Devalok

Stories of the gods from South India

Madurai and Tirumala, Kerala's backwaters, the Tulu coast and the Tamil temples of the Vel: the south keeps its own festivals and its own tellings, often older than the northern ones, and this page gathers them.

All kinds LegendsLocal storiesFolk talesFrom the epicsFestival stories
Told across IndiaFrom the Vedic hymnsNorth IndiaSouth IndiaEast IndiaWest IndiaNepal and beyond
The Spear His Mother Gave Legend · South India · Kailash to the Tamil shore, as the Tamil temples tell it; Tiruvannamalai, Nallur and the Thaipusam templesThe Spear His Mother Gave The Hills on Idumban's Shoulders Legend · South India · Palani, Tamil Nadu; and the Tamil world, Batu Caves and SingaporeThe Hills on Idumban's Shoulders The First Thing Seen Folk tale · South India · KeralaThe First Thing Seen The Sun That Rose Crooked Folk tale · South India · Kerala, and the Ramayana for the second tellingThe Sun That Rose Crooked The Physician Who Rose from the Sea Legend · Told across India · Kashi for the second birth, Kerala for the templesThe Physician Who Rose from the Sea The Names Agastya Was Not Told Legend · South India · Kanchi and TirumeeyachurThe Names Agastya Was Not Told The Night Vishnumoorthi Comes Down Folk tale · South India · north Malabar, KeralaThe Night Vishnumoorthi Comes Down The Hunter Girl of Ahobilam Local story · South India · Ahobilam, Andhra PradeshThe Hunter Girl of Ahobilam The Ring and the Milkmaid Legend · East India · Puri, Chilika and KanchiThe Ring and the Milkmaid The Ornaments That Walk from Pandalam Festival story · South India · Pandalam to SabarimalaThe Ornaments That Walk from Pandalam The God and His Friend Vavar Local story · South India · Erumely and SabarimalaThe God and His Friend Vavar The Boy Who Rode Home on a Tiger Legend · South India · Pandalam and SabarimalaThe Boy Who Rode Home on a Tiger The Land the Sea Gave Back Legend · South India · Kerala and the western coast, from Gokarna to KanyakumariThe Land the Sea Gave Back The God Who Crosses the Runway Festival story · South India · Thiruvananthapuram and Shanghumugham beach, KeralaThe God Who Crosses the Runway The King Who Gave Away His Kingdom Local story · South India · Thiruvananthapuram, KeralaThe King Who Gave Away His Kingdom The Goddess of a Hundred Eyes Legend · Pan-India · Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh; Sambhar, Rajasthan; Badami, KarnatakaThe Goddess of a Hundred Eyes The Girl in the Millet Field Local story · South India · Vallimalai and Tiruttani, Tamil Nadu; Kataragama, Sri LankaThe Girl in the Millet Field The Boy Who Taught His Father Local story · South India · Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam, Tamil NaduThe Boy Who Taught His Father The Mango Tree in the Sea Local story · South India · Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi district, Tamil NaduThe Mango Tree in the Sea The Temple Where Fate Is Rewritten Local story · South India · Tirupattur, near Tiruchirappalli, Tamil NaduThe Temple Where Fate Is Rewritten The God Who Played Dice Local story · South India · Tirumala, Andhra PradeshThe God Who Played Dice The Fortune-Teller at the Palace Local story · South India · Tirumala and Narayanavanam, Andhra PradeshThe Fortune-Teller at the Palace The Cow That Fed the Anthill Local story · South India · Tirumala, Andhra PradeshThe Cow That Fed the Anthill The Goddess from the Poison Legend · Pan-Indian · Kerala's Bhagavati templesThe Goddess from the Poison The Dance in the Banyan Forest Local story · South India · Tiruvalangadu and Chidambaram, Tamil NaduThe Dance in the Banyan Forest The Leap to Lanka From the epics · Pan-Indian · the southern sea and LankaThe Leap to Lanka The Temple Built with