Kukkuteswara Temple, situated in the town of Pithapuram in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, India, is a renowned Hindu temple that holds significance in both Saivite and Shakta Hindu traditions. It is counted among the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas, making it one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism. The primary deity of this temple is Lord Kukkuteswara, an incarnation of Lord Shiva in the form of a rooster, and his consort, Rajarajeswari Devi.
The temple's origin story is as follows:
According to ancient scriptures, a demon named Gayasura
performed rigorous penance for many years to gain a boon from Bhagavan Vishnu,
seeking the power of Indra.
In response, Indra also undertook a profound penance,
seeking a boon from the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) to protect the
people from the demon.
The Trimurtis approached the demon in the guise of Brahmins
and requested a location to conduct a Yagna (sacred ritual). They proposed to
perform the Yagna on Gayasura's body, with the condition that he must remain
lying down until the ritual was complete.
Gayasura agreed to this, and his body became the Yagna site.
The Trimurtis, disguised as Brahmins, conducted the Yagna for six consecutive
days.
On the seventh day, Mahadev Shiva, taking the form of a
rooster, crowed with a "Kokkurukoo" sound early in the morning. This
sound awakened Gayasura, who mistakenly thought that the Yagna had concluded.
In his haste, he got up.
As soon as the demon stood, the Trimurtis revealed their
true forms and vanquished him. Gayasura was so colossal that his legs fell in
Pithapuram, his head in Bihar (known as Siro Gaya), and his waist in Jajpur,
Odisha (referred to as Nabhi Gaya).
The location where the demon's legs fell turned into a pond,
which is known as Pada Gaya. It is believed that taking a bath in this pond
absolves one of their sins.
This temple is called Sri Kukkuteshwara, owing to the
transformation of Shiva Bhagavan into the form of a rooster at this sacred
site.