Category:Pushpagiri, Andhra Pradesh

Pushpagiri 

village in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh
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Instance of	village in India
Location	YSR district, Andhra Pradesh, India
14° 35′ 39.8″ N, 78° 45′ 26.4″ E
Authority file  Q19760800 VIAF ID: 157447546 Library of Congress authority ID: no2003024115 J9U ID: 987007484757205171 Reasonator Scholia Wikidocumentaries PetScan statistics WikiMap Locator tool KML file WikiShootMe OpenStreetMap Search depicted

Pushpagiri, now a village in Kadapa district Andhra Pradesh, was in its history a major city, religious and education center near the banks of river Pennar (Pinakini in Sanskrit texts). The earliest inscriptions found here date from the 4th-century CE, but texts dated to pre-2nd century BCE mention it as an important center for monasteries. Pushpagiri and nearby locations were one of the focal points of an important economic and populated region through the 16th-century. It is one of the places where Adi Sankara is reputed to have visited and supported an Advaita Matha (monastery for Advaita Vedanta studies). Many major Hindu and Jain temples were built in and near Pushpagiri, and it came to be known as the second Hampi.

The village of Pushpagiri in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh is not to be confused with Pushpagiri peak of Karnataka and other hamlets elsewhere in India with same name. This valley region to the west of Nallamala hills of Eastern ghats are naturally protected by a hilly terrain and gifted with several significant rivers. The sangam (confluence) of these rivers and locations where the river turns north towards the Kailasha, Himalayas were considered particularly sacred locations. The Mauryas, Vishnukundins, Pallavas, Chalukyas of Badami, Cholas, Rashtrakutas, Kakatiyas and Vijaynagara dynasties helped build, expand and renovate major temples and infrastructure in Pushpagiri and nearby region. These feature sanctums dedicated to Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakti traditions, as well as those to Jain Tirthankaras. It came to be known as Madhya Ahobilam to Vaishnavas, and Madhya Kailasam to Shaiva. Many of these temples and monasteries were damaged or destroyed during the Deccan wars of expansion by Deccan Sultanates. Ruins were re-discovered by British colonial era archaeologists and historians, with sections restored in the recent decades.