The Pithapur–Kuravpur yatra takes you to the two places most closely tied to Sripada Srivallabha, whom Datta devotees revere as the first Kali Yuga avatar of Dattatreya. Pithapuram, in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, is where he was born. Kuravpur, an island in the Krishna river on the Karnataka–Telangana border, is where he spent most of his life. From Mumbai or Pune the two-shrine trip takes four to five days by train and road. Most families add Srisailam and Mantralayam, which sit between the two, and some add Ganagapur on the way home.
Datta Dham yatra packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pithapuram darshan | 3N / 4D | Train to Pithapuram, two days at the Mahasamsthanam, train home | A first visit, or a Datta Jayanti trip |
| Pithapuram and Kuravpur | 4N / 5D | Both Sripada Srivallabha shrines, with the river crossing to Kuravpur | Devotees short on leave |
| Datta Dham with Srisailam and Mantralayam | 7N / 8D | Pithapuram, Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, Akkamahadevi caves, Raghavendra Swamy, Kuravpur | Families, groups, first-timers |
| Datta Dham with Ganagapur | 8N / 9D | The 7-night route plus Ganagapur on the Bhima–Amarja sangam | Guru Charitra readers |
The full day-wise plan for Datta Dham Yatra with Srisailam and Mantralayam 7N/8D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Pithapuram: Sripada Srivallabha Mahasamsthanam
The Mahasamsthanam stands on Venugopala Swamy Temple Street in Pithapuram, on the site of the house of Sripada’s maternal grandfather, Bapanarya, where he is believed to have been born. The temple was completed in 1987 and the padukas installed in 1988. It runs its own annadanam, rooms for pilgrims and a goshala.
The Samsthanam publishes this daily schedule:
| Time | Seva |
|---|---|
| 5:00 am | Suprabhatam |
| 5:30 am | Kakad Harathi, then abhishekam of the original padukas with water |
| 9:00 am | Panchamrutha abhishekam and puja |
| 12 noon | Maha Naivedyam and Harathi |
| 5:00 pm | Pradosha puja |
| 7:00 pm | Palanquin seva |
| 8:30 pm | Harathi |
The Samsthanam asks devotees to attend the 5:30 am paduka abhishekam, so we plan at least one night in Pithapuram. The same town has the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple with the Puruhutika Devi shrine, counted among the Shakti Peethas. It’s a short auto ride away and easy to fit in.
Kuravpur: the island in the Krishna
Kuravpur (also Kurugadda or Kuruvapuram) lies in Raichur district, about 25 km from Raichur. There’s no bridge. You cross in a round coracle, called a putti or theppa, which takes 10 to 20 minutes, then walk about 1 km on the island to the temple. There are two usual crossing points:
- From the Karnataka side, via Atkur, by road from Raichur.
- From the Telangana side, via Makthal on the Hyderabad–Raichur road, then about 20 km on a narrow country road to Panchadeva Pahad or Sri Vallabhapuram on the riverbank. Vallabhapuram has an ashram that serves simple food and has rooms.
Facilities on the island are basic. The Raichur district administration notes that good accommodation is on the Telangana side, so we put you up in Raichur or near Vallabhapuram and treat Kuravpur as a day visit. Carry water and a snack.
Good to know: the coracles depend on the river. When the Krishna is high in the monsoon, crossings can be suspended or irregular. We keep a flexible half-day on the Kuravpur leg and check with local boatmen the day before.
The add-ons: Srisailam, Mantralayam and Ganagapur
- Srisailam, in the Nallamala hills, has the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga and the Bhramaramba Shakti Peetha. Darshan and sevas are booked through the Devasthanam’s site or the AP Endowments portal. From January 2026 the Devasthanam added fixed Sparsha Darshan slots (when you can touch the lingam) on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, its busiest days. Below the temple, a ropeway goes down to Patalaganga, from where boats run on the Krishna to the Akkamahadevi caves.
