As per legend, a demon named Banasur wreaked havoc in the region. Sages prayed to Goddess Durga for protection. She was born to a king who lived here. The king looked for a bridegroom for the princess when she came of age. The princess then woke up to her true identity. She sat in meditation and concentrated on Shiva. She sent word to him to come down from his temple Suchindram to marry her. The sages were worried. If the princess goes away, who would kill the demon? Narada, the wise sage, assumed the form of a cock and began crowing in Shiva’s way to the Land’s End. The unmindful Shiva thought it was dawn and that the hour fixed for the marriage was past. He sat down, disappointed, and forgot everything as he entered his trance. In the meanwhile the proud Banasur heard of the beautiful princess. He reached the king’s palace and demanded her hand in marriage. As nobody dared to go near him, the princess herself came out and killed the insolent creature. She is still waiting for Shiva. The colourful pebbles and sands on the shore are the metamorphosed coloured rice cooked for her marriage feast, say the folk.