Legend says that the eldest member of the Vengayam family sat in penance at the Mookambika temple at Kutajadri. The Goddess blessed him and promised to accompany him on his umbrella. He was asked not to look back or keep his umbrella anywhere till he reached home. He walked home carrying the umbrella. As he came near the place where the temple stands today, he wanted to pass urine and kept the umbrella on a stone to go and relieve himself. When he came back he could not take the umbrella. He prayed fervently, and the Goddess appeared again, allowing more him to take the umbrella. On reaching home he kept the umbrella in the attic of his house and kept a vaalkannadi to represent the Goddess. When it was feared that there would be no one to live in the house, he kept the Goddess under a Thechi plant. Around 125 years ago there was no female child in the family. The eldest member prayed to the Goddess that if a girl child was born that year in his family he would construct a temple and consecrate the Goddess there. A girl was born and the temple was built. The consecration was done on the day the ceremony of giving rice for the first time was celebrated. The Goddess is worshipped as Kali of Kutajadri.