In ancient times, a hawk once swooped down on a fish caught by a fisherman. But the hawk could not bear the fish’s weight once it had risen up into the sky with the fish. It fell to the ground and died. Subsequently, the fish was reborn as the prince of a kingdom named Anandapura. The hawk was reborn as a beautiful princess and was married to the prince. But after a while, the prince began to suffer from terrible headaches. They obtained the permission of their parents and went to visit Kokamukha. There they prayed to Vishnu and, thanks to Vishnu’s grace, remembered the incidents of their earlier lives. The prince realised that, as a fish, he had fallen from the sky and had struck his head against the ground. That was the reason why he suffered from headaches in his next life. By praying to Vishnu, the prince and the princess attained salvation. That is the reason why Kokamukha is a famous tirtha.

In addition, there are prescribed forms of penance for some specific sins. Some of the sins and their corresponding atonements are as follows.