Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Ambal

Brahmapureeswarar Temple stands at Ambal, now called Koilpatthu and historically Punnakavanam, in Tiruvarur district. Shiva is worshipped as Brahmapureeswarar and Parvati as Poonguzhalammai. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised by Tirugnanasambandar, and is believed to be the last of the sixty maadakoil built by the Chola king Kochengat.

Legend says Brahma, cursed by Shiva to become a swan, bathed in the temple tank, Annam Poigai, and worshipped here to recover his form. The local Ganesha is called Patikkacupu Pillayar, from a story that he gave a measuring vessel to King Nantan during a famine, and Kamadeva is also said to have worshipped here. A three-tier rajagopuram leads into a walled rectangular compound. The main festivals are Margazhi Tiruvathirai, Kodabishekam in Chittirai and Annabishekam in Aippasi, and the temple is run by the state's Hindu Religious and Endowment Board.