The Mangaladevi temple of Mangalore dates back to 9th century and has given the Mangalore town its name.
Legend:
Kundavarma, the most renowned king of Ahepa dynasty, was ruling Tulunadu. During his tenure, two holy saints Machendranatha and Gorakanatha belonging to the Natha cult visited Mangalapura by crossing river Nethravathi. The place where they crossed the river came to be known as 'Gorakdandi'. They selected a spot nearby the bank of Netravathi, which was once the centre of activities of sage Kapila.
Kundavarma came to know about the saints and came to meet them. He introduced himself, paid them his respects and offered the saints help and patronage. Pleased with the humility and qualities of the king, they advised the king that the kingdom needed to be sanctified. They asked the king to donate them land so that they could build a hermitage and make it a centre for their spiritual activities under his protection and patronage.
For King Kundavarma it was certainly a surprise to know that his land had such a ancient history. The saints informed the king that once upon a time there was a holy temple in his land and it was dedicated to goddess Mangaladevi. The two holy saints took the king to the location where this entire historical incident had taken place. They requested the king to dig the land and relieve the Linga and the Dharapatra representing Mangaladevi and establish them in a shrine along with Nagaraja for the protection. A grand shrine of Sri Mangaladevi was built on the hallowed place as per the instructions of two saints.
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