Papi Hills near Rajamundry, AP, India
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Best time to visit Papikondalu is October to January. Bangalore to Rajahmundry is about 900 km. Papi Hills is a scenic gorge located on a section of the Godavari river in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Rajahmundry, originally known as Rajamahendri, is a pilgrimage place in Andhra Pradesh. The destination offers number of sightseeing options to tourists including temples, museums, hills, bridges and many more. Various temples can be visited while in Rajahmundry such as Markandeya Temple and Iskcon Temple. Markandeya Temple was earlier a mosque but archaeological surveys proved that it is a Shiva Temple. Iskon Temple is another famous temple, which is situated on the banks of Godavari River and was built by the Iskon group. Tourists can also plan a visit to Pattiseema and Papi Hills(Papikondalu) that are the popular picnic spots in Rajahmundry. These sites have beautiful waterfalls and thick forests that attract visitors in large number. Besides this, Papi Hills is thronged by tourists as boat rides are offered through the narrowest width of river Godavari.
Besides these temples, Kotilingeswara Temple and Sri Sarangadhareswara Swami Temple are prominent religious sites. There are many bathing ghats located near Kotilingeswara Temple that attracts many devotees.
It hosts holy congregations called Pushkaram held once every 12 years and considered auspicious to take sin-ridding holy dips.
Papi Kondalu is a hill range in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh India. Papi kondalu are distributed among Khammam East Godavari and West Godavari districts. The entrance of Papi kondalu can be seen from Koruturu (West Godavari District). The original name for this hill range was ‘Papidi Kondalu’. Papidi is a rough translation for partition in Telugu. Since this range looks like a well designed partition that splits river Godavari, this name was coined. There is also another idea that the range looks like a partition of a typical Indian Woman's hair line. In due course, it settled for ‘Papi Kondalu. Papikondalu hills are one of the most visited tourist attraction in Andhra Pradesh. Punnami Tourism and many other private tourism corporations operate boat tourism corporations operate boat journeys on the Godavari river which passes through Papi Hills. There is also a night stay facility in Kollur village which is in the mid of hills completely covered by forests. The scenary, including the waterfalls at Munivaatam, and the peaceful atmosphere at this tribal area make this area a tourist attraction. The idol of Shiva under serpent shade was installed in Munivaatam of Khammam district. The village Perantala palli is in this area. Early summer months i.e. March and April are the best times to visit this place. .Papi kondalu has a wide varieties of natural vegetation and wildlife, that spreads across the three districts of Andhra pradesh. Papi hills lies in Eastern Ghats. Papi kondalu wild life sanctuary is shelter for animals including tigers, panthers, antelopes, hyenas, jackals, spotted deers and many types of birds.