- Mantralayam, on the Tungabhadra, has the Brindavana of Sri Raghavendra Swamy. The Matha lists darshan from 6 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm. Men remove their shirts and banians before entering. Women wear Indian dress, preferably a saree. The Matha asks pilgrims to bathe in the Tungabhadra and visit Manchalamma’s temple first.
- Ganagapur, in Kalaburagi district, is where Sri Narasimha Saraswati lived. It has the Nirguna Math with his padukas and the sangam of the Bhima and Amarja. Gangapur Road station is about 21 km away, on the Solapur–Kalaburagi line.
Getting there from Mumbai and Pune
Both ends of the yatra have direct trains from Mumbai and Pune, which is why we use the train for the long legs.
- To Pithapuram: the daily Konark Express (11019) leaves Mumbai CSMT at 2 pm and Pune at 6 pm, and reaches Samalkot at 12:48 pm and Pithapuram at 1:03 pm the next day. Samalkot is a bigger junction 10 to 15 km away, useful if Pithapuram’s quota is full.
- From Raichur: several daily trains run back to Mumbai via Pune and Solapur, including the Udyan Express and the Mumbai–Chennai Mail. The trip takes about 11 to 13 hours. Krishna station, on the same line, is closer to the river crossing.
- By air: Rajahmundry has the closest airport to Pithapuram. Hyderabad is the practical airport for Srisailam and Kuravpur.
Best time, and the festival dates
October to February is the best season: cooler days in coastal Andhra and on the Raichur plains, and the Krishna is usually low enough for easy crossings. April and May are very hot. The big days are:
- Datta Jayanti, Margashirsha Purnima, falls on Wednesday 23 December 2026. Pithapuram, Kuravpur and Ganagapur all draw large crowds, so book rooms and trains early.
- Sripada Srivallabha Jayanti falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, the same day as Ganesh Chaturthi. In 2027 that’s 4 September.
- Karthika Masam at Srisailam runs from 10 November to 8 December 2026. Karthika Mondays and Karthika Pournami (24 November) are the most crowded days of the year there.
For senior citizens
The coracle crossing is the part to think about. You step down into a round boat from a sandy or muddy bank and sit low, and then there’s a 1 km walk on the island. Most elderly pilgrims manage it with a hand from the boatman. Anyone who can’t is better off on the 3-night Pithapuram trip. The train legs are long, so we book lower berths in AC classes where the quota allows. At Mantralayam, the shirt-off rule for men applies to everyone, so carry a shawl or angavastram.
Questions devotees ask before booking
Can we stay at the Pithapuram Samsthanam?
The Samsthanam has pilgrim rooms, but they are limited and in heavy demand around festivals. We book a hotel in Pithapuram or Kakinada as a fallback and request Samsthanam rooms where possible.
Pithapuram and Kuravpur are far apart. How do you connect them?
By an overnight train from the Godavari towards Hyderabad, then by road via Srisailam or straight to Makthal. On the short package we skip Srisailam and go directly to the Krishna.
Can we do Gurucharitra parayan on the trip?
Yes. Tell us when you book and we build in a quiet morning at Pithapuram, Kuravpur or Ganagapur. A full seven-day parayan needs a longer stay in one place, which we can plan separately.
Is the Akkamahadevi boat trip suitable for elderly parents?
It involves the ropeway, a boat ride of roughly 40 to 90 minutes each way and a walk into the caves. Boats run in the daytime and the APTDC launch reportedly waits for a minimum number of passengers. For anyone with knee trouble, we suggest skipping it and spending the morning at the temple instead.
For sevas and donations, see the Sripada Srivallabha Mahasamsthanam site. Mantralayam’s visitor guidelines are on the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha website.
Pithapuram seva timings, Mantralayam darshan rules and the Kuravpur access details checked November 2026 against the Mahasamsthanam, Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha and Raichur district websites. Train times are from published 2026 timetables; Srisailam’s darshan slots are from a December 2025 news report; festival dates are from Hindu calendars. River crossings and temple rules change, so we confirm them when we send your quote.