A legend says that he was born to Raja of Kasi Banaras.Varanasi Thulasingam and queen Karpagavalli.Having seen the newborn child who was born as a result of divine intervention, with the umbilical cord wound round around the neck, the King was shocked as this would be a bad omen for the kingdom. As advised by the royal astrologers, the child was placed in a basket an let go in the river.
