This famous temple is at Chenganoor in the Alappuzha
district. There are many legends about the consecration of the Goddess here.
According to Devipuanam, it is connected with the Yaga performed by Daksha, the
father of Sathy Devi. Though Daksha invited everybody else he left out his
daughter and her husband Lord Siva. Devi wanted to attend the Yaga. Siva warned
her that she would be humiliated there. Still, she went there. The father not
only ignored her but also spoke ill about Lord Siva. Enraged by this Sathy Devi
immolated herself in the sacrificial fire. Hearing about it Siva sent
Veerabhadra to destroy the
more
clan of Daksha. Then Siva rushed to the Yaga and
started dancing vigorously with the body of Sathy in his hands. Seeing the
sorrow of Siva, Vishnu sent his Sudarsana Chakra and cut the body of the Devi
into several parts. The Arakettu (loins) is believed to have fallen where the Chenganoor
temple stands today. According to Aithihyamala, a famous book of legends, once
Vishnu, Brahma, all the Devas, Gandharvas, Sages and Gods went to the Himalayas
to attend the wedding of Siva and Parvathy. Then Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara
requested Sage Agasthya to sit on Shronadri on the southern bank of the Pamba River
in order to prevent the earth from sinking to the northern side due the weight
of all those assembled on the Himalayas. Though Agasthya agreed to do it, he
was disappointed at not being able to witness the wedding. So, Siva and
Parvathy appeared before him immediately after the wedding. The Devi started having
her menstrual period at that time and stayed there till the period was over.
The place where Agasthya stayed, Shronadri in Sanskrit became Chenkunnu in
Malayalam and later it came to be Chenganoor. According to the Silapathikaram,
Kannaki who is believed to be an incarnation of Sathy Devi, killed Pandya Raja,
the King of Madurai who had killed her husband. Then she came to Chenganoor and
meditated on top of the hill. Her husband Kovalan appeared before her and the
two of them ascended to heaven. The people who had seen the Devi meditating
there built a temple at the spot with the help of their king, Cheran
Senkuttuvan. This monarch is believed to have brought a piece of stone from the
Himalayas, carved the image of the Goddess and consecrated her there.