The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaiva community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 5:30 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m.
Each ritual comprises four steps: abhisheka (sacred bath), alankaram (decoration), naivedyam (food offering) and deepa aradhanai (waving of lamps) for both Kalyanasundareshwar and Girisundari.
The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred texts) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast.
There are weekly rituals like somavaram (Monday) and sukravaram (Friday), fortnightly rituals like pradosham and monthly festivals like amavasai (new moon day), kritika, pournami (full moon day) and chaturthi.
Shivrathri in February–March and Margazhi Tiruvadhirai in December–January are the major yearly festivals celebrated in the temple. Masi Magam celebrated during the Tamil month of Masi is considered the most prominent festival of the temple. During Masi Magam festival, the Somaskanda Murthy is taken in procession around the temple.
Pregnant women conduct bangle ceremony in the temple, praying to the central deity of the temple and Kali for smooth delivery.
Tonsure ceremony for getting children shaved for the first time to promote proper growth is a very common worship practice. Shiva is believed to have shown his feet to saint Thirunavukkarasar and hence the practice of blessing with Sadari, which is otherwise practiced in Vishnu temples, is followed in the temple.
Sapthasagaram, the temple tank located outside the main entrance of the temple
Tirugnana Sambandar, a 7th-century Tamil Shaivite poet, venerated Kalyanasundaresar in eleven verses in Tevaram, compiled as the Second Tirumurai. Appar, a contemporary of Sambandar, also venerated Kalyanasundaresar in ten verses in Tevaram, compiled as the Sixth Tirumurai.
As the temple is revered in Tevaram, it is classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 276 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon.
The temple is counted as one of the temples built on the banks of River Kaveri. It is located on the banks of Kudamurutti, a tributary of river Kaveri.The temple is counted as the 20th temple on the southern bank of Cauvery that are recorded in the canon.
A shrine in the second precinct of the temple as seen from the hillock
Tamil
பெண்ணமருந் திருமேனி யுடையீர் பிறங்குசடைதாழப்
பண்ணமரும் நான்மறையே பாடியாடல் பயில்கின்றீர்
திண்ணமரும் பைம்பொழிலும் வயலுஞ்சூழ்ந்த திருநல்லூர்
மண்ணமருங் கோயிலே கோயிலாக மகிழ்ந்தீரே.
you have a holy body in which a lady stays.
when the glittering caṭai is hanging low, you are practising dance singing the four Vēdas in which there are melody-types. in tirunallūr which is surrounded by fields and verdant gardens of great strength. you are rejoicing in dwelling in the temple which is desired by the people of this world.
The temple tank, Sapthasagaram, is considered sacred. Kunti, the mother of Pandavas from the Mahabaratha period is believed to have taken a holy dip in the tank, worshiping Kalyanasundaresar.
This incident is recorded in some of the inscriptions in the temple, but this story is not even mentioned in Mahabharatha. The lingam in the temple is believed to change colours five times during the day time. From 6:00-8:24 a.m, it takes the colour of copper, light red from 8:25-10:48, molten gold from 10:49-15:12, unknown colour from 13:13-15:36 and emerald green from 15:37-18:00.
The vilwa tree in the temple is believed to be the first of its kind in the planet and hence called "Aadhi tree". Gananatha, a form of Shiva, in the form of balipeeta (platform for offering), is located in the temple. It is the only other place outside Varanasi, where Gananatha is found in the form.