Origin story
When Shiva assumed the form of a Kirata, a hunter, and Parvati joined him in the forest, their son Vettakkorumakan was born. Shiva gave him a churika, the curved sword, and sent him to subdue the pride of Arjuna; the boy became the guardian of the forests and of his devotees.
Vettakkorumakan was the chief deity of the Chera kings of Malabar, and after the fall of their kingdom the new rulers adopted him. The churika, the hunting dress and the peacock feather express courage and alertness, and his shrines from Balussery to Kannur are invoked before hunting, travel and new undertakings.
Source: Wikipedia: Vettakkorumakan — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vettakkorumakan
