This is one of the 108 Durga Temples in Kerala believed to have been consecrated by Lord Parasurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Locals believe that the surrounding area is protected by the Gods and the trek towards this forest temple is an ethereal experience in itself.

The deity in this temple is believed to be the Incarnation of Yaga-Nidra (Maya)

The Goddess is present in her original three forms of power:
Morning – in the form of Saraswati (The power of knowledge)
Noon – in the form of Vana Durga (The power of forest)
Night – in the form of Bhadrakali (The power of fury and termination (of evil))

As per one of the many stories, which are associated with the goddess here, the most popular one goes like this, the goddess is considered as the eighth born child of Devaki and Vasudeva who ever imprisoned by Kamsa. It is said that the newborn rose up to take the form of goddess Durga. Kamsa attempted to kill the infant and the goddess made her appearance with a lighting; the place where the lighting struck was called Irunnol, which later became Iringol.

Another legend narrates that, a sage named Trinabindu had been meditating here. Once Hanuman is said to have watched him without his knowledge. Pretty soon the monkey god was chased away by the sage who failed to recognise him. Hanuman is believed to have returned with an elephant and a lion, which further enraged the sage who cursed Hanuman, who happened to sitting atop a tree, that he would be unaware of his strength.

Hanuman’s father, the wind god, is said to have searched the entire forest after learning about the curse and began to shake every single tree here. Except one, the rest trembled to the power of Vayu. The monkey god had been sitting on this tree which came to be known as Valiya llavu and is one of the most worshipped ones here. It also said that Vayu bowed before the sage to apologise on behalf of his son, but he was stubborn. The sage reminded Vayu that Iringol is a sacred land; the wind which blows here must be soft and no one should cut the trees and that there will be no dangerous animals or venomous ones which would harm anyone.
The grove is not only the holy abode of Mother Goddess but also to 49 odd different species of trees, 19 varieties of spiders, four species of amphibians and seven species of reptiles. While most of its residents are under the threat of extinction, it is also home to 42 different species of insects and 5 mammals.

The green woods surrounding the temple exhibit a very rare combination of divinity and wilderness. The devotees consider the huge trees, whose roots spread out in all possible directions, to be various gods, who sing and chant hymns and prayers in honour of the goddess. Due to this reason, the place is well protected and not even a single stick is removed from the vicinity which is filled with a wide range of flora and fauna.