There are two stories which explain the reason for Srinivasa’s presence on this hill. Once, Vishnu wanted to have a change from his usual abode in Vaikuntha . He asked Narada to suggest a place on this earth which would be suitable for diversion and sport. Narada suggested the neighbourhood o f the place where Seshachala came to be located, later on . Subsequently, Vayu and Sesha disputed their relative strength and entered into a serious dispute. Sesha wound his long body round a part Mem and challenged Vayu to move it. Vayu did his best to shake the hillock but could not. Ultimately Sesha opened his mouth | to breathe and taking advantage o f it, Vayu entered his body and blew o ff part o f the hill. After the hill had travelled a long distance,] Meru interfered and requested Vayu to leave it there and the later did so. Ashamed o f his defeat, Sesha did penance thinking of Vishnu. Vishnu appeared before him and offered a boon. Sesha, assuming the shape o f a hill, requested the Lord to stay on his head, wanted the hill to be known as Seshachala. Vishnu thought o f Narada’s suggestion, made previously, and agreed to live on Seshachala. This story is found in the Brahmapurana.
The Bhavishyottara purana narrates another story which runs asfollows:-
Once a number o f Rishis assembled on the bank o f the Ganga and got things ready for the performance o f a Yajna. Narada came to them and asked them which god they intended pleasing by performing the sacrifice. The Rishis were non-fussed and requested the sage, Bhrigu, to solve the problem. That sage undertook to solve the problem by examining the threee chief divinities. He first went to j the abode o f Brahma and found him busy chanting the Vedas with one mouth, uttering the name o f Narayana with another and looking] at Vani with the third face. He took no notice o f Bhrigu. Then the ] sage went to the abode o f Siva. There again he found Siva fully absorbed in sporting with his consort and not taking notice o f Bhrigu’s arrival and presence. From here Bhrigu went to Vaikuntha and found Vishnu similarly engaged in amours with Lakshmi. Disgusted! with this, Bhrigu kicked Vishnu on his chest. Vishnu immediately g< >1 up, massaged the Rishi’s foot and enquired if it had been injured,
Pleased with this kind attention paid by Vishnu, Bhrigu returned In the Rishis and advised them to dedicate the Yajna to Vishnu. Lakshrnl was angered because Bhrigu kicked the spot which was her favouring resort on the bosom o f the Lord and went away to Karavirapura uf Kolhapur to stay there, leaving Vishnu. Unable to bear the solitude, Vishnu left Vaikuntha and wandered about. In course o f time he came to Seshachala, found it sufficiently interesting and settle down on the mountain in an ant-hill, on the bank o f the Svamipushkarini.
