Puruhutika Devi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport is Rajahmundry, 55 km from Pithapuram.

• By train

  Pithapuram railway station is the nearest convenient one. It lies on the Howrah to Chennai main line, and about thirty trains halt there each day.

• By road

  Pithapuram town is on National Highway 216. Kakinada, the nearest city, is 16 km away, and Rajahmundry is 65 km.

Why devotees come here

Puruhutika Devi Temple is in Pithapuram, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh. It is counted among the Shakti Peethas and stands inside the campus of the Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple. The deity is Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari.

The temple is counted as the 10th of the 18 Shakti Peethas. Legend says a part of Sati's body fell here after the Daksha Yagna. The place was first called Puruhoothika puram, which later became Peetika Puram. The Kakinada district government site says this Shakti Peetham is famous by the name Puruhutika.

The shrine sits within the Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple complex. Kukkuteswara is Shiva in the form of a rooster, and his consort is Rajarajeswari Devi. Kukkuteswara Swamy is a Swayambhu, meaning self-formed, with a Spatika lingam, which is made of crystal. The complex is also known for a single-stone Nandi, called Eka Sila Nandi in Telugu.

Pithapuram is named in Samudragupta's Prayaga pillar inscription, dated about 350 CE. In the 7th century it was the first capital of the Eastern Chalukyas. The Kakinada district government site dates the Kukkuteswara and Kuntimadhava Swamy temples to the Eastern Chalukya period, in the 13th century.

Festivals

• NavaratriNavaratri

  Devotees offer special prayers, rituals and offerings to Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari.

• Last Friday of Sravana MasamSravana Masam Fridays

  Women offer kumkum poojas to goddesses such as Puruhutika, and the temple draws a large turnout.

• Varalakshmi Vratha dayVaralakshmi Vratha

  Women perform Varalakshmi Vratha poojas at the temple.

• Maha Sivaratri and Karthika MasamMaha Sivaratri and Karthika Masam

  These are main festivals of the Kukkuteswara complex.

• Maghabahula EkadasiMaghabahula Ekadasi

  An annual festival for Kukkuteswara in the same complex.

Tips for your visit

• Legend says Gayasura's feet lay in the pool in front of the temple.
• The Pada Gaya Sarovar, a sacred pond in the town, is believed to grant salvation to those who bathe in it.

Questions people ask