Proddatur draws it's name and fame through an act of Lord Sri Rama who installed a saikata linga (linga made of sand) to mitigate the Brahma hatya dosham from killing of Ravana. While this mythological connect remained with the town, it is famous for Gold trade. It is considered as Second Mumbai due to the volume of gold business. For over a century, gold trade is predominantly in the hands of a large entrepreneurial Vysya population living here. While the very affluent and well to do vysyas are into gold trade, women in not so rich families supplementing their family income by making leaf plates using leaves of bastard teak (flame-of-the-forest tree or Butea monosperma) These leaf plates were commonly used those days in Rayalaseema region. The leaves have astringent, depurate, diuretic and aphrodisiac properties, stimulate and promote diuresis. Make shift eateries on the pials (scaffold or raised platform) on either side of the main entrance of their homes making dosas was ...