The Cheyyeru is formed by the confluence of the rivers Bahuda and Puncha that originate in Andhra Pradesh. The two streams join at
Rayavaram to form the Cheyyeru which then flows for 87 km before joining the Pennar as a right bank tributary at Gundlamada in the
Sidhout taluk of
Kadapa district,
draining a total area of 7,325 km2.[1][2] The Gunjana river is a tributary of the Cheyyeru and along the Gunjana valley several
paleolithic settlements have been discovered.[3] There are several
gorges on the river including one after the confluence of its headstreams and the Balarajupalle gorge.[2][4] The Cheyair series of rocks in the Cudappah rock system of the
Eastern Ghats, consisting largely of
shales, is named after the Cheyyeru river.[5][6]
Waterworks
The Cheyyeru project comprising the 409 metre long Annamayya
earthen dam that provides irrigation facilities to its catchment zone is on this river in the
Rajampet mandal of
Kadapa district.[7][8][9] The Togurpet project, also in the Kadapa district, is also on the Cheyyeru and was completed during the
Fourth Five-Year Plan period.[10] Percolation tanks have been developed on the river at
Nandalur to augment irrigation facilities in Kadapa.[11]
Important places
Attirala is a temple town on the Cheyyeru that is associated with several myths. It is believed that the sage
Parasurama did penance for his sin of
matricide here and that Likhita, the brother of the sage Sankha had his severed hands restored to him after bathing in the river. Attirala houses a Parasurama temple and temples dedicated to
Gadadhara and Treteshwara. Many members of the transgender community visit Attirala to pray for their rebirth as regular human beings and to atone for their sins.[12]