Kaveri or Cauvery is among the most sacred rivers of India and though to be the Dakshina Ganga or Ganga of the South. The Hindu Mythology says several versions about the descent of River Kaveri. The most popular one is that a king by the name of Kavera lived in the Brahmagiri hills and prayed to Lord Brahma for a child. He was blessed with a daughter whom he named Kaveri. She was the water manifestation of the human form. The great sage Agastya married her and kept her in his kamandalu or the spouted jug. When a terrible drought trounced the land, Ganesha in the guise of a crow, tipped the kamandalu and out flowed Kaveri.

A river like Kaveri is not just a stretch of water. It is an active, living and moving force. The river is life-visible and invisible and, depending on its mood and has the power to create or destroy its adjoining banks. There are many different stories behind the origin of River Kaveri. One of myths says that in the ancient times the state of the south India was getting worse due to the severe drought in the area, then this sage Agastya felt very sad and prayed to the Lord Brahma to help the mankind to come out of this situation.

Brahma asked the sage to go to the place where Lord Shiva lives and gather some of the snow water that is unending. This water will help to start a new river. Rishi Agastya traveled to the Mount Kailash, filled his pot with the snow water and went back. He started searching the appropriate place to start the river in the hilly Coorg region. He became tired searching for the right place and handed his pot to a small boy who was playing there. That little boy was actually the Lord Ganesha who selected the place to start the river and slowly dropped the pot and disappeared. After some time Agastya called out - Little boy what do you think. He got no answer. Soon he noticed a crow trickled the pot of snow water on to the ground. After some time Lord Ganesha came instead of crow with the smiling face. He said I have done nothing wrong but have helped you in searching the right place to begin the river. Sage Agastya smiled and Ganesha disappeared. This is how Rishi Agastya brought River Kaveri into the Himalayas.