King kavera performed tapasya because he wished to help people. Pleased with him, Shiva appeared and blessed him with a daughter who would fulfil his wish. He named her Kaveri and married her to Sage Agastya. A demon, named Shoorapadma, wanted to trouble people so he prevented rain from reaching the earth. Kaveri prayed to the gods to help the people. One day, Sage Agastya went to a lake for a bath. Since he could not leave Kaveri alone in the ashram, he turned her into water and put her in his kamandala, the utensil for carrying holy water. As he entered the lake, he left the kamandala on the bank. Meanwhile, Ganesha took the form of a crow and overturned the kamadala. The water was released and Kaveri became a river. She helped the suffering people by providing them with water.