over which the eastern shrine of the temple is built. Parasurama did this for the welfare of all the people in the world. The "Bhutas and Pretas" (souls of dead people who never attained salvation) of Bhutamala lying close to the Vilwamala got relieved of their bondage and got salvation by the sight of this idol. As the glory of this idol spread far and wide, the Pandavas also came here. They made offerings to their 'Pitrus' (ancestors) in the presence of Lord Krishna on the shores of the river Nila. They installed separate "Sivalingas" at Someswaram and Kothakkurissimangalam and returned to their place happily.

The present temple at "Ivormadhom" is the place blessed by Sri Krishna by his presence. It was Dharmaputra who installed the Sivalinga at Someswara temple. The huge Sivalinga installed by Bhima alongwith other Sivalingas, which are supposed to have been installed by his brothers, are still among the thick bushes at Kothakkurissimangalam in a forgotten state. Eveilthough the "Pindappara", the rock where the Pandavas made their offerings to their Pitrus, was run over by the river, the land between Kothakkurissimangalam and Ivormadhom is still called "Bharathakhandam" and the name Bharathappuzha is yet prevalent for the river Nila.

Every year thousands of people from far and near come to Bharathappuzha to offer their oblations to their Pitrus especially on the new moon days in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam (June-July) and Thulam (Oct-Nov).

It is believed that even Sitadevi after having been banished from Ayodhya due to the scandal, came to know of the sanctity of the idol of Vishnu at Vilwamala, reached this place and lived in the spot which is at present known as "Parakkottukavu". During the same period Amalaka, one of the sons of Rishi Kasyapa was practising severe penance chanting the name of Rama, eating only gooseberries as his food at Saraswathi Kundu, below the temple. This penance, which horrified even Devendra culminated in the appearance of Lord Vishnu, attended by serpent Anantha in front of Rishi Amalaka. Hearing the trumpets beaten in high pitch by the Devas heralding the approach of (Vishnu) Sri Rama, Sitadevi jumped into the lake nearby, which had kept its mouth open, ready to receive her and disappeared. This lake was known as "Vaikkattirichira" ( "Vai" means mouth, "Katti" means showing and "Chira" means lake). Even now the "Bhoothaganas" and "Vanadurga" here are supposed to be continuing their search for Sitadevi.

Most probably this must be the reason why the famous devi temple Parakkottu kavu and Vaikkattirichira on the south-west side of this temple came into being. However at the request of Rishi Amalaka, Lord Vishnu who appeared before him took the form of the stone image of himself to bless the devotees forever. The presiding deity in the shrine facing the west came to be known as Srirama from that day onwards.

The wicked Rakshasas were afraid of the sanctity of both the idols of Vilwamala. Knowing this, Kumbhanasa, their leader, waited for an apt time to break down the idols. He disguised himself as a brahmin and tried to lift the left leg of the idol in the western shrine on the day of Ekadesi in the month of Kumbha (Feb - Mar) without being noticed by anybody. This attempt caused a great tremor not only in Kailasa but also in the whole universe. Then Sri Mahavishnu appeared and shut up all the rakshasas in a cave nearby. This place is now known as "Rakshasapara". Owing to this incident Shiva's power also entered this idol, to avoid further attacks from the rakshasas. Because of the presence of Siva in the western idol lots of devotees reach the temple to pray to Vilwadrinatha on Mondays, Pradosha days and the Mahasivaratri day observing the necessary ritualistic formalities. A special lamp is daily lit for Siva in this shrine and Siva is worshipped with "Vilwapushpas" at the time of pooja.

Though the rakshasas could not approach the vicinity of the temple they continued to cause trouble in many ways and succeeded in setting fire to the temple. It is believed that Sri Hanuman, the enemy of rakshasas, himself came here and took charge of the security of the temple after this incident. The idol of Hanuman installed in a special shrine inside the compound wall is sufficient proof for this. Sri Hanuman's forefinger is seen pointing towards Vilwadrinatha indicating his extreme devotion to Sri Rama.

It is worth saying that no kind of threats either from fire or from anything else has occured ever since. The number of people who worship Hanuman is increasing day by day. The main offering is "Vadamala" for achieving the desired ends. The devotees also offer "Beaten rice" (Avil), garlands made of betel leaves and paper garlands with names of Srirama written inside. The devotees circumambulate the shrine of Hanuman several times in the morning and in the evening for different purposes. Many young ladies do the same for the realisation of their marriage. A number of devotees go round the shrine counting the distance by foot. Anjaneyaswami (Hanuman) is all in all for the Tamil Brahmins.

Sri Hanuman is very much liked by his devotees as he fulfils the needs of his dear ones, he himself being the most devoted servant of Sri Rama (Vishnu).