Goddess Padmavathi is an incarnation of
Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.
Legend is that once
Lord Vishnu decided to manifest himself as Venkateshwara in response to the reverential prayers of Sage Narayana. Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, also decided to manifest on the Earth and to be with Vishnu.
Padmavathi was brought up as the daughter of Akasaraja, the king of Narayanapuram. The story goes that the king was preparing for a yajna, when his servants brought him a box containing a small baby. They had found it while preparing the ground for the ceremony. The king found a baby girl with a lotus, inside the box. The king named her Padmavati, meaning child born with a lotus, and brought her up as his daughter.
When Padmavati was a young woman, Lord Venkateshwara happened to notice her and requested her to marry him. At first she refused his wish. Later the identity of Venkateshwara was revealed to her. She then fulfilled the purpose of her manifestation by becoming his wife.
