Karundhittangadi Temple: 2 kms. Within the outskirts of the city is a famous Shiva shrine north of Vadalur river dedicated to Vasishteshwara along with his consort Tripurasundari Ammal. It is said that this temple was constructed a century before the great Brihadishwara temple was planned. It has several beautifully carved sculptures around the walls of the temple. One of the inscriptions mentions that King Rajendra Chola donated a gold chain to this deity. It would be interesting to note that a few neglected sculptural idols lying in the enclosure gave rise to the starting of the Art Gallery at
Thanjavur. Realising the excellence of such valuable lithic pieces, the then Collector took personal interest to transport them to the Raja’s Palace to the exhibited.