During the stay of Shri Krishna in the Gokula, Shani Deva was desperate to meet his ishta or tutelary Shri Krishna in his bālarūpama (बाल रूप ) or his Child form. But, since Shani deva possessed a "Vakrī dṛṣṭi" i.e., a destructive vision energy, thus Shri Krishna wasn't willing to meet Shani deva in his usual humanized form. Thus Krishna assumed the form of a Kokila or Koyala (कोकिल/कोयल)i.e., a Cuckoo bird, and requested Shani to not even come inside the Village (as that might be inauspicious for the whole village, since Shani being of malefic nature). Lord Krishna assuming the Cuckoo bird form flied out of the village and met Shani deva outside the village periphery.
The place where this meeting happened is posited as the present day setting for the above mentioned, Shri Shani Mandir Kokilavan temple.
