Kukkuteswara Temple is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple in

Pitapuram Pithapuram, historically known as Pittapore, is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen ...

town of

Kakinada district Kakinada district is a district in the Coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Kakinada as its administrative headquarters, it was proposed on 26 January 2022 to become one of the resultant List of districts of Andhra ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The temple is prominent in both

Saivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

and

Shakta Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

Hindu traditions. It is one of the eighteen Maha Sakthi Peethas considered the most significant pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Kukkuteswara, a form of Lord Siva as a rooster and his consort Rajarajeswari Devi. The temple of Puruhutika Devi, one of the Maha Shakti Peethas is on the premises of Kukkuteswara Temple. Pithapuram is referred to in the Skanda Purana and in Srinatha's ''Bheemeswara Puranamu'' and also in Samudragupta's Allahabad stone pillar inscription.

Location

It is located at a distance of from

Kakinada Kakinada (List of renamed places in India, formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the List of cities in Andhra Pradesh by population, sixth largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra P ...

, from

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...

and from

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

Temple

Kukuteswara Swamy is a

Swayambhu Swayambhu ( sa, स्वयंभू) is a Sanskrit word that means "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that is created by its own accord". Often, the word swayambhu is used to describe a self-manifested image of a deity, which was not made ...

with

Spatika Lingam Spatika Lingam or Crystal Lingam or Crystal Shivling is a type of Lingam made from quartz. Spatika Lingam is called sphatika Sivalingam (Kannada -ಸ್ಪಟಿಕ ಲಿಂಗ), (Tamil - ஸ்படிகக்கல் லிங்கம்) ( ...

. The temple is also famous for its single-stone

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

(''Eka Sila Nandi'' in Telugu).

Festivals

Maha Sivaratri,

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...

, and Karthika Masam are the main festivals celebrated at the temple. An annual festival is celebrated at the temple for Kukkuteswara called Maghabahula Ekadasi.

References

Hindu temples in Kakinada district Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh {{Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh