The Cheyyeru is formed by the confluence of the rivers Bahuda and Pincha that originate in Andhra Pradesh. The two streams join atRayavaram to form the Cheyyeru which then flows for 87 km before joining the Penneru as a right bank tributary at Gundlamada in theSidhout taluk ofKadapa 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 severalpaleolithic settlements have been discovered.[3] There are severalgorges 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 theEastern Ghats, consisting largely ofshales, is named after the Cheyyeru river.[5][6]
The Cheyyeru project comprising the 409 metre long Annamayyaearthen dam that provides irrigation facilities to its catchment zone is on this river in theRajampet mandal ofKadapa district.[7][8][9] The Togurpet project, also in the Kadapa district, is also on the Cheyyeru and was completed during theFourth Five-Year Plan period.[10] Percolation tanks have been developed on the river atNandalur to augment irrigation facilities in Kadapa.[11]
Attirala is a temple town on the Cheyyeru that is associated with several myths. It is believed that the sageParasurama in Hinduism did penance for his sin ofmatricide 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 toGadadhara 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]
