அருள்மிகு மங்களாம்பிகா சமேத ஶ்ரீ பிரம்மசிரக்கண்டீஸ்வர சுவாமி திருக்கோயில்
Shiva (Brahmasirakandeeswarar) temple · Thirukandiyur, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Mangalambigai Sametha Brahmasirakandeeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple to Shiva at Thirukandiyur (Kandiyur), about 10 km from Thanjavur on the road to Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th of the 127 Tevaram-hymned temples on the southern bank of the Cauvery in the Chola country (Dinamani).
Faith & Tradition
By legend, Shiva removed one of Brahma's five heads, which then stuck to his palm; he was partly freed of the sin at Karambanur (Uthamarkoil) and fully at Thirukandiyur — the origin of the deity's name. Thirukandiyur is one of the rare places where shrines to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma stand near one another (The Hindu). Devotees pray here to be freed of 'Brahmahathi' sin (Dinamalar) and of 'putra dosham' (Dinamani).
The deity, a swayambhu linga, is named in inscriptions as 'Thiruveerattanathu Mahadevar' and 'Thirukandiyur Udaiya Mahadevar' (Dinamalar). Thirukandiyur is one of the seven temples of the Thiruvaiyaru Sapthasthanam festival, when the deity joins the palanquin procession of Thiruvaiyaru's Aiyarappar (The Hindu; Dinamalar).
Heritage
A five-tier rajagopuram, with shrines to Vinayaka, Subrahmanya with Valli and Deivanai, Nataraja, Vishnu-Durga and Bhairava; Brahma, Lingodbhava, Dakshinamurthy and Bhikshatana appear as niche images (Dinamalar).
Plan Your Visit
Confirm darshan timings locally before visiting.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with the temple administration before travelling. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.
Sacred Calendar
The deity joins Thiruvaiyaru's seven-temple palanquin procession (The Hindu; Dinamalar).
Location
Thirukandiyur is about 10 km from Thanjavur on the Thanjavur–Thiruvaiyaru road (Dinamani).
Location: Thirukandiyur, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
More in Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu · Shiva (Brahmasirakandeeswarar) temples
Questions
About 10 km from Thanjavur on the road to Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu.
Shiva was freed here of the sin of removing Brahma's fifth head.
Mangalambigai.
Yes, it is one of the seven temples of Thiruvaiyaru's Sapthasthanam festival.
Yes, the 12th of 127 such temples on the southern bank of the Cauvery.
Further reading: Brahmasirakandeeswarar Temple, Thirukandiyur on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Pilgrim Circuit
