Cuddapah literally means threshold "GADAPA". It is rightly so. It is the threshold of Seshachala Range of hills which commence from Cuddapah and stretch upto Tirumala,holy town of the Lord Venkateshwara. An impressive temple of Lord Venkateshwara is still found in Devuni Cuddapah and persons on pillgrimage to Tirumalai first visitthe te,mple of Lord venkateshwara at Devuni Cuddapah. before proceeding to Tirumalai. The temple is said to be as old as Tirumalai and the kings of SriKrishanadevaraya empire constructed the gopurams and towns and made lot of rennovations.
GLORY:
Cuddapah had its glory when it came under the rule of the SriKrishnadevaraya
Kings and later on under the Cholas. People were literate and possessed poetic
talents. Allasani Pedddanna who was the principle poet laureate among the eight
poets, called Ashtadiggajas(Elephants of Eight directions) was from this region.
Kokatam and other villages few miles from Pushpagiri were given to Allasani
Peddana by ShriKrishnadevaraya.
Cuddapah had its glory again in 1830's when Mr.Charles Peoples Brown was the District Judge of the British India. Mr.Brown became himself a versatile and popular poet in Telugu language and the first Telugu-English dictionary was published by him.It is said that every village officer in those days was a great poet. Mr.Bodducharla Thimmaraju,most famous Chadarangam player(Chadarangam is a game like Chess) was able to defeat even hundred players at a time in the court of SriKrishnadevaraya was an Accountant of Koppalla village near Cuddapah. C.P.Brown's Memorial library is worthseeing.
Vontimitta(Ekashillanagaram):means town constructed with single stone famous for the temple of Sri SreeRamaChandra of Ramayana. It is here that the famous Telugu poet Pothana translated MahaBhagahavat; sacred book for Hindus from sanskrit to Telugu. The great poet Pothana was notonly just a poet but also a realised soul and it is said that Lord SreeRamaChandra himself came to the house of Pothana in his absence and composed one poem in Maha Bhagavat as the composition of this poem was posing some problem. Even today, we find an idol of Pothana(also called BhakthaPothana) in the temple. Sri Vavilikolanu Subbarao another Telugu dedicated and spirutual poet translated Sri MadRamayana; written by Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit into Telugu. This is a popular book and the poet, who has given all his earthly property including a house at Cuddapah to Sri Rama Chandra of Vontimitta is called "AbhinavaValmiki"(Modern Valmiki).