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Andhra Pradesh Tourism · East Godavari
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The tall, slim five-tier north gopuram of the Kukkuteswara temple at Pithapuram, an arched passage through its base, rising at the head of the dark green Pada Gaya tank, with a small polychrome-pillared pavilion in the water under a hazy delta sky

DevotionalDay trip · Kakinada

Pithapuram

పిఠాపురం

Shiva, the goddess Puruhutika and the Pada Gaya tank share one compound.

17.1072° N
82.2457° E

The guide
Distance
About 60 kmby road from Rajamahendravaram
Best time
October to March; early morning. Maha Shivaratri, Dasara Navaratri and Karthika month are festival times, and they are crowded.
Time to spend
2 to 3 hours
District
Kakinada districtPithapuram mandal
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About Pithapuram

Pithapuram is an old temple town in Kakinada district, about 20 km from Kakinada. Its best-known shrine is the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple, where Shiva is worshipped in the form of a rooster. The shrine of Puruhutika Devi, one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, is in the same compound, beside the Pada Gaya tank. Tradition says the feet of the demon Gayasura came to rest here. His head is linked with Gaya in Bihar and his navel with Jajpur in Odisha. Families come to the tank to offer rites for their ancestors.

Samudragupta’s Allahabad pillar inscription, from about 350 CE, names King Mahendra of Pishtapura, as the town was then called. The Kunti Madhava Swamy temple, a short walk from the main compound, makes Pithapuram one of the five Madhava kshetras. Devotees of Dattatreya also come for the Sripada Srivallabha Mahasamsthanam, a separate temple in the town. It stands on the site revered as the saint’s birthplace, and the temple dates his birth to 1320.

Highlights

  1. Kukkuteswara Swamy, Shiva as a rooster, and the single-stone Eka Sila Nandi
  2. The Puruhutika Devi shrine, counted among the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas
  3. The Pada Gaya tank, where families offer rites for their ancestors
  4. Sripada Srivallabha Mahasamsthanam, revered as the saint’s birthplace
  5. The Kunti Madhava Swamy temple, one of the five Madhava kshetras

Good to know

  • Dress modestly, as you would at any working temple, and leave your footwear at the stand outside.
  • Festival days (Maha Shivaratri, Dasara Navaratri, Karthika month) draw large crowds, so arrive early.
  • The Sripada Srivallabha Mahasamsthanam is in a separate compound. Take an auto-rickshaw and allow extra time for it.

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