The site has a dual religious significance — it was a major Buddhist center under the Satavahana dynasty, who built the magnificent Amaravati Mahachaitya with its renowned marble sculptures now displayed in museums worldwide. The Shiva temple was developed later, with contributions from the Chalukyas and the Vijayanagara Empire. The name Amaravati itself means 'abode of the immortals', reflecting its centuries-old spiritual importance.
The earliest of the thirty-five inscriptions on the temple walls is dated to 1129 CE, which gives the first firm date for the shrine. Inscriptions at the shrine also name the Kota chiefs and the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya, recording gifts made across several centuries of rule. The zamindar Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu renovated the temple in 1796 and moved his seat of government to Amaravati, leaving his name in the temple's modern history.
