Sri Pydithalli Ammavari Temple

Sri Pydithalli Ammavari Temple is a small shrine to the goddess Pydithalli near the market area of Vizianagaram, and one of the most venerated Shakti temples in northern Andhra Pradesh. Once a year a festival centred on the sacred Sirimanu fills the town with processions and draws lakhs of devotees, who believe the goddess blesses them through it.

The legend says Pydimamba sensed that a war would end in tragedy and pleaded with her brother not to fight. On hearing of his death she gave up her life in grief, and later came to a soldier in a dream, telling him to find her idol on the western side of a lake and raise a temple there. The idol is kept covered in turmeric and fresh flowers, and Tuesdays are thought the most auspicious days to visit.