Puruhutika Devi Temple

పురుహూతికా దేవి ఆలయం

Puruhutika

Pithapuram, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh · Shakta tradition

The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Puruhutika at Pithika tenth among its eighteen seats of the Goddess.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Getting there
Train: Pithapuram railway stationAir: Rajahmundry Airport

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

3 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: Local belief as recorded by the Kakinada district administration; the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7

Sati's left hand

Daksha receives a garland from the sage Durvasa, who had it from the Goddess herself. In the Devi Bhagavata's telling, the way Daksha treats that gift turns him against Shiva and against his own daughter Sati, Shiva's wife. At Daksha's sacrifice the enmity comes to a head, and Sati burns her body in a fire she raises by yoga, keeping her devotion to her husband intact.

Shiva's anger threatens the three worlds. Virabhadra rises from it and Daksha's sacrifice is destroyed. Shiva lifts Sati's body and wanders with it in grief, and Vishnu cuts the body to pieces with his arrows. Wherever a part falls, Shiva remains there in some form, and the place becomes a seat — a pitha — of the Goddess. Vyasa, narrating, then names the seats one after another, each with the goddess who presides there.

Pithapuram is not in that chapter's list; the name Puruhuta appears there only as the goddess of Pushkara. The town's place among the eighteen great seats comes from the Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram — traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara, though the attribution has not been confirmed — which names Puruhutika at Pithika tenth.

The stotram does not name a body part. The Kakinada district administration records the local belief that what fell here was Sati's left hand, and that this is why the town is a peetham of the Goddess.

Told differently elsewhere. This account does not agree with “The back of Sati's body, and the town's name”, given on this page too. We tell each as its own tradition tells it, and do not choose between them.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Kakinada District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Tourism" — Pithapuram kakinada.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, Chapter 30, vv. 26–102 (Swami Vijñanananda tr., 1921) wisdomlib.org
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: The account published on the Ministry of Tourism's Utsav portal for the temple's Navaratri

The back of Sati's body, and the town's name

The Ministry of Tourism's listing for the temple's Navaratri festival gives a different body part: after Daksha's sacrifice, it says, the back part of Sati's body fell in this area. The same listing traces the town's name through three stages — Puruhoothikapuram, then Peetikapuram, then Pithapuram — so that the town is named after the goddess and her seat.

Read this account

The Ministry of Tourism's festival listing for the temple tells the Sati story in its shortest form: after Daksha's sacrifice, parts of Sati's body fell across the land, and the back part of her body fell in this area. That makes Puruhutika one of the eighteen great seats — the tenth, in the listing's count.

The same page uses the episode to explain the town's name. The place was first Puruhoothikapuram, the town of Puruhutika. It became Peetikapuram — the town of the pitha, the goddess's seat — and finally Pithapuram. The East Godavari district page agrees that the town was formerly known as Pitikapuram.

This account and the district administration's 'left hand' cannot both be right, and neither page cites a text for its body part. Both are kept, side by side, until a primary source settles which tradition the temple itself follows.

Told differently elsewhere. This account does not agree with “Sati's left hand”, given on this page too. We tell each as its own tradition tells it, and do not choose between them.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: Temple tradition as published by the East Godavari district administration; Srinatha's Bhimeswara Puranam as cited there

Pada Gaya and the southern Kashi

The temple complex is known as Padagaya Kshetram. The district administration lists three Gayas — Siro Gaya in Bihar, Nabhi Gaya near Jajpur in Odisha, and Pada Gaya at Pithapuram — and cites Srinatha's Bhimeswara Puranam for the claim that Pithapuram equals Kashi and is the southern Kashi. The presiding Shiva, Kukkuteswara, is a self-manifest crystal linga described as the form of a cock's head.

Read this account

The complex in which Puruhutika's shrine stands is called Padagaya Kshetram, and the name rests on a pattern of three. The East Godavari district administration lists three Gayas in India: Siro Gaya — the head — at Gaya in Bihar; Nabhi Gaya — the navel — near Jajpur in Odisha; and Pada Gaya — the feet — at Pithapuram. Jajpur is itself the seat of Girija, another of the eighteen. The full Puranic narrative behind the three Gayas is not told here, as we have not yet found it in a primary text.

The same page cites the Telugu poet Srinatha. In his Bhimeswara Puranam, it says, Pithapuram is equal to Kashi and is called Dakshina Kashi, the southern Kashi. The district counts the town among the twelve Dwadasa Punya Kshetras, the five Madhava Kshetras, and the eighteen Shakti Peethas.

At the centre of the complex is Kukkuteswara, Shiva as a self-manifest linga of crystal. The district administration describes him as Shiva in the form of a cock's head. Beside him stand the shrine of Kunti Madhava, the Sripada Srivallabha Anagha Datta Kshetram, an agraharam and the Venugopala Swamy temple.

