Parashurama is credited with erecting the temple in honour of the divine mother, Adi Shakti.

It is said that when he created Kerala, he found in the depth of the sea a pearl, which he fashioned into a nose ring and decorated the idol of Kunjaru Amma with.

[citation needed] Foreign tourists also visit the place Udupi which stands on the Konkan coast.

Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of philosophy, used to visit the Durga temple every day during his childhood.

One day, when he was in the Kunjaru temple, his mother called from Pajaka, a kilometre or two away; Madhavacharya is believed to have jumped straight to his house.