The Kanikonna flower is a part and parcel of Vishu festival. Behind its origin, there is an interesting legend. Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Unni in a village in south India. With great interest, he used to listen to the stories of Bala Krishna’s pursuits at Ambadi which was told by his beloved mother every day during the light hours before going to the bed.
Slowly Unni strongly developed a desire to personally see Bala Krishna. In order to achieve his dream, he immediately started visiting the temple dedicated to Krishna near his house and wholeheartedly prayed.
Lord Krishna was moved by the devotion and dedication of Unni so the Lord granted him an audience. Unni was gifted by the Lord, a Golden Waist chain, known as “Aranjanam” which was worn by the lord himself. The next day, when the priest opened the temple, he found the Aranjanam missing from the waist of the statue.
This particular news spread like a wild fire. Later, Unni’s mother found this Aranjanam on his son’s waist and made enquire with him. Unni told all the truth regarding the event but his mother couldn’t believe it. She removed the Aranjanam from the waist of Unni and threw it on top of a tree. Immediately, the tree started blossoming with yellow color flowers.
The Malayalees strongly believe this particular story and associate this flower with lord Krishna. They use this golden yellow flower for decorating the Vishukkani during the festive day of Vishu.