This is a temple vibrant with the musical and dance traditions of the centuries. Tiruvarur was a great cultural center for the Cholas who extended great patronage here; mention must be made of especially of Raja Raja Chola I. Sundaramoorthy Naayanar is known for his close association with Tiruvarur. His shrine faces that of Tyagarajar.Muthuswamy Deekshithar, Tyagarajar and Syama Sastri the trinity of Carnatic Music were born in Tiruvarur. Deekshithar in particular, while in residence at Tiruvarur composed several suites of Kritis addressed to Tyagarajar, Kamalambika and several other deities in this temple.

The origin of the shrine at Tiruvarur is steeped in antiquity. Of the two major shrines in the temple, dedicated to Vanmikanathar and Tyagarajar the Vanmikanathar shrine is the older one. It enshrines a Shivalingam - prithvi lingam made of earth. Two of the major legends surrounding the temple are associated with Manu Needi Cholan and Muchukunda Cholan respectively. Anecdotes referring to the lives of these legendary rulers (not attributable directly to any of the Cholas of the Sangam period or the Vijayalaya line of Cholas) are referred to in ancient Tamil literature such as Manimekalai and Silappadikaram.

The Maratha ruler Serfoji Maharaja of Thanjavur was devoted to the shrine at Tiruvarur and he performed the renovation and the Kumbhabhishekam of the shrine in the year 1717. The great Karnatic music composer Mutthuswamy Deekshitar composed several kritis in praise of Tyagaraja, Kamalambika and other deities housed in the temple complex.Another Kumbhabhishekam was performed in the temple in 1986 and the most recent one in March 2001.