Legends say that the coming of Shri Devi to SIRSI was from the hangal taluka of the Dharwad district. There is a mention in Mahabharata that a dominant Shakti was at hangal. Dharmaraya during his exile coming to Viratanagara prayed Durgi on the outskirts for protection.

"Viratanagaram ramyam gachcamanoyudhisthiraha Astuvan manasa deveem tribhuvaneshwarihi" so saying he prays at the end to bestow blessings upon him for the common good.The Scholars opine that the spot at hangal said to be now the "Mound of Kunti" was the seat of Tribhuvaneshwari to be held with much pomp.As the country in those days was divided into petty chiefdoms robbery,murder & plunders were equally common. SIRSI then was a wretched hamlet with two hundred houses in Channapur area.It was known as the camp of robbers only.The fair at Hangal was just over. According to the tradition of the fair ,the different components of the idol of Devi as well were kept in a box. Practice was to keep ornaments too along with it.Legends say that thieves stealing the box of Devi's idol from Hangal brought it to SIRSI and after sharing the ornaments among themselves near the tank, repacking the componants of the wooden idol threw it into the tank.There is no difference of opinion in the traditional statement of bringing Shri Devi to SIRSI in this way. The tank in which the box containing the mutilated idol was found -is undoubtedly Kote-Kere.