Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple is located at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram city and is near to the world famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple. There is an interesting story about the origin of the seated Maha Ganapathi, with his right leg folded, worshipped in the temple. Around 1750 CE the present day Padmanabhapuram in Kanyakumari District was the capital of Travancore kingdom. The kingdom was at war with the Dutch during the period. The palace and fort had to be guarded at all times. At one side of the fort was the shrine of Melankottu Yakshi – a fierce deity who drank the blood of men entering her domain. Soldiers who were posted on this side of the fort were found unconscious on the next day morning as the Yakshi attacked them at night. A soldier who was to take up the duty of guarding this part of the fort went to nearby Valliyoor River to take bath. While taking bath, his legs got stuck and when he attempted to pull out his leg, he got a curious looking small stone. When he pulled o