Pithapuram

Pithapuram

Temple Name : Kukkuteshwara Swamy temple

Devi : Puruhutika Devi

Bhairava : –

Organ: Buttocks

Sanskrit letter: No

How to reach –

19 km from Kakinada and 75 Km from Rajahmundry

About the place –

After Dhrakshrama, i reached Kakinada and then Pithapuram. It is third one of three Gayas of India.Others are “Siro Gaya” also familiarly known as Gaya, in Bihar, second one is “Nabi Gaya” near to Jijapur,in Orrisa and the last is “Pada Gaya” Pithapuram.

A demon named Gayasura, devotee of puruhutika devi once started to perform austerities and such were the powers of his tapasya that the demigods began to suffer. They went to Vishnu and asked him to save them. Vishnu agreed and appeared before Gayasura, asking him to cease his activities and accept a boon. “Grant me the boon that I may become the most sacred of all tirthas,” replied the daitya.

The boon was granted and Gayasura disappeared. The demigods returned to svarga, but felt that the earth seemed to be deserted now that Gayasura had disappeared. Vishnu then instructed Brahma and the other demigods to perform a sacrifice. He also asked them to go to Gayasura and ask for his body so that the sacrifice might be performed on it. Gayasura readily agreed, and as soon as he agreed, his head fell off of his body. Lord Brahma then proceeded to perform the sacrifice on Gayasura’s headless body, but as soon as the sacrifice started, the body began to shake. This meant that the sacrifice could not be properly performed and a solution had to be found. The demigods all placed a stone on Gayasura’s body so that the body would not shake, and the sacrifice could be performed. Vishnu himself also entered a stone. The sacrifice yaga held for six days and six nights. Before the last night, Shiva apperaed in form of hen and make a sound like hen. Gayasura thought that the sacrifice is over and he started to shake his body. The rituals stopped and trimurthis appeared before him as three Bhramins and shouted at him that the yaga was stopped because of this your action. Then Gayasur, the honest king, pleased, begged and bowed to them. They come to the original form and asked him a boon. Gayasur asked that people have flock to Gaya to perform shraddha sacrifices on his body to absolve the sins of their ancestor and Gayasur died at that place.

Gaya was transformed into the series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of the Gaya Kshetra. Many Demigods and goddesses had promised to live on Gayasur’s body after he died, and so the hilltop protruberances of Gaya are surmounted by various temples.

Top of the body is gaya in bihar, central part is in jajpur,orissa and third one is feet that is patha gaya ‘pithapuram’.

There is a huge pond or tank before the temple that welcomes us before entering the temple. There are two entrance for this temple. On very near to the entrance, there is a seperate shrine for puruhutika devi, which is considered as a shakthi peet. The main shrine is for Kukkuteshwara Swamy. Kukkut means hen. As shiva appeares in form of hen, this linga is named like that.Sri Kukuteswara Swamy is the Swayambhu with Spatika Lingam. We can see wings like structure behind the linga.

There are seperate shrines for Kunthimadhava Swamy,Rajarajeswari and Dadathreya.