Pitapuram | |
---|---|
city | |
Pithapuram | |
![]() Clockwise from top left: Kukkuteswara and Padagaya Temple Complex, Pithapuram Railway Station, Ratnachal Express speeding through Pithapuram Railway Station, fields near Pithapuram, landscape view at Pithapuram, Kunti Madhavaswami Temple | |
Coordinates: 17°07′00″N 82°16′00″E / 17.1167°N 82.2667°E | |
Country | India |
State | Andhra Pradesh |
District | Kakinada district |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal |
• Body | Municipality |
Area | |
• Total | 44.5 km2 (17.2 sq mi) |
• Rank | 10 |
Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 54,859 |
• Density | 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Telugu |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Vehicle Registration | AP05 (Former) AP39 (from 30 January 2019)[3] |
Pithapuram (also spelled as Pitapuram), is a city and municipality in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, India, under the jurisdiction of the Kakinada Urban Development Authority. With a history spanning over 1,500 years, it is one of the oldest towns in Andhra Pradesh and serves as an important pilgrimage destination.
The town is renowned for the Kukkuteswara Temple complex, which also houses the Puruhutika Devi Temple, one of the eighteen Maha Shakti Pithas, considered among the most significant pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism.[4] Pitapuram is also the birthplace of Sripada Sri Vallabha, a prominent 14th-century Hindu saint.[5] The town holds significant historical and religious significance, being mentioned in ancient texts such as the Skanda Purana and Srinatha's Bheemeswara Puranam (c. 15th century).[6]
Historically, Pitapuram has roots dating back to ancient times as a sovereign city.[7] It is referenced in Samudragupta's Prayaga inscription (c. 350 CE)[8] under the name Pishtapura, during the reign of King Mahendra.[9] In the 7th century CE, Pitapuram served as the initial capital of the Eastern Chalukyas before they moved their capital to Vengi.[10][11] The city later became one of the administrative divisions, or Rāṣṭras, of the Eastern Chalukyas.[12] During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pitapuram Chalukyas, a collateral branch of the Chalukyas, ruled the region surrounding Rajamahendravaram, Pitapuram, and Draksharamam. By the 18th century, Pitapuram became the centre of the Pitapuram Estate, which covered an area of 393 square miles (1,020 km2) by 1903.[13]