 According to the legendary Sanskrit epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, there was once a dense forest area named Dandakaranya, in the region where Kanker is located.According to myth, Kanker was also a land of monks and sages.Many Rishis (monks/sages) such as Kank, Lomesh, Shringi, Angira were said to have lived here.