the temple priests perform the "pooja" (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. like other shiva temples of tamil nadu, the priests belong to the shaivaite community, a brahmin sub-caste. the temple rituals are performed six times a day; ushathkalam at 6:30 a.m., uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and ardha jamam at 8:00 p.m. each ritual comprises four steps: "abhisheka" (sacred bath), "alangaram" (decoration), "neivethanam" (food offering) and "deepa aradanai" (waving of lamps) for both mahalingeswarar and pirguchuntaragujambigai. there are weekly rituals like ' and ', fortnightly rituals like "pradosham" and monthly festivals like "amavasai" (new moon day), "kiruthigai", "pournami" (full moon day) and "sathurthi". the most prominent festival of the temple, maasimagam, is celebrated for ten days during the tamil month of "maasi" (february - march). the festival deity of padikasunathar and his consort circumambulate the temple and the streets in the village in different vehicles. the other festivals in the temple are nayanmar guru puja and asesha ayilya