Sree Muthappan is believed to be the personification of two divine figures - Thiruvappana and Vellatom. Fundamentally the dual divine figures Thiruvappana and vellatom are not very different from the theyyakaliyattom of the north Malabar region. Though Sree Muthappan represents a single god, it represents two godly figures, Vishnu (with fish-shaped crown) Shiva (a crescent-shaped crown).Sri Muthappan as a theyyam is performed year-round whereas other theyyams are seasonal (lasting October to May).Several Muthappan Temples are seen in different parts of Kannur andKasaragode district. This shows the popularity of the God in the minds of the people of these two districts. Each madappura has its own tradition.
One interesting story relating to the God Muthappan is about the Nileshwar Muthappan Madappura. The Sree Muthappan temple near National Highway No 17 in Nileshwar has a rich heritage. It tells philosophical, devotional and educational importance ofNileshwar.There is an interesting story regarding the construction of Sree Muthappan Temple. An elder member of the Koroth family regularly visited the place now known as the Muthappan temple and drunk madhu (Toddy) a kind of intoxicating drink. He was a famous scholar and got the title Ezhuthachan for his commendable achievement as a teacher. Before drinking madhu as a devotee he pour some drop of madhu on the nearby Jack fruit.tree by telling it is for the god Muthappan. He regularly repeated the practice. Several years after the death of the above mentioned scholar the natives experienced serious troubles and they examined it with the assistance of an astrolleger. The astrolloger reveals the wonder that as a result of the regular practice of giving madhu to God Muthappan, the God started residing there. After the death of the scholar he did not get the madhu. That created disturbances in the area. Then the natives erected a Muthappan temple there. Koroth family got the right of Koymma [patron] in the temple.As a result of the formation of a committee and the great work done by the members of the committee the temple developed as famous and daily hundreds of people visited there. There is a strong belief that the God will cure all diseases and will give prosperity to the devotees. The devotees will get Payakutti from the temple and stood developing as a great temple like the Sree Muthappan temple at Parassinikadavu
