Facts to File

How far  :  19 km from Kakinada,

How to go  :  Air : Nearest airport is Vizag
Rail : Trains on Madras-Howrah broad gauge line stop here
Road : Buses available from Kakinada and Rajahmundry

Where to stay  :  budget hotels

What to see :  Kukkuteswara Swamy temple, Padagaya, fort.

Abode of Kukkuteswara Swamy, Pithapuram, the district headquarter, is an ancient town formerly known as Pishtapuram. Hallowed as 'swayam bhoolingam' and the place where sage Vyasa with his followers worshipped Kukkuteswar Swamy, Sri Kunthimadhava Swamy, Peethikamba and Hoonkarini Shakti, the linga here has wings on either side. As the 'Sivalingam' in the temple a cock at its back, it was named Kukkuteswara. Kukkuteswara Tirtham (fete) celebrated for five days in January-February is well attended by devotees.

The pond here is known as Padagaya as, according to the legend, the head, the trunk and the legs of the demon king Gayasura, killed by the Triumvirate, fell in three different places, while the legs (pada) fell here. There is a tank there.

The palace of the zamindar of the place is an imposing building, surrounded by a fort.