In this shrine, the great Lord Shiva is prayed to by the people, who refer to him as Mahalingeshwa Swami, he is worshipped here, in the form of a ling, and the followers of the Lord refer to his deity by the name- Jyotimayalingam. Parvathy, who is his wife, is referred to as Pirguchuntaragujambigai. The shrine itself derives importance from the shiva ling, which can be found here, and it is the ling of the Lord that attracts devotees who come here to seek the blessings of the Lord.One can see a whole of a hundred and forty nine inscriptions that are related to this shrine, and they give us a whole lot of information about the kings, who have belonged to various dynasties- namely those of, the Cholas, the Thanjavurs Marathas, the Pandyas and last but not the least, the Nayaks of Thanjavur and the contributions that each of them have made towards this shrine. The shrine, as we see today, was constructed by the Chola emperors who ruled that are during the ninth century. Later on, the Nayaks of Thanjavur made improvements in the already existing shrine and extended its area. The compound of the shrine is believed to be the biggest, among all the shrines that can be found in Tamil Nadu. And one can see four gopurams, which are actually entryway towers, in the temple compound. This shrine is home to many temples, the most important ones being the ones that are dedicated to Mookambigai, Mahalingeshwara Swami and Pirguchuntaragujambigai. One can also see a number of mansions as well as grounds, which are three in number in the shrine's compound. Out of the three, there was one ground which was constructed by the Vijaynagar emperors, on which there a number of figurines, which is regarded as the most important one among the three. The shrine is taken care of by a monkish organization named, Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam.

The priests who reside in the shrine are the ones who carry out various rituals and pujas on a daily basis as well as during festivals and celebrations. They belong to the Shaiva community. Thaipoosam is regarded as the most significant festival which is associated with this shrine; this festival is carried on for a period of ten days throughout the Thai month of the Tamilian calendar. The idol of Lord Shiva, along with his wife, is paraded around the village, after they are made to sit in different vehicles. Moreover, Ambal Thanai and Tirukalyanam are celebrated during Vaisakhi.