As per the legend, the waterfall is named after Shakuntala, who was believed to have fallen in love with king Dushyanta, at the very site. Also, it is said that Shakuntala used to take bath in this Kuntala Falls. Since Gond tribes mostly live here, the waterfall’s name is derived from the world ‘Kunta’ which means pond in both Gondi and Tamil. The word ‘Kuntalu’ stands for multiple ponds, and this waterfall is created by the confluence of several ponds which drains from the river.