Jalamdhara was given a kingdom when he grew to manhood and a wife named Vrinda. This kingdom grew powerful, and Jalamdhara felt he had the strength to challenge the gods. He gathered his armies and invaded heaven. The war was brutal and thousands died. Jalamdhara had the ability to raise the dead, however, so his armies never grew weaker. Finally Vishnu met the demon in single combat, but even he was no match for him, and was only saved from death through the begging of Lakshmi. Jalamdhara chased the devas from heaven and ruled in their place.
The gods were not ready to give up, however. They went to Shiva and asked for his help. Shiva now saw the result of his Anger, and was ready to do what ever he could to overthrow Jalamdhara. He advised the gods to combine their powers and create one unstoppable weapon. The gods created flames which burned white hot; Shiva added the power of his third eye, and Vishnu contributed the fire of his divine anger. Shiva coalesced this together under his foot, where he compressed it into a flaming discus. The weapon was so bright that Brahma's beard was turned red by it, and Shiva had to hold it under his armpit to hide its brilliance.
While the gods were plotting their vengeance, Jalamdhara had laid siege to Mount Kailasa. He had started to lust after Shiva's wife Parvati. Parvati escaped from him and turned herself into a lotus flower, while her attendants transformed themselves into bees and swarmed around her as protection. While he was doing this, Vishnu learned of it; he took on the appearance of the demon, and went to Jalamdhara's wife Vrinda. When Vrinda learned the next day that she had slept with someone other than her husband, she put a curse on her seducer, then died from grief.
Jalamdhara was furious when he learned of her death, and rushed to meet the forces of the gods again, this time to crush them forever. Another horrible battle ensued, with Shiva and the demon meeting in combat. Shiva pulled forth the flaming discus and let it fly, severing the head of his creation turned enemy. Jalamdhara was not to be discouraged by anything so minor as the removal of his head, and promptly grew another. Shiva severed that one as well, only to see yet another grow in its place. Shiva grew desperate and called on the goddesses for help. They came to the battlefield in the form of hideous ogresses. They drank the blood of the asura as it flowed onto the ground, and he soon became too weak to continue the fight and was defeated. Thus the gods were able to regain their rightful home.