According to this folktale, Vararuchi, one of the nine wise men of Emperor Vikramaditya’s (57 BCE- 78 AD) court married Panchami, a girl belonging to Paraya, a lower caste.
Vararuchi consecrated the 12th child as a deity on top of a hill, and they proceeded on the pilgrimage.
The 11 abandoned children were adopted and brought up by 11 different families, from various sections of society.
Following are the names of the families who are believed to have adopted the children: The following verses in Malayalam of anonymous authorship and of uncertain date describes the names of the twelve children of Vararuchi and his wife Panchami who comprise the progenitors of the twelve clans of the legend of Panthirukulam.
mēḷattōḷagnihōtrī rajakanuḷiyannūr - ttaccanuṃ pinně vaḷḷōn vāyillākkunnilappan vaţutala maruvuṃ nāyar kārackal mātā cěmmē kēḷuppukūṛṛan pěriya tiruvara- ŋgattěļuṃ pāṇanāruṃ nērē nāraayaṇabhrāntanumuţanakavūr- ccāttanuṃ pākkanāruṃ