Pushpagiri Temple Complex

The Pushpagiri Temple Complex lies on the banks of the Pinakini river in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, about 16 km from the district headquarters. Founded around the 7th century CE, it gathers temples of different ages, and the shrine of Sri Vaidyanatheswara is accepted as having stood here since at least that time. Ikshvaku inscriptions excavated at the site describe it as Dakshina Dwara, the southern gate to the Jyothirlinga at Srisailam.

The name means flowery mound, and legends explain it in two ways. In one, Garuda spilled a drop of amrita into a pond here, and the rock placed over it floated like a flower until Vishnu and Shiva pressed it into the ground; in another, flowers from Rama's worship of Vaidyanatheswara piled up into a hill. The complex sits about 380 m above sea level, among paddy fields watered by the river. The cooler months from September to March are when many pilgrims and sightseers come.