Kannur

It is said that the temple was built by Chola King Shatasoman for Antharjanams (females of palace) to sit and meditate (bhajanam irikkuka).
Another belief is that the Vigraham in the temple was offered puja by one of the 12 Adityas to find cure to skin disease.
It is also said that Chola King Shatasoman had donated the temple to people of Kashyapa gotra.
The temple was known in ancient times as Karaskaranya. The name is used in Kerala Mahatmyam and Chellur Navodayam Chambu.
Chellur Navodayam Chambu belongs to 8th century CE. Therefore it is believed that the temple was built before 8th century CE.
The temple was also the gramakshetram of Perumchellur which was one of the 64 Brahmin villages in ancient Kerala.
Kanjirangottanchadi is a book dedicated to the greatness of the temple in Malayalam.
Karaskareshwarashtakam is a Sanskrit book extolling the greatness of the temple.

Kottiyoor Temple is a prominent Shiva temple in Kannur, Kerala. Vadakkeshwaram Temple is the common name of the temple from ancient times, but some of the local people address the temple as Ikkare Kottiyoor as it is on the bank of the river close to the Kottiyoor village, to differentiate it from the shrine in the other side of the river. Thruchherumana Kshetram is also another name by which temple is known. The temple is a special category temple under Malabar Devaswom board.
The Kottiyoor Perumal Temple was, in its heyday in terms of gold and precious stones, the second-wealthiest Temple in the entire Kerala region (second only to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple which even with its smaller five vaults opened, lays claim to the largest collection of gold and precious stones ever, as well as being the wealthiest place of worship in the world). Kottiyur Perumal’s collection of gold and precious stones has been stored since time immemorial in the ‘Karimbana Gopuram’ of the “Ikkare Kottiyoor” Temple. Kottiyoor Perumal also owned over 30,000 acres of forest-lands in Kannur District.

The Thruchherumana Temple was built after the Swayambhoo lingam was found; however the exact date of construction of temple is not known; the pilgrimage has been taking place for many centuries.

A version of the legend of Ponnu Muthappan is narrated here: The King of Ancharamana (Ayyankara Vazhunnor) of Eruvessi village and his wife, Padikutty Amma, had no offspring. Padikutty was an ardent devotee of Shiva and when she found a baby floating in a basket of flowers in the river water when she was coming back after a bath in the river, she took it as the blessing of Lord Shiva, and so was her husband. The child grew up and in his boyhood, he was always for the benefit of downtrodden and poor people. However, to the agony of his family he practiced hunting, and also started eating flesh, which was not allowed for a Naduvazhi. Unable to bear the indictments from his family, the boy decided to leave home. When his mother attempted to stop him, he looked at her in fury and appeared in his original godly figure before the parent. She bowed down before her son. Nonetheless, she requested him to cover his eyes with a Poikannu, a type of shield for the eyes, since she was afraid that such a fiery look on another occasion may cause to emanate the cosmic force, Shakti, that could change the entire world. Wearing a shield on his eyes, he left the family, and passed through various villages in Malabar, such as Kunnathurpadi, Puralimala, Padavil, Thillenkeri, Kannapuram, Parassinikadavu and Valluvankadav.