Ganesha and the River Ponni

India has seven sacred rivers. One is the river Ponni, also called Kaviri. She rises in Karnataka and flows southeast to the Bay of Bengal.
When the sage Agastya traveled from north to south, he encountered this river. "Follow me!" he said, but she refused.
Agastya grew angry at the river and trapped her in a pot.
The gods and people missed the river's waters, so Ganesha disguised himself as a crow and perched on top of the pot. When Agastya waved his arm to chase away the crow, he knocked over the pot and set the river free.

---

Inspired by: Stories of Lord Ganesha
Notes: There are other variations on this story that involve the god Shiva, much as Shiva is part of the story of Ganga's origins. The way that the river refuses to follow Agastya comes from that version of the story; the PDF booklet I am working with here did not say exactly how the river managed to offend Agastya.

(Ponni river by S. Ramaswamy)