Guvvalacheruvu is a tiny town on the national highway between Kadapa (Cuddapah) and Rayachoti (Rayachotty or Rayachoty). The town is spread out on either side of the main road and has space for parking vehicles. Since the British colonial times, the town has gained importance as a stopover spot because of its location: at the foothills of Eastern Ghats. Private vehicles, lorries and RTC buses have been stopping at this place since the tarmac road came to the district. As a result there have been tea stalls, restaurants and also its famed sweet dessert ‘palakova’.
Palakova is a type of milk dessert made of milk, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and almonds but some also add jaggery.
Panugula Narayana is one of the tea-stall owners on the highway who also sells ’palakova’ along with his son and wife. He told thetelugus.com that the demand for ‘palakova’ remains among the passengers and travellers. He said they buy ‘palakova’ in bulk from a nearby village whose residents are specialized in making palakova for generations. He confessed that the quality of ‘palakova’ has come down when compared to the palakova of a decade ago because of the quality of milk which has gone down now.
Barnabas Bhaskar Chowdhary from Bodan in Telangana who had stopped at Guvvalacheruvu passing by the place to taste the palakova said, “The sweet has a unique taste unlike the palakovas I tasted in my life.”
Guvvalacheruvu is a big village or tiny town with a population of more than 2,000 people in Ramapuram Mandal in Cuddapah District of Andhra Pradesh state of Rayalaseem region in India. It is located 23 km towards south from Kadapa (Cuddapah) the headquarters of Dr YSR district, and 11 km from Ramapuram. The other nearby villages are Neelakantaraope, Dinnepadu, Suddamalla, Saraswathipalli, Nallaguttapalli, Ippa Penta and Lakkireddipalle mandal. All these habitations come under Rayachotty assembly constituency and Rajampeta paralimentary constituency.
The state government and tourism department of Andhra Pradesh is yet to identify the culinary richness and culinary heritage.
Guvvalu in Telugu means sparrows and cheruvu means pond: Sparrows’ Pond is Guvvalacheruvu. You can consider to stop at Guvvalacheruvu if happen to travel on the National Highway (NH) 40 in the section between Kadapa and Rayachotty.
