Devi Thulasi at Kandagi

Lakshmi maya kamavaani beeja poor-vamtha thak-sharam |
Brindadi vaneethi jaen-than-cha vanni jayaam thwameve chaaha ||
 

Tulasi devi here is in the form of a river. Devi Dhakshayani's right Cheek from her burnt body fell at this place. (refer to 'Yoga-agni' in 'Abodes of devi' for background story) Hence Kandagi river became one of the 51 sacred Devi sthals - abodes of devi. The devi is kandaki-chandi and Siva is here as Chakrapani. The devi is popularly called Sri Tulasi. Tulasi means' without any equal'.

Thulasi ardently desired to become the consort of Sri Narayana and was in deep penance for over 1000 years. But she married Sanga-choodan, an aspect of Narayana but of 'asura' descent. He was sage like and very pious. He established a great empire covering this world and the heavens. All 'devas' panicked at his ascendancy and prayed to Rudhra to destroy him
There ensued a fight between Rudhra and Sanga-chooda. The power of Tulasi's chastity and devotion to her husband was the armour protecting Sanga-chooda. Mid-way in the war Vishnu in the garb of an old man tricks Sanga-chooda to part with his protective armour. Impersonating Sanga-chooda he goes to Tulasi and outrages her modesty. With her chastity gone the protection to sanga-chooda is lost and he looses his life in the war.
Tulasi realizes that the person who got intimate with her was not her husband Sanga-chooda but Sri Narayana. She curses Narayana that he would become a stone - a hill.
Narayana explains to Tulasi that he came to her in the garb of her husband only in answer to her penance earlier praying to become his consort. However Narayana becomes a hill according to tulasi's curse. For their association to be more permanent, Narayana said that Tulasi would become a river washing the foot of that hill which he himself became.. Thus Tulasi became the river 'Kandagi' and Narayana became the 'Saligrama' hill Narayana further said that millions of insects would bore into the hill side and chisel small 'saligrama' that would fall into the Kandagi river. People all over would take these home and worhship them as a representation of Narayana
On Narayana's word Tulasi becomes a prized holy leaf for doing 'pooja' and also a herb of medicinal value. Where-ever there is Tulasi, there is Narayana also.
One who commits to memory  the following seven names and keeps reciting them during prayers will receive all the blessings of Devi Tulasi:

 

 

Brindha, Bridhavani, visvapoojitha, Pushpasara,
Viswabhavani, Nanthini, Thulasi, Krishnajeevani.

 

Location:
Kandagi river in Nepal