When Arjuna and Krishna arrived at Khandava forest Kanva Maharishi approached them with a request to spare his Arca moorthy (a four handed idol of Vishnu) Krishna granted the request. Arjuna constructed a Sarakoodam to shelter Agni. Under the Sarakoodam Agni consumed the forest and was cured of the ailment. Grateful, Agni, expressed his wish to install Arca moorthy in a new temple there to facilitate worship. As instructed by Sri Krishna, Arjuna fired an arrow to determine an auspicious location for the proposed temple. The place where the arrow landed was used to construct the new temple. Evoor is a corrupt form of Eythoor (place where arrow was shot). Krishna performed Prana-Pratishta and Arjuna performed the first pooja. Bhoothanathaswamy( Kiratha Murthy form of Lord Shiva) and Yakshi Amma ( Devi Parvathy) were consecrated as the Sub Deities. The remains of burned trees in the locality and names of nearby places, Karippuzha (kari means char), Pathiyoor (corruption of Kathiya Oor-place that burnt), Pandavarkavu, Mannarasala, Kannamangalam (Kanva-Mangalam Kanva's abode) agree with the account.