Goddess Mangaladevi is a manifestation of Mother Goddess
Shakti and is mainly worshipped in South India .
In some regions, as Mangala Devi is the goddess of auspiciousness – she is the
mother that nourishes and protects her children. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu,
Mangaladevi is closely related to Kannagi.
Goddess Mangaladevi is believed to be Kannagi, the heroine
of famous Tamil poem Silappathikaram - the Epic of the Anklet.
The story has it that Kannagi’s husband Kovalan was unjustly
put to death by the ruler of Madurai for
stealing the anklet of the queen. Kannagi proves the innocence of her husband
at the court and in anger sets the entire Madurai city on fire. She then leaves
the Madurai city.
She is believed to have disappeared at the Mangaladevi temple located inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve on the Kerala – Tamil Nadu
border.
In Karnataka, Mangaladevi temples are centres of Shakti
worship. Here she is the kind divine mother who looks after her children on
earth.