These are the features the visitor walks through to reach the goddess: the crystal linga, the flagstaff, and the Nandi carved from a single stone in front of the temple.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Lord Kukkuteshwara Swamy Temple", 31 October 2017 eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Kakinada District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Tourism" — Pithapuram kakinada.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Puruhutika Devi Temple matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Puruhutika at Pithika tenth among its eighteen seats of the Goddess.

    2 sources for: The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Puruhutika at Pithika tenth among its
    • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The Kakinada district administration records the local belief that Sati's left hand fell here.

    Source for: The Kakinada district administration records the local belief that Sati's left h
    • Government: Kakinada District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Tourism" — Pithapuram kakinada.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The Ministry of Tourism's festival listing says instead that the back part of Sati's body fell here.

    Source for: The Ministry of Tourism's festival listing says instead that the back part of Sa
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Pithapuram is counted as Pada Gaya, one of three Gayas, alongside Gaya in Bihar and Nabhi Gaya at Jajpur in Odisha.

    Source for: Pithapuram is counted as Pada Gaya, one of three Gayas, alongside Gaya in Bihar
    • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

No published architectural study of the complex has been found yet. The district administration's pages describe its shrines and the monolithic Nandi but not its style or building phases.

  • Sanctum

    Kukkuteswara's crystal linga

    The self-manifest spatika linga of the presiding Shiva, described by the district as the form of a cock's head.

  • Sculpture

    Eka Sila Nandi

    The Nandi carved from a single stone in front of the temple, which the district administration calls second in size only to the Lepakshi Nandi.

    Where to stand: After the circumambulation of the inner shrine, at the flagstaff.

  • Flagstaff

    Flagstaff

    The dhvajastambha reached at the end of the inner circumambulation, with the Nandi beyond it.

  • Detail

    Kunti Madhava shrine

    Vishnu's shrine within the complex, which makes Pithapuram one of the five Madhava Kshetras.

  • Detail

    Sripada Srivallabha Anagha Datta Kshetram

    The Datta shrine within the Pithapuram complex.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By air: Rajahmundry Airport · about 74 km
  • By train: Pithapuram railway station · about 2 km
  • By road: KakinadaThe Ministry of Tourism gives about 15 km, the district administration about 20 km.

PIN 533450 (not yet checked with India Post)

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Puruhutika Devi Navaratri Utsavalu

    Sep–Oct · Ashvina, Shukla paksha · 9 days

    The goddess's major festival, with special prayers, offerings and fasting by devotees.

  • Maha Shivaratri

    Feb–Mar · Magha, Krishna paksha, Chaturdashi

    Devotees from across the state gather at Kukkuteswara; the Swamy's kalyanam and chariot festival fall in the same season.

  • Kartika Masam

    Oct–Nov · Kartika

    The month of Kartika is observed at the Kukkuteswara temple.

  • Sani Trayodasi

    Listed by the district administration among the temple's festivals.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. A part of Sati's body falls at Pithapuram

    Accounts differ on which part: the district administration records the left hand, the Ministry of Tourism the back. No yuga is given.

    2 sources for: A part of Sati's body falls at Pithapuram
    • Government: Kakinada District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Tourism" — Pithapuram kakinada.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 350

    Pishtapura in Samudragupta's Allahabad pillar inscription

    Samudragupta's inscription names Mahendra of Pishtapura among the southern kings he overcame; Pishtapura is identified with Pithapuram. We have not yet checked the passage against the published corpus of inscriptions.

    Source for: Pishtapura in Samudragupta's Allahabad pillar inscription
    • Inscription: J. F. Fleet, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum III (1888), Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta — the list of Dakshinapatha kings, which includes Mahendra of Pishtapura

  2. Srinatha's Bhimeswara Puranam names it the southern Kashi

    The district administration cites Srinatha's Bhimeswara Puranam for Pithapuram's equality with Kashi.

    Source for: Srinatha's Bhimeswara Puranam names it the southern Kashi
    • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Administered by the Endowments Department

    Both the Kukkuteswara temple and the Puruhutika Devi temple are run by an Executive Officer of the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department.

    2 sources for: Administered by the Endowments Department
    • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, Chapter 30, vv. 26–102 (Swami Vijñanananda tr., 1921) wisdomlib.org
  • Government: Kakinada District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Tourism" — Pithapuram kakinada.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Utsav portal, "Shri Puruhutika Devi Ammavari Navaratri Utsavalu, Padagaya, Pitapuram, Kakinada District" utsav.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple, Pithapuram" eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: East Godavari District Administration, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "Lord Kukkuteshwara Swamy Temple", 31 October 2017 eastgodavari.ap.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Inscription: J. F. Fleet, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum III (1888), Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta — the list of Dakshinapatha kings, which includes Mahendra of Pishtapura

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Puruhutika Devi Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/puruhutika-pithapuram (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence