Kannangat Bhagavathy Theyam, who is the chief among the mother deities is the clan deity of the Maniyani (Yadava) community. It is Lord Sri Krishna’s sister Yogamaya Devi is performed as Kannangat theyyam.
Muchilotu Bhagwati’s best friend Kannangat Bhagwati has a lot of similarities with Muchilotu Bhagwati in looks and acting. Kannangat Bhagavathy Theyam performing kavus are called Kannangat Kavs. Kannangat Bhagwati is also performed up in Muchilotu Kavus.
The legend of Kannangat Bhagwati is like this. When the country was devastated by the misrule of the great evil demon emperor Kamsa, there is a divine incarnation that Kamsa will be killed by his own sister Yashoda’s eighth son. Fearing death, Kamsa kills all the babies born to Devaki. But at the time of the birth of the eighth new son Krishna, Devaki’s husband Vasudeva, on the instructions of Lord Vishnu, replaces Krishna with Yogamaya, , a child born to the couple Nanda Gopa and Yashoda at the same time.
When Kamsa came to kill the eighth son, he saw a female child, but Kamsa was ready to kill that child as well. But suddenly the baby girl flew up into the sky and became the Goddess of Yoga. The goddess said that the wicked Kamsa has finished taking birth on earth, and the goddess disappeared.
After many years Lord Krishna killed Kamsa. The Yadavas were saddened when Krishna returned to heaven having fulfilled all his incarnational purposes. Understanding the grief of the Yadavas, Krishna said that even in his absence, Goddess Yogamaya will be there for your salvation. Thus Devi Yogamaya became the clan deity of the Yadavas. Thus the Bhagavathy shown by Kannan is known as Kannangat Bhagavathy. Later, those belonging to the Maniyani (Yadava) community in Malanadu started worshiping the Goddess Yoga as Kannangat Devi.
Later Goddess Yoga reached Kailash and bowed down to Lord Mahadev. Paramashiva saw Devi as his daughter and blessed her and sent her to the earth for saving the people.
There is also a popular story of Kannangattu Bhagavathy actually Kannaki, the heroine of the Tamil epic Chilapathikaram. But the most popular belief is the story related to Goddess Yoga.
