In the 17th century, Sri Raja Vasireddy Jagga Bhoopala was ruling the Krishna region, with “Amaravathi” Town as his Capital. Sri Tirupatamma was born in this kingdom to a family of “Kolla”. She learned Puranas, Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other epics and used to give sermons about them to the Villagers. She married Gopayya of the “Kakani” family, Penuganchiprolu Village and brought glory to both families, and the entire region, through her undeterred devotion to Lord Sri Venkateswara. Tirupatamma was not only a great devotee but also a good housewife.
All the neighbouring Villagers respected her and believed that she is an incarnation of Lord Venkateswara. The region flourished with wealth and good crops, as long as she is happy at her in-law’s house. Her mother-in-law wasn’t a fan of the adoration and troubled her. She never revealed her grief to her husband Sri Gopayya and tolerated it with utmost patience.
Her sorrows resulted in droughts and famines. Sri Tirupatamma was abandoned by her husband’s family while her husband was away grazing cows in Uttara Aranyanyam. During that period, one of her disciples, “Papamma” served Tirupatamma with love and affection. Gopayya who was impressed by the beauty of Uttara Aranyam thought he should come back again to that area along with Tirupatamma and have the darshan of Bhadradri Rama. But while grazing the cows, a tiger attacked him one day. Tirupatamma had foreseen the death of her husband and decided to enter Yogagni along with her husband’s remains. She showed her celestial powers to the village Headman and Karanam Sri Komarraju Srisailapati and Sri Karla Mutyala Naidu, who finally permitted Yogagni Pravesham. She gave her last sermon from the Yogagni Pyre and preached to all the villagers about Bhakti, Karma, Gnana, Vyragya and Moksha marga and preached that women shall be treated piously always for the prosperity of the region.
Tirupatamma told the villagers that she along with her husband will appear again as an idol in the Yogagni place. She said that her disciples will see Gopayya in Magha Pournami setting sun and her in Magha Pournami raising moon and ordered the village head man Sri Srisailapathi to construct a temple at Yogagni place. She blessed Papamma that her heirs will become archakas in her temple. Finally, with her husband’s remains, she immolated herself in the pyre by Yogagni. The next day, the idols of Sri Tirupatamma and Gopayya were found and the village head man Sri Srisailapathi constructed the temple at the Yogagni Pyre place.
The tiger responsible for the death of Gopayya visited the Holy pyre area and took its breath. The village headman had constructed ‘Sri Peddamma temple’ at the place where the tiger lost its life.