the Tax Local story · South India · Bhadrachalam, TelanganaThe Temple Built with the Tax The Linga of Sand Legend · South India · Rameswaram, Tamil NaduThe Linga of Sand The Window at Udupi Local story · South India · Udupi, KarnatakaThe Window at Udupi The Garland She Wore First Local story · Tamil Nadu · Srivilliputhur and SrirangamThe Garland She Wore First The Seven Bulls Legend · All India · and Tamil Nadu for Nappinnai and the bull-tamingThe Seven Bulls The Gooseberry and the Golden Rain Local story · Kerala · Punnorkode near Aluva, and KaladyThe Gooseberry and the Golden Rain The Rice Tied in a Cloth Legend · All India · Dwaraka and Porbandar, and Guruvayur for Kuchela's dayThe Rice Tied in a Cloth The Morning the World Began Festival story · South and West India · Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and MaharashtraThe Morning the World Began The Boat of the Onam Feast Local story · South India · Aranmula, Pathanamthitta, KeralaThe Boat of the Onam Feast The King Who Comes Home Festival story · South India · KeralaThe King Who Comes Home The Hunger of Guliga Folk tale · South India · Tulu Nadu (Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod)The Hunger of Guliga The Boar of Shiva's Garden Folk tale · South India · Tulu Nadu (Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod)The Boar of Shiva's Garden The Demon of Fire Legend · West and South India · Maharashtra and Tamil NaduThe Demon of Fire The Bull Who Got the Message Wrong Folk tale · South India · Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and AndhraThe Bull Who Got the Message Wrong The Child with Six Mothers Legend · Told across India · the Ganga and the Tamil southThe Child with Six Mothers The Elder Sister Legend · Told across India; Odisha; Tamil NaduThe Elder Sister Half of Him Legend · Told across India · and Tiruchengode, Tamil NaduHalf of Him The Judge Who Was Saraswati Legend · South India and Kashmir · Sringeri and Sharada PeethThe Judge Who Was Saraswati Forty-Eight Letters Local story · South India · Madurai, Tamil NaduForty-Eight Letters The Girl with Three Breasts Local story · South India · Madurai, Tamil NaduThe Girl with Three Breasts The Lotus at Tiruchanur Local story · South India · Tiruchanur, Andhra PradeshThe Lotus at Tiruchanur The Hill of Fire Local story · South India · Kanchi and Tiruvannamalai, Tamil NaduThe Hill of Fire The Day of First Letters Festival story · Kerala and Bengal · Panachikkad, Thunchan Parambu, and the Saraswati Puja of the eastThe Day of First Letters Gauri Comes Home Festival story · West and South India · Rajasthan and KarnatakaGauri Comes Home The Woman Lakshmi Visited Festival story · South India and Odisha · Varalakshmi Vratam; PuriThe Woman Lakshmi Visited The Day the Gate Opens Festival story · South IndiaThe Day the Gate Opens The Boy and the Iluppa Tree Local story · Thiruvananthapuram, KeralaThe Boy and the Iluppa Tree Why Ranganatha Faces South Local story · Srirangam, Tamil NaduWhy Ranganatha Faces South Vrinda's Curse Festival story · Told across India; Maharashtra, Gujarat, AndhraVrinda's Curse Bhrigu's Kick Legend · Told across India; TirumalaBhrigu's Kick Three Days of Rest for the Earth Festival story · Odisha, Assam and Tulu NaduThree Days of Rest for the Earth Where Sharada Showed Herself Local story · Kashmir · Sharada Peeth, and Basar on the Godavari, TelanganaWhere Sharada Showed Herself The Wind and the Serpent Local story · South India and Sri LankaThe Wind and the Serpent Kannappa, the Hunter Who Gave His Eyes Legend · South IndiaKannappa, the Hunter Who Gave His Eyes The Boy Who Held Shiva's Linga Local story · Gokarna, KarnatakaThe Boy Who Held Shiva's Linga

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