Pithapuram Shakti Peetha

Sri Puruhutika Devi Temple is situated within the Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple complex at Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh. The complex is important to both Shaiva and Shakta worship: Kukkuteswara is a form of Shiva, while Puruhutika Devi is honoured in the Ashtadasha, or eighteen, Maha Shakti Peetha tradition. Government information for the district also describes Pithapuram as an ancient pilgrimage centre and identifies the complex among India’s eighteen Shakti Peethas.

In the tradition followed by this database, Pithapuram is associated with Sati’s left hand. The goddess is worshipped as Puruhutika Devi, and Kukkuteswara Swamy is treated as the corresponding Bhairava. The Puruhutika shrine stands within the larger temple precinct rather than as an isolated complex, expressing the close relationship between Shakti and Shiva worship at the site.

Kukkuteswara is traditionally revered as a self-manifested Shiva linga, and the complex is also known for its large single-stone Nandi. Pithapuram’s wider sacred landscape includes Pada Gaya, where ancestral rites are performed, as well as other historic shrines. Navaratri brings special worship and decoration for Puruhutika Devi, while Maha Shivaratri and Karthika Masam are major observances for Kukkuteswara. Together, these traditions make Pithapuram an important pilgrimage destination in coastal Andhra Pradesh.