Veerabhadra Swamy Temple was constructed during the reign of the Vijayanagar Kings. This holy place is of appreciable antiquity and had been mentioned in all Saiva Puranas.
Rayachoti draws thousands of devotees from Karnataka s Lingayat community as it considers the Deity as their ILAVELPU .
Every year Sivaratri Festival and Karthika Pournami Celebrations are held on a grand scale and devotees from far off places too visit the shrines regularly. 80 of the pilgrims tourists are from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the remaining 20 are from AP. Special occasions like marriage functions, tonsure ceremonies, family functions, etc are also performed in huge numbers at the destination. The flow of pilgrims increases during weekends at the destination.
Swamy Veerabhadra is accompanied by Ammavaru and Lord Shiva in the temple precincts.The ancient shrine of Lord Veerabhadra is located on the Chittoor-Kurnool National Highway, close to the River Mandavya.
It is about 55 km away from Kadapa and 120 km from Tirupati. Tourists can reach the destination either from Kadapa or Chittoor. The nearest Railway Station is located at Kadapa. The distance from Peleru is about 60 km and Kadiri is about 60 km. Nearest Airport is at Tirupati.
